First up, the winner of the Aiguille d’Or award (which is THE award to win) went to Girard Perregaux for their Constant Escapement. I’ve said it before, the Constant Escapement is quite possibly the greatest innovation in horology since the tourbillon. Girard Perregaux have managed to solve an age-old watch problem by creating the first-ever true “constant force” watch movement. See my full review here.
The Grande Complication Prize went to the intricate yet elegant A. Lange & Söhne for their 1815 Rattrapante Perpetuel Calendar, as did the Public Prize.
If you know me you’ll know that I truly believe there aren’t that many watch brands out there making ladies watches. In most cases, brands will offer a smaller version of a men’s watch, slap some diamonds on it, put it on a white strap and pass it off as a ladies’ watch. This isn’t the case with Van Cleef & Arpels, who took home the Ladies’ Complications Watch Prize for their Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée.
The Ladies’ Watch Prize was awarded to DeLaneau for their Rondo Translucent Champagne.
Fellow BSL alumnus Romain Gauthier took home the Men’s Complications Prize for his Logical One with it’s outrageously handsome (and patented) ruby chain links constant force system.
The Men’s Watch Prize went to non other than Finnish independent Kari Voutilainen for his V-8R, using his first in-house movement.
Vianney Halter made quite the comeback with his extraterrestrial Deep Space Tourbillon, featuring a captivating triple-axis central tourbillon. Vianney received the Innovation Prize.
Chopard received the Jewellery Watch Prize for their L’Heure du Diamant, which the jury judged not only based on the design, but on the quality of the stones used. Quite the dazzler.
Chanel really hit it out of the ballpark with their Mademoiselle Privé Camélia Brodé, the first watch to house a dial made with “broderie”. The watch received the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize.
Put to the test by Felix Baumgartner during his record-breaking skydive, the Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th received the Sports Watch Prize.
The “Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize was awarded to Austrian husband-and-wife brand Habring2 for their Jumping Second Pilot, a cool central dead-seconds watch at a relatively affordable prize.
A new category, the “Revival Prize” which awards the best vintage-inspired or reedition watches, was awarded to none other than my beloved Tudor Heritage Black Bay (which I happened to be waring at the prize ceremony 😉 ) My post-purchase review here.
The outlandishly cool oil-filled Ressence Type 3 received the Horological Revelation Prize.
Everybody’s horological hero Philippe Dufour was awarded the “Special Jury Prize“. No explanation needed here, methinks.
