In just a short period of time, the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed the lives and livelihoods across the globe. The health crisis has impacted just about every industry on the A-Z list, heavily including the luxury sector, but the brands that remained committed to their message, strategy and mission gained recognition in the long-run — whether in monetary value or by winning prestigious awards.
The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) recently took place with an awards ceremony and a poetic digital show that was masterfully hosted by actor Edouard Baer, the watchmaking excellence was saluted as 19 prizes, including the esteemed “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix.
Some of the big winnings from the evening included Breitling, who won not one but two awards; Piaget, winning the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix for Altiplano Ultimate Concept and Van Cleef & Arpels, who took home the ‘Jewellery Watch Prize’ for its Frivole Secrète watch and the ‘Artistic Crafts Watch Prize’ for the Lady Arpels Soleil Féerique.
Breitling CEO Georges Kern, who accepted the awards on behalf of the brand, said: “We are proud that, even in this year’s challenging circumstances and despite the lockdown, we remained committed to our strategy and our mission: we continued to launch extraordinary new products, such as the Top Time in March and the Chronomat in April,followed by the Endurance Pro and the new Chronomat for women in autumn. Our modern-retro design approach has resonated with people around the world, and we are increasingly appreciated as a casual, inclusive, and sustainable alternative to more traditional luxury brands. This recognition from the GPHG confirms that we’ve been on the right path, and we are proud of these two prizes.”
Here’s the full list of winners at the 2020 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève…
“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: Piaget, Altiplano Ultimate Concept
Ladies’ Watch Prize: Bovet 1822, Miss Audrey
Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Charles Girardier, Tourbillon Signature Mystérieuse
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Men’s Watch Prize: Voutilainen, 28SC
Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Greubel Forsey, Hand Made 1
Iconic Watch Prize: Bulgari, Aluminium Chronograph
Chronometry Watch Prize: Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, FB 2RE.2
Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Vacheron Constantin, Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton
Mechanical Exception Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter 2
Chronograph Watch Prize: H. Moser & Cie, Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic
Diver’s Watch Prize: Breitling, Superocean Automatic 48 Boutique Edition
Jewellery Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Frivole Secrète watch
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Soleil Féerique
“Petite Aiguille” Prize: Breitling, Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition II
Challenge Watch Prize: Tudor, Black Bay Fifty-Eight
Innovation Prize: Parmigiani Fleurier, Hijri Perpetual Calendar
Audacity Prize: H. Moser & Cie, Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser X MB&F
Horological Revelation Prize: Petermann Bédat, Dead beat second
Special Jury Prize: Antoine Simonin, watchmaker, teacher, editor and former director of the WOSTEP Foundation
Now, discover Breitling’s new Chronomat collection and squad.
