Representing eight countries and a broad spectrum of players from the world of watchmaking, these projects bring together fresh perspectives, bold ideas and unexpected approaches. They showcase the imagination, daring and creative force driving watchmaking communications today.
Starting today, the public can explore the shortlisted projects online and vote for their five favourites, across all categories, to determine the PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD. Meanwhile, the jury will convene ahead of the awards ceremony to select the ten category winners and the coveted grand prize, THE GREAT! A special YOUNG TALENT AWARD will also shine a spotlight on the next generation of creative minds. All winners will be revealed on 2 December at the Alexander Awards ceremony in Geneva.
What If Watchmaking Went Off Script / Creative Storytelling
Newton, hip-hop and Dutch waffles. Not exactly the usual suspects. With Sorry Isaac, Breguet and agency Fred & Fahris stage a face-off between Abraham-Louis Breguet and Isaac Newton to celebrate the tourbillon’s 225th anniversary. Unstoppable, created by L’Amour (Extreme Group) for Ulysse Nardin, turns 180 years of history into a bold cinematic manifesto, voiced by an artist from the American hip-hop scene. Meanwhile, Lebois & Co, working with The Desk Geneva, draws inspiration from the stroopwafel, the iconic Dutch waffle, to forge an unexpected connection between pastry-making and the art of watchmaking.
Three worlds. Three bold visions. One shared ambition: to surprise.
When Does a Product Become a Star / Product Launch
A product launch is no longer just about the reveal. It’s about creating a world around it. For Ikepod, agency Izar Design captures eight moments in time through eight Polaroids, bringing the Minipod to life while reconnecting with the roots of its design. MB&F, together with agency Le Truc, turns HM12 The Guardian into the hero of a 3D animated film inspired by the robots of the 1980s and 1990s. Developed with L’Épée 1839, this mechanical creation features more than 1,500 components. Meanwhile, for Raymond Weil’s 50th anniversary, agency A2P puts The Fifty centre stage in an immersive film blending real sets with virtual production.
Lights. Camera. Imagination.
Who Said Print Was Dead? / Corporate Publishing
In a digital-first world, print is finding new ways to stand apart. With Compendium 01, Christopher Ward gives journalist Ken Kessler 198 pages to explore watch culture, well beyond the brand’s own collections. For TAG Heuer, L’Amour (Extreme Group) reinvents the traditional catalogue with Magalogue, a two-sided editorial concept that combines a magazine with a showcase of the brand’s collections. Meanwhile, Ressence brings back the newspaper format with Ahead of Time Newspaper, sharing its vision, convictions and the personalities who shape its world.
In a world of scrolling, some stories deserve turning pages.
What If the Real Magic Is Off Screen? / Behind the Scenes
Behind every watchmaking achievement lies a human story. For Boucledor, agency A2P creates a film built around a seamless visual loop, weaving together employees’ gestures with precision, poetry and a touch of humour. In An Unexpected Renaissance, Czapek and MaxScene Films chronicle the remarkable revival of a watchmaking house in a 50- minute documentary filmed over a decade, driven by the determination of its founders, artisans and collectors. Finally, Horage, working with Newback and Eutopiafilm, tells the story of a small team forced to develop its own tourbillon after its supplier pulled out, in Taming the Whirlwind.
The real masterpiece? The people who make it.
Look. But Don't Just Look. / Brand Experiences & Retail Concepts
There’s more to discovering watchmaking than looking through a shop window. In Biel/Bienne, Art du Temps introduces its Boutique Concept, designed by The Brand Office, reinventing the traditional watch boutique as a place to meet, explore and connect, with a particular appeal to Gen Z. With Showcase Experience, Immensive transforms the conventional display window into an interactive experience for Horopedia, combining light, movement, 3D content and storytelling to encourage visitors to explore each object at their own pace. Meanwhile, GMT Publishing’s Watch Safari takes 18 enthusiasts from around the world inside watch manufactures to meet the artisans and executives who bring them to life.
A signature you recognise. A feeling you remember.
What’s Beyond the Logo? / Brand Identity & Campaigns
When watchmaking meets other forms of artistic expression, brand identities take on a whole new dimension. For AKHOR, agency Ashbyash and director Nicolas Haeni create an aerial choreography where dancers, gravity and balance capture the spirit of Le Temps en Équilibre collection. With The Black Tulip - Choreography of Time, DUNSELMAN Watchmaking brings dance and mechanical watchmaking together in a film where every movement conveys precision, control and emotion. For Jaeger-LeCoultre, agency Cinetic Creatives reimagines one of the cradles of watchmaking in The Valley of Invention, a cinematic campaign where sculptural landscapes, sweeping camera movements and timepieces create a dreamlike world.
A signature you recognise. A feeling you remember.
Who Tells the Stories the Brands Don't? / Editorial & Independent Publishing
Independent voices bring fresh perspectives to watchmaking. In The Rolex Legacy, published by Octopus Publishing, James Dowling explores 120 years of Rolex history, placing its innovations in a broader economic, social and cultural context. In his newsletter The Fourth Wheel, Chris Hall combines investigative journalism, sharp analysis and irreverent humour. Meanwhile, TASCHEN’s Ultimate Collector Watches celebrates 100 exceptional timepieces in two lavish volumes of photography, archives and expert insights.
Same industry. Different stories. No single truth.
Is Generosity Watchmaking's Finest Complication? / Social Responsibility & Impact
Some creations do more than tell time. They make a difference. With PARVIS, Ateliers Blandenier and de Rham Cadrange Genève bring together artisans, artists and partners around a unique horological creation, auctioned for CHF 152,400 in support of the charity Paint a Smile. With Every Second Counts, ID Genève partners with the United Nations to celebrate the 17 Sustainable Development Goals through a series of 17 watches, with part of the proceeds supporting projects that make a difference. Finally, with Time for a Cause, The Swiss Collector rallies its community around a charity prize draw offering the chance to win a Rolex Daytona, raising funds for organisations supported by Carburacœur.
When time is given, everyone wins.
Is Reality Overrated? / AI & Immersive Experiences
Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies are opening up entirely new creative possibilities. For ORKOS, PREMEYE STUDIO teams up with CodeTech to produce a film generated entirely by AI, featuring a diving watch clasp that exists only as a concept, with no physical prototype and no filming involved. With Dawn of Time, WorldTempus and Mierswa+Kluska combine traditional watch photography with AI to create a striking visual world inspired by Brutalist architecture. Finally, Manna Technology, a subsidiary of Hantang Culture, presents NEXUS: The Time Observer, a mixed-reality experience on Apple Vision Pro that invites audiences to explore the history and many dimensions of time through seven interactive chapters.
What doesn’t exist can still take your breath away.
Can One Image Say It All? / Photography
Light, composition, perspective. Watch photography reveals far more than the object itself. For De Bethune, agency Diode plays with contrasts and reflections to subtly reveal the details of the DB25xs Starry Varius in an image infused with poetry. For Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato Three Gold Bridges, Diode once again creates a photographic composition that highlights the watch’s architecture and the meeting of two historic signatures of the Maison. Meanwhile, for Czapek’s Time Jumper, Aristo Photo crafts a visual world that captures the complexity of its mechanism, the richness of its finishes and the references to its watchmaking heritage.
Through the lens, mechanics become emotion.
Watchmaking has talent. So do its storytellers. Thirty nominees. Ten categories. Who will take the crown? Geneva, 2 December.
