The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is the watch industry’s apex award show. Earning its nickname, the “Oscars of watchmaking”, it celebrates the year’s finest timekeeping designs, innovations, and achievements from numerous distinct categories. Switzerland’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (a former hydro power generating station) served as a backdrop as the industry ushered in the 2025 class of timekeeping icons. Selected by a 29-member jury (comprising an eclectic mix of journalists, retailers, collectors, and experts), here’s a list of winners and icons from every category.
Aiguille d’Or – Breguet Classique Souscription 2025
Celebrating Breguet’s 250th anniversary in 2025, it’s almost clockwork they’d win watch of the year (Aiguille d’Or award). The timepiece rediscovers Sir Abraham-Louis Breguet’s revolutionary “Souscription” pocket watch as a modern, sized-down wristwatch. Measuring 40 millimeters in Breguet Gold, its grand feu enamel dial is graced with a single flame-blued steel hand, Breguet numerals, and a chemin de fer minute track. Inside, the manual-wound VS00 calibre boasts a 96-hour power reserve and showcases Parisian architecture-inspired guilloché engraving decoration.
Time Only – Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription Rose Gold
Daniel Roth boasts a reputation for notoriously embracing notes of simple and minimalist elegance. At GPHG 2025, they won the Time Only award, marking a pivotal achievement as they relaunch the brand. Measuring in an identical 38.6 x 35.5-millimetre double eclipse form as its tourbillon sibling, its yellow gold case is just 7.7 millimeters thin. Powering this is the new DR002 ultra-thin movement designed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, offering a 65-hour power reserve. Upon close inspection, you’ll notice that the dial comprises a Clou de Paris hand-done guilloche and ring-like filet sauté guilloche.
Men’s – Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 Double Wheel Natural Escapement
On another note of minimalist complications, this Urban Jürgensen UJ-2 features a double-wheel natural escapement and is one of three debut models from the 250-year-old maison. Carrying their signature dress codes, the UJ-2 makes a statement for mechanical ingenuity and timeless design. Sizing in at 38 millimeters, it embraces a lush blue guilloché dial while housing an ultra-rare double wheel natural escapement (a mechanism originally conceived by Breguet).
Men’s Complication – Bovet 1822 Récital 30
Despite contending titans like Audemars Piguet and Parmigiani Fleurier in this category, this Bovet 1822 Récital won — and if you look at it, it’s evident why. As a significant victory for Bovet, this Récital 30 is the result of six years of R&D and represents a revolutionary solution to the age-old irk of Daylight Saving Time (DST) misalignment in world time watches. Its 42-millimeter titanium case houses a series of 26 rollers which accurately display 25 global timezones across four time periods of the year (including UTC, Summer Time, European, American Summer Time, and European Wintertime).
Ladies’ Watch – Gérald Genta: Gentissima Oursin Fire Opal
Dailing back to 1994, the spiky silhouette of a sea urchin captured Genta’s imagination during a vacation in Corsica, and he quickly sketched out a timepiece inspired by it. Three decades later, the Genta brand from LVMH’s stable reignites this flame with a new Gentissima Oursin Fire Opal model. ‘Oursin’ is the French for “sea urchin”, and the timepiece is designed to evoke the vibrant elegance of the sea creature. Sized at 36 millimeters, the watch is cased in yellow gold and boasts 137 individually screwed fire opal gems, which are centered by an orange cornelian dial. The faint octagonal silhouette inside the bezel is a tribute to Genta’s obsession with geometric artistry. This timepiece is powered by the Calibre GG-005, which runs automatically with a 50-hour power reserve.
Iconic – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
The Royal Oak is an icon, period. Reaffirming its cultural significance even half a century after its debut, it wins the Iconic award at GPHG 2025. With its signature octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet, and spectacularly refined finishing, the timepiece hasn’t strayed an inch from Gérald Genta’s legendary design. The winning model boasts a perpetual calendar that keeps a tab on day, date, month, leap year, and moon phase.
Tourbillon – Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
The Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon marked the eleventh world record in Bvlgari’s spectacular legacy of ultra-thin innovation. At just 1.85 millimeters of thickness, there truly is no timepiece that can match its mechanical proficiency at this diameter. With a skeletonized build and tourbillon, it signifies Bvlgari’s mechanical mastery over one of watchmaking’s most emblematic complications. The Octo Finissimo line has previously earned accolades in categories like Chronograph and Mechanical Exception.
Chronograph – Angelus Chronographe Télémètre in Yellow Gold
Captivatingly vintage and fluent in complication, Angelus’ Chronographe Télémètre is an exceptionally perfect chronograph for a multitude of reasons. Cased in 39 millimeters of yellow gold, its golden-titanium dial struts a stamped grained center along with a satin-finished flange. Surfing on a delectable vintage wave, it features a bi-compax dial layout and counters at 3 o’clock for 30-minute elapsed times, and at 9 o’clock for the small seconds. The in-house A500 manual-winding mono-pusher chronograph is showcased via an open caseback. Completed with a sage leather strap.
Sports – Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF
‘Sports’ watches aren’t necessarily great because they’re complex; this Chopard Alpine Eagle is proof. Blending contemporary luxury sports watchmaking and cutting-edge craftsmanship, this SL Cadence 8HF comes cased in 42 millimeters of lightweight titanium and houses a COSC-certified calibre 01.12-C. The dial features a striking guilloché inspired by an eagle’s iris contrasted with orange index tips and a date window at 4:30. Keeping things sporty, it struts an integrated rubber strap.
Petite Aiguille – MB&F M.A.D. Editions M.A.D.2 Green
Mounted atop a La Joux-Perret base movement and elevated with MB&F’s very own bi-directional jumping-hour and trailing-minutes module, this M.A.D.2 Green is as clever under the hood as it is bold on the wrist. Its 42-millimeter steel case houses a complex, grooved green dial with an external track. This features Super-LumiNova stop pins and two pointers to indicate time.
Challenge – Dennison Natural Stone Tiger Eye in Gold
Dennison’s first major GPHG win truly was a roar. The Natural Stone Tiger Eye in Gold (ALD-G-ST03) took home the Challenge Prize, a category for watches retailing well under 2,000 CHF. Showcasing the creative and artistic prowess of accessible luxury, this timepiece featured a 39-millimeter gold-plated case and a strikingly beautiful tiger eye stone dial. Pairing with its minimalist design, the richness of the mineral embraced a unique code of natural elegance.
Chronometry – Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 1354
Zenith’s G.F.J. is a masterclass in returning to one’s roots — and doing so with a laser-sharp eye for precision. Named for Georges Favre-Jacot’s initials, this 39-millimeter platinum watch resurrects the legendary calibre 135. Originally produced between 1939 and 1962, it celebrates a winning record of 235 chronometry prizes (including five consecutive first-place finishes at the Neuchâtel Observatory between 1950 and 1954). With a deep lapis lazuli dial with gold-flecked pyrite, its manual-wound COSC-certified movement offers a 72-hour power reserve.
Audacity – Fam Al Hut Möbius
Being the second Chinese watch brand in the history of GPHG awards to win a category, Fam Al Hut secured the highly coveted Audacity Prize — a category that embraces boundless creativity, experimentalism, and achievement. The Möbius is a marvel of squishing hyper-mechanisms. Cased in a capsule-like lug-less silhouette that measures 42.2 millimeters x 24.3 millimeters, its proprietary in-house manual-wound Calibre M-01T features a hypnotic bi-axis tourbillon and double retrograde hour and minute display with a jumping hour mechanism. The Möbius is considered one of the smallest bi-axis tourbillon wristwatches ever created.
Other GPHG 2025 winners include:
- Horological Revelation – Anton Suhanov: St. Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock
- Mechanical Exception – Greubel Forsey: Nano Foudroyante
- Jewellery – Dior Montres: La D de Dior Buisson Couture
- Artistic Crafts – Voutilainen: 28 GML SOUYOU
- Ladies’ Complication – Chopard: Imperiale Four Seasons
- Mechanical Clock – L’Épée 1839 × MB&F: Albatross L’Épée 1839
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