The GPHG has just ended. And the jury and Academy has spoken. But from our POV, who should have won? Here our pick of the top 6, and a comparison to the 6 who won in the categories important to us.
GPHG 2024: Commentary on six of the winners with some proposed alternates
This is the official list of watches which won the GPHG in 2024. The Academy, which currently comprise of some 1,000 members worldwide, of which I am one, and can thus vouch for its impartiality. The Jury is drawn from the Academy, and comprise of 30 jurors who will meet in person in Geneva to cast their votes. The winner for each category is determined by a blend of Jury and Academy votes.
“5.14 For each prize, the results of the Academy votes, in proportion to the number of Academy voters, count as 15 votes, which are added to the votes of the 30 members of the jury, i.e. one third of the total of 45 votes. The total count determines the prize list.”
GPHG Rule book, 2024
Commentary on the six best watches of the GPHG
We do note that in many cases, our choices agree with the eventual winner.
Men’s – in agreement
The winner of this category was the Voutilainen KV20i Reversed. Of course needless to say, any Voutilainen is an exemplary timepiece worthy of any prize. This is Kari Voutilainen’s latest exploration of the reversed movement.
The first was released as the Vingt-8 Inverse in 2019. We covered the release in great detail on our review. And was very impressed with the lengths Kari took to perform what was essentially reversing the Vingt-8 movement to show the time telling hands on the rear of the movement.
But the KV20i was released this year as a replacement to the Vingt-8 Inverse. The same philosophy applies. But Kari has taken the idea to yet another level. This is a completely new movement. On first sight, the KV20i looks like a slightly rotated 28TI. The huge free sprung balance (13.5mm in diameter) equipped with the signature direct impulse escapement with its two large, blue escape wheels is positioned at 12 o’clock instead of at 10 o’clock. But the crown remains at 3 o’clock, which means a complete redesign of the movement layout. But the balance bridge is now replaced with a balance cock.
Voutilainen KV20i GPHG Official Video – HD
Movement finishing remains at the ultra luxe top level that Voutilainen is famous for.
The other competitors in the category which deserves special mention from us would be the Parmigiani Toric Petite Seconde.
Mechanical Exception – alternate proposed
The winner in this category was the Bovet Recital 28 Prowress 1. We liked the Bovet. It is complicated, and solved the issue of Daylight Savings Time. We are not exactly sure if this is the first as claimed by Bovet. In 2012, Glashütte Original released the original Cosmopolite, with a perpetual calendar and tourbillon. And in 2015, a more wallet friendly version is made available, without perpetual calendar and tourbillon and dubbed as the Glashütte Original Cosmopolite. Both feature the ability to calculate Daylight Savings Time for 37 locations around the world, including half and quarter hour timezones. In comparison, the Bovet uses a set of 24 rollers with cities printed. And with each press of the crown, all rollers turn 90 degrees at the same time and all the cities align with the correct time zone, and for the first time ever, the entire world is correct during Daylight Saving Time.
Bovet Recital 28 Prowress 1 GPHG Official Video
The main difference between the GO and the Bovet is the GO is a dual timezone watch, while the Bovet is a Worldtimer, showing all timezones simultaneously.
There is much to love about the Bovet. But to us, it is a bit too busy on the dial side. And our shadow pick is the Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon, a new expression of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept.
Now enhanced with a new flying tourbillon, which appears to levitate on its own. The tourbillon cage is placed within a ceramic ball bearing system arranged in around the tourbillon cage, and allows Piaget to eliminate the pivot. The case is only 2mm thick with a diameter of 41.5mm. The movement and the case is one part, and is labelled as the 970P-UC, this is a new movement based on the 900P-UC, but as 90% of the components are new and thus can be considered as a new movement. 9 patents in total, with 2 additional just for the tourbillon.
Sports – alternate proposed
The winner in this category was the Ming 37.09 Bluefin. Make no mistake, this is a beautiful watch. The blue colour palate, with its impressive lume is certainly a looker. The dive capabilities which qualify it in the Sports category is also impressive. 600m water resistance, internal bezel in a 38mm steel case. Nice.
But to us, we think our vote would go to Parmigiani for their Tonda PF Sport Chronograph. Especially the latest model in what Parmigiani calls Milano Blue.
This is an exceptional chronograph designed and constructed in-house by Parmigiani in Fleurier. Though the PF Sport Chronograph was actually released in late 2023, and we carried a comprehensive review here.
Tourbillon in agreement, but with close second
The winner in the Tourbillon category is the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription. This is certainly a truly magnificent watch, inspired by Daniel Roth’s Tourbillon C187, the first wristwatch with a large tourbillon on the dial, with the famous moustache flanking the sector seconds chapter arcing over the beautifully crafted tourbillon in its equally beautiful bridge. And the guilloché which is done Clous de Paris style, made by Kari Voutilainen.
We love it that Louis Vuitton, who now owns the Daniel Roth brand chose to do the movement with a form movement, which the Caliber DR001 completely following the shape of the case. The movement is developed entirely by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton who also manufactures and crafts the finishing on the movement. Needless to say, the movement is finished to an exceptionally high level. A new version is also released in Rose Gold for 2024.
An alternate might be the Voutilainen 20th Anniversary, which pays tribute to his 30-year-old first own pocket watch and two decades of independence. The watch features a closed dial with H/M/S indications and a Power Reserve display.
And the magic happens on the rear. Where the movement demonstrates the truly exceptional artistry of Kari. The gilded frosted movement plates contrasts with the black polished steel bridges carrying the canon pinion and the tourbillon cage. The tourbillon cage itself is its inspiration from the 30 year old pocket watch.
Challenge: alternate proposed
The GPHG winner was the Otsuka Lotec. This is an interesting take on time telling. The No.6, which is the design which won, is inspired by an alog meter with a Japanese fan shaped display. The hour and minute hands are retrograde and are superimposed on each other. The watch has a decidedly steam punk styling. The movement is the industrial workhorse Miyota 9015 automatic, a rather pedestrian choice.
Our alternate pick would be the Kollokium Projekt 1. A play project by the creative mind of Manuel Emch. The watch is inspired by neubrutalism.
The elements of the design are structural and graphic at the same time. the dial is a 3D construction of a pixelated image set with 468 individually hand-applied cylindrical indexes. Each cylinder is sandblasted and filled with SuperLumiNova to glow orange in the dark. The cylinders are in 6 different diameters and heights, ad provide a visual landscape unlike no other on the dial.
The movement is G101 automatic from La Joux-Perret with a 68 hour power reserve. We much prefer this movement over the Miyota of the Otsuka.
Aguille D’or Grand Prize: in agreement
The winner in this category is the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar, which we too hailed as mind-blowing. The inclusion of a secular calendar with a moon-phase display with a stupendous accuracy of deviating only 1 day every 45 million years is certainly a super impressive feat. Coupled with fact that the IWC breaks the market with not only brilliant watchmaking but also not charging a million dollars.
The use of glass, frosted and lacquered white on the underside, as the material of choice for the main dial is refreshing. IWC takes it further by applying separate glass sub-dials to serve as the displays of the secular calendar. On one hand, this novel aesthetic does hurts legibility and looks sterile, but in our books it is easily overcome by the air of ethereal beauty imparted by the layers upon layers of superposed glass.
On the case back, the movement is not quite the stunning looker as it is on the dial side, but the technical prowess is impressive. For a full rundown of the technical, head to our linked comprehensive review.
Concluding thoughts
OK, here you have it. The winners in six categories, and our views on whether we agree or have proposed an alternative. Overall, we are quite happy with the eventual winners of this year’s edition of the GPHG. And certainly, we feel that in the categories that we care about, the winners are deserving. Though as pointed out above, we may have alternates that we feel that perhaps should have won. But nevertheless, we think the judging is fair and even handed from our point of view. And our congratulations to the winners!
