Some occasions in watchmaking create their own gravity. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has become one of them. For twenty-five years, the ceremony has offered a clear view of how the craft evolves from one season to the next. Founded in 2001 and guided since 2011 by a public interest foundation, the GPHG continues to recognise and promote the art of watchmaking with support from partners such as FGP Swiss & Alps and through the engagement of the industry’s leading figures.
Geneva hosted the anniversary edition on 13 November 2025. Under the chairmanship of Nick Foulkes, the Jury and Academy honoured nineteen creations. At the top of the list was Breguet, which received the “Aiguille d’Or” for a watch that reconnects modern horology with one of its earliest architectural ideas. The ceremony underscored how tradition and innovation remain intertwined, each shaping the other’s future.
Among the many deserving winners, these five represent our own quiet favourites of the 2025 edition.
Breguet Classique Souscription 2025
“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix
The Souscription 2025 shows what happens when a maison revisits its origins with restraint rather than nostalgia. The first subscription watches offered an accessible, simplified architecture at a time when precision was still rare. Their single hand and pure enamel dials became a quiet turning point in the history of watchmaking.
The modern version preserves that calm spirit. A grand feu white enamel dial carries petit feu numerals in deep black. A single open tipped hand is shaped and blued by flame. The 40 millimetre Breguet gold case blends satin brushing with fine shot blasting, creating a surface language that feels both historic and contemporary.
Inside, the hand wound VS00 calibre delivers a 96 hour reserve and a layout inspired by the earliest Souscription movements. Guilloché and engraving remain subtle, allowing the architecture to breathe. The watch reads like a dialogue between past and present in which neither side overshadows the other.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Iconic Watch Prize
Audemars Piguet used its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary to refine a complication central to its identity. The new Calibre 7138 introduces a simplified approach to the perpetual calendar, allowing all corrections to be made through one crown. The change is practical but also philosophical. It acknowledges how collectors interact with their watches in daily life.
Three 41 millimetre references present the movement. A white gold Code 11.59 appears alongside two Royal Oaks in steel and sand gold. While the silhouettes remain familiar, the user experience becomes more intuitive. Perpetual calendars often reward patience. This one rewards instinct, offering clarity without altering the character of the complication.
Urban Jürgensen UJ 2
Double Wheel Natural Escapement
Men’s Watch Prize
The UJ 2 reflects a school of watchmaking that values methodical precision over external flourish. Its natural escapement, inspired by the work of Abraham Louis Breguet, is executed with an almost academic purity. Two escape wheels engage with a rhythm that reduces friction and heightens efficiency. The effect is elegant, but the construction that enables it is demanding.
Finishing extends to surfaces that remain hidden once the watch is cased. Bridges, wheels and plates receive equal attention, regardless of visibility. The design is calm, symmetrical and deliberate. Nothing seeks attention, yet everything contributes to a deeper sense of completeness. It is a watch built around a belief that true simplicity requires immense effort.
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
Tourbillon Watch Prize
Bvlgari’s pursuit of thinness has reshaped expectations for contemporary haute horlogerie. The Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon continues that exploration with a profile of 1.85 millimetres that includes an openworked tourbillon.
A tungsten carbide mainplate supports sandblasted titanium components and an integrated titanium bracelet that measures only 1.50 millimetres. The manually wound BVF 900 calibre uses open spaces rather than heavy structures, creating a light filled environment around the tourbillon. Surfaces receive modern finishing that contrasts with the delicacy of the mechanism itself.
The result is a watch that treats thinness as a design philosophy rather than a statistic. It feels composed, modern and precise.
Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF
Sports Watch Prize
High frequency movements have a quiet logic. When a balance wheel beats more quickly, disturbances influence the average rate less severely. Chopard leans fully into that principle with the Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF, the lightest high frequency model in the collection.
The case, crown and bezel are crafted from ceramicised titanium, giving the watch a matte presence and notable lightness. Chopard extends the use of the material to the mainplate and bridges of the Calibre 01.14 C. Silicon components support the 8 hertz escapement by reducing friction and energy loss. The result is a chronometer certified movement that maintains stability even under rapid shocks.
The Pitch Black titanium dial carries orange accents that offer controlled contrast. With its bead blasted finishing and streamlined proportions, the watch presents high frequency engineering as something refined rather than aggressive.
A Lasting Moment
The Special Jury Prize went to Alain Dominique Perrin, whose leadership at the Fondation Cartier helped connect contemporary culture with high level watchmaking. It was a reminder that the craft grows through its advocates as much as through its technicians.
The ninety nominated watches, including all nineteen winners, remain on view at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva until 16 November before traveling to Dubai Watch Week from 19 to 23 November. Exhibitions like this offer a pause in a fast moving industry. They provide a moment to consider where watchmaking has come from and where it may go next.
Read more about watches here.
FULL 2025 PRIZE LIST
“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: Breguet, Classique Souscription 2025
Chronometry Prize: Zenith, G.F.J. Calibre 135
Horological Revelation Prize: Anton Suhanov, St. Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock
Audacity Prize: Fam Al Hut, Möbius
Iconic Watch Prize: Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Greubel Forsey, Nano Foudroyante
Chronograph Watch Prize: Angelus, Chronographe Télémètre Yellow Gold
Tourbillon Watch Prize: Bvlgari, Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
Sports Watch Prize: Chopard, Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF
Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 30
Men’s Watch Prize: Urban Jürgensen, UJ 2 Double wheel natural escapement
Time Only Watch Prize: Daniel Roth, Extra Plat Rose Gold
Jewellery Watch Prize: Dior Montres, La D de Dior Buisson Couture
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Voutilainen, 28GML SOUYOU
Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Chopard, Imperiale Four Seasons
Ladies’ Watch Prize: gérald genta, Gentissima Oursin Fire Opal
“Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize: M.A.D. Editions, M.A.D.2 Green
Challenge Watch Prize: Dennison, Natural Stone Tiger Eye In Gold
Mechanical Clock Prize: L’Épée 1839, Albatross L’Épée 1839 X MB&F
Special Jury Prize: Alain Dominique Perrin
