Spoilt for choice in the men’s category

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Spoilt for choice in the men’s category  - Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix
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There’s just a hint of understatement in the men’s category at the 2014 Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, with brands restricted in the adornments allowed – both functional and decorative.

The regulations of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix clearly state that watches in the men’s category may not have any complications, although in this case a date display, power reserve indicator, moon phase or second time zone do not count as complications and they might in other circumstances. The fact that the organisers also place an upper limit of five carats of gem setting indicates that men are by no means averse to wearing gem-set timepieces, but that they belong in a different category, not to mention a different league in terms of price.

With brands taking these regulations into account, sometimes pushing their definition to the limit, the resulting selection for this year is highly eclectic. Starting with classic “three-handers” by the likes of Armin Strom, Bulgari, JeanRichard and Julien Coudray 1518, the selection runs the gamut from GMT pieces offered by DeWitt, Hautlence and Zenith to the models that group together combinations of different displays (the rules allow for a maximum of two), such as the Carl F. Bucherer Manero day-date with power reserve.

The line between what is a complication and what is merely a type of display starts to blur when one considers watches such as the Hermès Dressage L’Heure Masquée, whose discreet hiding of the hour hand on demand no doubt required considerable development, or the Van Cleef & Arpels Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs, which combines two separate digital time zone indications with a retrograde minute scale.

A total of 38 entrants make this the most hotly-contested category in the competition, so the jury’s deliberations prior to the preselection of six models to go forward for the final vote in September take on an even greater importance in this category.

Click on the image above to see the photo gallery of our selection of watches in this category.

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