GPHG 2025: When time tells its most beautiful story
Every year, the GPHG reminds us why we chose this profession: for the beauty of time when it becomes a work of art, for the emotion that a caliber evokes when it starts to beat, for the silent dialogue between heritage and innovation.
The 2025 edition, celebrated this week in Geneva, not only rewarded exceptional watches: it also told the story of what haute horlogerie will be tomorrow.
At Michaud, our two watchmakers, Stephen Paysant and Maxence Thézé, viewed the awards with the eyes of those who experience these pieces on a daily basis, who handle them, listen to them, adjust them—and see them shine on the wrists of their owners. They present their analysis.
The Golden Hand: Back to Basics
Breguet's victory with the Classique Souscription 2025 resonates like a manifesto. A single hand. A gesture of understated audacity. A way of saying: time doesn't need to be dazzling to be magnificent. In an era where everything is accelerating, this watch imposes a more human tempo. At Michaud, we love these timepieces that teach us how to breathe again. Watches that make silence a form of luxury.
Zenith and precision as a philosophy
More than just an exceptional movement, the Calibre 135 G.F.J., which has won awards in chronometry, is a lesson in rigor. At Zenith, precision is not a technical claim, it is a state of mind. This victory marks a return to fundamentals: more than ever, the quest for performance and stability in timekeeping is crucial for the great watch manufacturers.
In our boutique, we have often noticed that Zenith enthusiasts share a common trait: they like to understand. They want to understand why a movement is accurate. They want to understand how a frequency shapes an emotion.
The GPHG confirms their intuition: beauty, sometimes, lies in a thousandth of a second.
Chopard: jewelry in the service of time
This year, Chopard lit up the jewelry category with its incredible IMPERIALE Seasons—a watch that not only tells the time, but celebrates nature in all its vibrancy.
With its finely sculpted dials, precious stones evoking the cycles of light, and the jewelry expertise that is the hallmark of the house, this piece tells the story of time through the seasons. It embodies an idea that we cherish at Michaud: the jewelry watch as a talisman. An object that accompanies, protects, and magnifies.
The success of this creation confirms a profound trend: the boundary between watchmaking and jewelry is becoming a space of pure poetry.
The major trends we have identified at Michaud
1. A desire for timelessness
In a world where watchmaking can sometimes give the impression of endless technical one-upmanship, purity—and even minimalism—is regaining its prestige.
The success of refined pieces confirms that today's watch enthusiasts are looking for more than just an object: they want a timepiece that will last through the seasons and lifetimes, without any superfluous features—a return to the essentials.
This classic aesthetic, far from being retrograde, affirms a maturity: that of mastery.
2. Mechanics that stand out, between technique and poetry
This year's award-winning watches allow the mechanics to show themselves, reveal themselves, and tell their story. We see the same trend in our boutiques: customers want to see the movement. Not to understand it, but to feel it.
Furthermore, creations such as Anton Suhanov's “Saint Petersburg Easter Egg” (Watchmaking Revelation Prize) celebrate timepieces not only as instruments, but as works of art. When high mechanics become sculpture, when time literally takes center stage, we rediscover the very essence of the watchmaking dream.
3. Iconic elegance as heritage
The recognition of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in the iconic watches category is not just a tribute: it is a statement. It reminds us that some creations do not follow time—they sculpt it, redefine it, transcend it.
These timepieces, which have become icons, occupy a space between heritage and modernity and embody an essential truth: the DNA of fine watchmaking also lies in its ability to innovate while remaining true to its roots.
Our passionate perspective
The GPHG 2025 confirmed an impression we already had from our contact with our customers: the future of our profession hinges on two axes: enlightened mechanics and timeless elegance. This year's winners perfectly embody this duality: watches that speak to the heart as much as to the mind. In other words, the contemporary watch is a choice of identity.
Watch enthusiasts are looking for a piece that says something about them—not just a technical feat, but an object of passion. They take their time choosing. And they know how to recognize the Houses that tell the story of time with soul.
For us at Michaud, this edition has reinforced our conviction: true luxury is not found in what impresses, but in what accompanies. What lasts. What speaks to the heart before it speaks to the eye.
In conclusion
The GPHG is not just a list of winners: it is a snapshot of watchmaking today. A watchmaking that celebrates craftsmanship, precision, poetry, and that rare ability that certain watches have to make us feel... more present.
And that is exactly what we love to share, every day, with those who walk through the doors of Bijouterie Michaud: stories of time, but also—and above all—human stories.