Like every year our list of Watches of the Year are culled from the winners of the top prizes at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the annual horology grand prix that is held in Geneva in November every year. These ‘Oscars’ for watches is based on a poll of 850 members of the GPHG academy. 84 watches were nominated for this year’s 18 product categories
Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4
This striking watch features a complication called ‘wandering hours’ invented in the 17th century which displays the hours using a system of satellites gravitating along a minute scale arranged in the form of an arc. The system was reintroduced by Audemars Piguet in 1991 with the new name of Starwheel. The 2023 version with its futuristic looks comes in a 41 mm case in 18K white gold black ceramic. The sub-dials sit on a blue aventurine dial. The self-winding movement offers a power reserve of 70 hours.
Piaget Hidden Treasures Ladies
A re-interpretation of the cuff watches of the 1960s, this watch comes with a signature oval dial half-hidden by the gold work of the bracelet that appears to grow over the case and the ornamental dial. The cuff is hand-engraved with different patterns and textures in a technique where the gold is incised, by hand, one line at a time, using the sharp tip of a burin. No two patterns of the engraving are the same. The golden bracelet reproduces the famous lines of Piaget’s Palace Décor into which is set the sapphire-framed case with a turquoise dial.
Voutilainen, World Timer
This stylish worldtimer watch comes in a 39 x 48 mm steel cushion shaped case. The anthracite colour dial is hand guilloched. The manual winding movement has a power reserve of 60 hours. The Worldtimer is operated by pressing the crown inwards to change the city and time zone.
Ulysse Nardin, Freak One
Since its launch in 2001, the Freak, the watch without a dial, crown or hands turned the centuries-old philosophy of conventional timekeeping on its head. More than a dozen iterations followed, and the Freak never failed to fascinate watch lovers. The technological advancement in the 2023 version includes the escape wheel and pallet fork made form Diamonsil, a patented material the brand developed by coating traditional silicon with diamond. That combined with gold adjusting weights replacing the traditional nickel weights makes the watch less vulnerable to shocks. The 44 mm case is in black DLC titanium. The Caliber UN-240 automatic movement provides a power reserve of 72 hours.
Laurent Ferrier, Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit
In 2010, Laurent Ferrier won the “Men’s Watch” prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) for the Classic Tourbillon. The watch was equipped with an ingenious hand-wound movement featuring a tourbillon and a double balance spring. The new Grand Sport Tourbillon features the same LF619.01 movement with a contemporary finish. The watch is inspired by motorcycling and features a s salmon-pink dial enclosed in a 44 x 49.88 mm titanium case. Power reserve of 80 hours.
Bovet 1822, Récital 20 Astérium
This stunning watch combines hours, minutes, seconds and date with month, moon phase, power reserve indicator, retrograde minutes, tourbillon, equation of time, annual calendar, sidereal calendar, and summer/ winter equinox display. It is housed in Bovet’s trademarked Writing Slope 46 mm case made from a combination of 18K white and red gold. The mechanical movement has a power reserve of 10 days.
Petermann Bédat Chronographe Rattrapante
This Monopusher split-seconds chronograph with jumping minute counter comes in a 38.6 mm platinum case. The mechanical movement has a power reserve of 42 hours.
Tudor, Pelagos 39
This 2023 addition to the legendary Pelagos line of Tudor mechanical divers’ watches comes in a compact 39 mm titanium case with luminescent ceramic composite monobloc hour markers on its sunray satin finished dial with the model name imprinted in cherry red. The self-winding mechanical movement provides a power reserve of 70 hours.
Bulgari, Serpenti Cleopatra
Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti makes its mark gloriously once again with this colourful watch, which is more of a piece of jewellery, with the outsize bracelet/case making more of an impact than the timepiece. The case and bracelet strap are in pink gold covered with 145 K worth of pave set diamonds and fine stones like topaz, tanzanite, amethysts and rubellite. The tiny dial is also set in diamonds and topaz.
Piaget, Altiplano Métiers d’Art – Undulata
The intriguing dial of this watch, a mix of green, blue and iridescent hues, a miniature marquetry of volume, textures and colours, is the creation of French artist Rose Saneuil. Among the materials used include several layers of wood, straw and leather, assembled by hand around the signature Piaget flying tourbillon movement, ringed in by a border of diamonds. The 41 mm case is in white gold. The hand-winding mechanical movement has a power reserve of 55 hours.