Rexhep Rexhepi Wins Aiguille dOr at the 2026 GPHG Awards
Independent watchmaking claimed the top honor at the 2026 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève as Rexhep Rexhepi won the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix for his RRCHF Chronograph Flyback, Hodinkee reported. The ceremony, held at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices for its 26th edition, according to Revolution Watch, brought together 84 nominated timepieces competing across 14 categories for a total of 20 prizes.
Format Changes and New Jury Leadership
The 2026 awards marked the first outing under new GPHG jury president Wei Koh, as Revolution Watch noted. Organizers adjusted the category structure by introducing Essential, Complication, and Gemset categories to replace former gender-based divisions. For the first time, the ceremony was conducted mostly in English to appeal to an international audience.
The 24-member panel evaluated competing watches behind closed doors, while the wider GPHG Academy contributed one-third of the final result through its own vote, Revolution Watch reported. Monochrome Watches noted that the GPHG is often regarded as the Oscars of watchmaking, celebrating traditional crafts and independent manufacturing.
Chopard and Ferdinand Berthoud Claim Multiple Prizes
Chopard took two prizes: the “Time Only” prize for its L.U.C. 1860, marking the 30th anniversary of its manufacture in Fleurier, as Karl-Friedrich Scheufele noted in his acceptance speech reported by Hodinkee, and the “Jewellery” prize for its Mystery Nut, a walnut-shaped pendant in ethical rose gold set with brown and cognac diamonds. Ferdinand Berthoud also won two prizes, taking the Chronometry Prize for the Naissance d’une Montre 3 and the “Tourbillon” prize for the Chronomètre FB 2TV.
Audemars Piguet claimed two prizes, including the “Iconic Watch Prize” for its Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 “150th Anniversary” and the “Calendar and Astronomy” prize for the 150 Heritage. Daniel Roth won the “Essential” prize for the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton.
Additional Prize Recipients
Other notable winners included Cleguer, who took the Complication prize for the Inspiration One. Blancpain won “Mechanical Exception” for the Grande Double Sonnerie. Piaget secured the “Gemset” prize for the Swinging Pebble. Parmigiani Fleurier won “Chronograph” with the Tonda PF Mystérieux, and Grand Seiko took the “Sports” prize for the Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver.
Louis Vuitton won Artistic Crafts for the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata, Otsuka Lotec won the Petite Aiguille for the No.8, while the SpaceOne X Baltic Seconde Majeure won the Challenge category. La Vallée took the “Mechanical Clock” prize for the Cosmo.
Special jury prizes were awarded to Dominique Renaud for the Pulse60 Titanium in the “Horological Revelation” category, Konstantin Chaykin for the ThinKing Mystery in the “Audacity” category, and Patek Philippe for the Watch Art Grand Exhibition. Matt Jorgensen and Yuma Miyai received the Young Student Prize 2026, recognized alongside the main awards, according to Revolution Watch.
Winning timepieces will be displayed at Watches of Switzerland’s Knightsbridge location in London from November 19 to 23, Hodinkee reported.
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