A rare chance to showcase value for money

Image
A rare chance to showcase value for money - GPHG
1 minute read
A look at the finalists in the “Petite Aiguille” category at this year’s GPHG.

One of the great benefits of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is that the prices of all competing watches are clearly indicated. The competition also has a category where price is the decisive factor. The “Petite Aiguille” category is open to any watch that costs below 8,000 Swiss francs. For a lot of people this is already an astronomical sum and a less psychologically damaging level of, say, 5,000 Swiss francs seems much more appropriate. By happy coincidence, the finalists in the “Petite Aiguille” category this year are all either below or just above this arbitrary limit.

The Habring2 Erwin is the most expensive of the finalists at 5,950 Swiss francs, but this small Austrian brand has history in the competition. In the past five years of the awards, four of its models have made the final cut and the brand has gone on to win its category in three of the past five years, two of which were in this very “Petite Aiguille” category. Not a bad achievement for a brand that finds itself competing with the biggest names in the industry.

 All the other finalists in this category come from these established brands. The Bulgari Octo Roma and the Hermès Arceau TGM Manufacture both have a classic design with a sober three-hand aesthetic and in-house movements. Louis Vuitton remains true to its travel inspiration with the Tambour Moon GMT Black in the new Tambour Moon case presented earlier this year, offering an additional complication but still coming in at under 4,000 Swiss francs. Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono remains unbeatable value at just over 4,000 Swiss francs for an in-house chronograph movement.

Whether or not the jury opts for Seiko’s re-edition of its first-ever diver’s watch as the winner of this category is irrelevant. At 3,450 Swiss francs it’s the cheapest watch in the category and as any diver’s watch fan will know, it is already a darling among the community. I have even read stories of people paying well in excess of this price to secure one of these limited editions early, so it is already clearly a collector’s piece.

 

A rare chance to showcase value for money

 

A rare chance to showcase value for money

 

 

A rare chance to showcase value for money

A rare chance to showcase value for money

 

Seiko First Diver Recreation Limited Edition: CHF 3,450
Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon GMT Black: CHF 3,882
Tudor Black Bay Chrono: CHF 4,167
Hermès
Arceau TGM Manufacture: CHF 4,630
Bulgari Octo Roma: CHF 5,600
Habring2 Erwin: CHF 5,950

  Watch the ceremony

 

Featured brands