There is no escaping the obvious. In any selection process, it is the most visible, the most recognized, the most reassuring entities that come out on top. The final selection of nominees for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Prix, better known as the GPHG, is no exception. At this stage, six watches have been nominated in each of the 15 categories, from which the two voting bodies of the Grand Prix will choose a winner. In total, the Watchmaking Oscars will award a total of 20 prizes, one per category and five special prizes, including the coveted “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix “best-in-show” prize. The first of the above-mentioned bodies is the Academy: an uncoordinated group of 676 members chosen from watchmaking circles worldwide. They do not communicate with each other, with the jury or with the organizers of the compeittion. It is their vote that served to trim the 254 candidate timepieces to 90 nominees.
Sampling
Since its creation in 2020, the Academy has been expanded to its current size. It guarantees the independence of the nomination process, with each member being alone in front of their computer to make their choices. Because of its size and variety, it benefits from an aura of representativeness, but also from a logical human touch. Clearly, everyone votes as they wish, but this choice is guided by the nature of the watches considered.
Electisim
One of the strengths of the new Grand Prix formula – in accordance with the wishes the President of its governing Foundation, Raymond Loretan – is its openness. Brands from all countries, of all sizes and with all levels of fame and experience can participate. Among these, there have never been so many first-timers, unknown names or others known only within their geographical area of origin. The first lesson of this 2022 edition is that it is tough for those within these categories to make it through the initial selection filter, which is quite logical in itself. The major participating brands are global, well-known and have a past including historical contacts with the members of the Academy. They therefore represent the vast majority of the finalists.
Players in the mix
This does not prevent a few emerging entities and even a few outsiders. Although the nominations give pride of place to Audemars Piguet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bvlgari or Chopard and while Parmigiani Fleurier and Grand Seiko demonstrate their importance, we continue to find players more reputed for their inventiveness than for their commercial clout. The strength of the GPHG is that it continues to make room for stakeholders such as Voutilainen, MB&F, Jacob & Co. and Armin Strom. Among this litany of well-known names, one should nonetheless mention three brands that do not have the historical or even recent aura of the above-mentioned ones. DRT, Théo Auffret and Sylvain Pinaud are each in their own way proof that it is still possible to reach the nomination stage without belonging to the elite. The GPHG is still keeping its promise as a peerless reputation accelerator. In the particular case of the Mechanical Clock category with its relatively little-known protagonists, the phenomenon is even stronger.
Final phase
The GPHG’s second voting body, its jury, will meet in the days leading up to the awards ceremony on 10 November 2022, to make its final choices. Until then, the 90 finalists will tour the world, with a traveling exhibition taking them from Geneva to New Delhi and then Casablanca before returning home. For the record, the group of 30 members as a whole has two-thirds of the voting rights, with the remaining third in the hands of the Academy.
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