Geneva celebrates craftsmanship, heritage, and innovation
On Saturday, November 7, the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva hosted the 26th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève ceremony. For the first time, the event was conducted primarily in English, at the initiative of the new jury president, Wei Koh, in order to reach a more international audience.
This edition also marked a structural reform: the traditional Men’s and Women’s categories were eliminated in favor of two new technical categories, “Essential Watch” and “Complication Watch.” In total, 84 watches and clocks competed in 14 categories.
At Michaud, our watchmaker Maxence Thézé closely followed these results, as they reveal the significant changes—and the less visible but equally transformative trends—in the watch industry, which is currently undergoing a major restructuring. Here is his analysis.
The Aiguille d'Or Grand Prix : a tribute to excellence
The Aiguille d'Or Grand Prix, the GPHG’s highest honor, was awarded to Rexhep Rexhepi for his Flyback Chronograph. A Geneva-based independent watchmaker of Kosovar origin, Rexhepi began his career as an apprentice at Patek Philippe at the age of 15. His chronograph, featuring a storm-blue Grand Feu enamel dial with tinted sapphire sub-dials and inspired by vintage pocket chronographs, required a complete redesign of the movement. One can only tip one’s hat to Rexhep’s work: he currently offers us the most intricately crafted Swiss watches, featuring lavish decorations and a relentless pursuit of the perfect timepiece. It is, quite simply, an incredible quest for excellence.
Chopard: the fusion of watchmaking precision and jewelry design
The Fleurier Manufacture was once again the big winner of the evening, taking home a total of four awards.
Chopard first won the Time Only Watch Prize with its L.U.C 1860, which builds on the original iconic model to celebrate the Manufacture’s 30th anniversary in Fleurier. An exceptional watch with a refined aesthetic ; three hands, a understated dial, embodying the most exacting simplicity in watchmaking.
It was then awarded the Jewellery Watch Prize for the Mystery Nut, a walnut-shaped pendant crafted from 18-karat ethical rose gold and set with brown and cognac-colored diamonds, which opens to reveal a moon phase watch powered by an in-house automatic movement. A creation that blends Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie.
Added to these are two awards for Ferdinand Berthoud, a brand integrated into the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier: the Tourbillon Watch Prize for the FB 2TV Chronometer and the Chronometry Prize for the Naissance d’une Montre 3, the latter having demonstrated remarkable timekeeping accuracy.
Audemars Piguet: a remarkable and notable 150th Anniversary
The Le Brassus-based watchmaker, for its part, won two awards.
The first, the Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize, went to the 150 Heritage, an ultra-complicated watch built around the new hand-wound Caliber 1150, featuring a universal calendar.
The second, the Iconic Watch Prize, was awarded to the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 “150th Anniversary.” As the first Royal Oak to combine a flying tourbillon and a flyback chronograph in a remarkably slim case, this exceptional timepiece could not be more iconic.
The major trends we have identified at Michaud
1- Technical excellence at the heart of the story
The 2026 Awards celebrate watchmaking that pushes its own boundaries with a clear message: mechanical sophistication is now expressed with elegance and restraint. The Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux by Parmigiani Fleurier, winner of the Chronograph Watch Prize for its chronograph with disappearing counters, perfectly embodies this technical excellence that our clients seek in timepieces that showcase exceptional craftsmanship without being ostentatious, and that blend naturally into everyday life.
2- Independent watchmakers: these new major players
While the Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix went to Rexhep Rexhepi, the timepieces presented by SpaceOne, Cleguer, Otsuka Lotec, and Dominique Renaud, who won the Horological Revelation Prize for his Pulse60, also joined the list of winners alongside the major watchmaking houses. The trend is confirmed year after year: these intimate workshops are establishing themselves as key players in today’s industry, embodying a distinctive, patient, technical, and highly credible approach to watchmaking. Collectors are intrigued by these lesser-known brands.
3- A new, singular approach
This year’s GPHG replaced the traditional “Men’s” and “Women’s” categories with “Complication Watch Prize” and “Essential Watch Prize,” with the latter award going to Daniel Roth’s Extra Flat Rose Gold Skeleton watch. This is a nod to a watchmaking industry that now thinks beyond the boundaries of gender, considering the watch for its own sake and inviting us to examine its mechanics, proportions, and unique character. Ultimately, the only true way to choose a watch is to try it on your wrist.
My Perspective as an Enthusiast
The 2026 GPHG Awards confirm what we see every day at Michaud through our interactions with customers: choosing a watch is like choosing a companion for life. Our customers take their time, ask questions, compare options, and then one piece stands out because it reflects who they are. Today’s watchmaking is a quest for identity and excellence.
In Conclusion
The GPHG is not just a list of winners: it’s a snapshot of watchmaking in action. A watchmaking industry that celebrates craftsmanship, tradition, and renewal—and that rare ability certain timepieces have to speak to who we are.
The brands we represent at Michaud embody the essential luxury we have championed for 120 years in Neuchâtel: a luxury that stands the test of time, is passed down through generations, and develops a patina as it becomes part of the stories of those who wear these timepieces.