Who's the Grandest of Them All?

GPHG 2014 INDIA

On September , competing watches will be exhibited at the Hotel Imperial, Delhi

JURY DUTY

ome October 31, the majestic Who’s the Grand Théâtre The exhibition will de Genève will travel to Delhi, Beĳ ing and Geneva grandest of hostC the 14th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie John Mayer de Genève. By the end of to be sure-shot winners. Mayer has a massive stash the evening, 14 watches In fact, last year, little- of vintage Patek Philippe, them all? will have been awarded known watchmakers Rolex and IWC watches top prizes in categories like Habring2 and including the best Ressence won top The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Chronograph, Tourbillon, honours. Habring2 is a de Genève, the Oscars of the Calendar and Artistic husband-wife duo who watchmaking world, will be held in Craft, among others. run their own Austrian Switzerland this October. But even But don’t expect the watchmaking unit, while if you haven’t scored an invitation, usual suspects – the Ressence is just six years you’re still in luck. Many of the high-pro le Swiss old. “The GPHG is one of competing watches will be on haute horologists with the best ways for watch display this month in Delhi, says opulent showings at collectors to understand Nick Foulkes Varun Godinho BaselWorld and SIHH – up-and-coming brands. This British historian and author also writes about style and watches for GQ

FOUR AVANT- ArtyA Broken Glass Sarpaneva Kosmos Rebellion Timepieces Konstantin Chaykin T-1000 Gotham Carpe Diem GARDE This wristwatch, shaped like Finnish watchmaker Stepan the head of a guitar, is one Sarpaneva makes only 35 This badass watch from the This Russian haute horologist PARTICIPATING of ArtyA’s saner models. watches a year. If you send six-year-old independent uses zero Swiss-made parts Others include ones made yours to be serviced, chances Swiss brand is defi nitely more in its watches. On this dial WATCHES from dinosaur feces, human are Stepan himself would Bane than Batman. Part of sits Kronos, the mythological YOU HAVEN’T blood and butterfl y wings. The take a crack at it. This Kosmos the T-1000 collection – all its Greek Titan. The minutes are brand’s founder Yvan Arpa continues the watchmaker’s watches have a power reserve represented in the lower half HEARD OF is the former CEO of Romain eerie fascination with the of 1,000 hours – it’s built like of the hourglass, which fl ips (BUT SHOULD Jerome. That explains a lot. moonphase complication. a tank. over at the end of each hour. KNOW ABOUT) PHOTO: REX FEATURES REX PHOTO:

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Consider the fact that FP Journe, MB&F and Laurent Ferrier were all early winners of the GPHG. It’s a fantastic way to add Fantastic five some weight behind the youngest and most Stellar timepieces from this year’s line-up creative minds in watches that might not get the credit they deserve on a commercial Omega Dark Side level,” says Benjamin Clymer, founder of of the Moon popular watch blog Hodinkee.com and a Bvlgari Ammiraglio From the two-time jurist. Del Tempo STRIKING manufacturer of the At the GPHG, pedigree doesn’t count This is the only minute ﬁ rst and only watch repeater in the world that’s made it to the for much and neither does the tag of being without a pusher or moon (to the side that “made in Switzerland” – Finnish, German and slide to activate the was lit) 45 years ago Russian watchmakers, among others, will chiming mechanism. comes this blacked- That’s because out COSC-certiﬁ ed be participating this year. Over 250 watches Bvlgari has worked sporty chronograph. from more than 40 brands will be evaluated the actuator into the and judged by a 24-member panel of watch lower left lug of the enthusiasts, independent of marketing timepiece. Pull it away from the strap to set budgets and starry brand ambassadors. into motion those The multi-national jury are a motley glorious Westminster CHRONOGRAPH crew, with the majority from outside the chimes. watchmaking industry. “We’ve appointed a deliberate mix, including designers, architects, historians, collectors and bloggers, all of whom come from diverse backgrounds. The aim is to judge a watch not only in terms of its technicality but also to MEN’S look at it as an end product, like a consumer would,” explains Aurel Bacs, President of the jury appointed by the Fondation Du Harry Winston Grand Prix d’Horologerie De Genève, the Project Z8 committee that organizes the awards. The Z stands for Zalium, which But before we get to that big night in has been used to October, you can get in on the action in construct its case. India. A travelling exhibition of some of the This is the material found inside participating watches will stop in Delhi at the combustion the Hotel Imperial on September 27. “We’ve chamber of own down 72 timepieces, six from each of a rocket, that can withstand the 12 categories,” said Anu Saboo, Head temperatures of Marketing at Ethos Watches, which has up to 3,100 partnered with the Foundation to bring the degrees Celsius. #JustInCase exhibition to India. To whet your appetite, we’ve rounded up some of the star attractions at this year’s GPHG.

TOURBILLON I think it’s our duty as jurists to treat each watch as if there were no name on the dial – basing our decisions purely Jaquet Droz TAG Heuer on product design, concept Perpetual Calendar Mikropendulum and execution and not on Eclipse Ivory Tourbillon what a brand may have done Enamel Conventional wisdom in the past. We care little It’s everything you’d will tell you magnets about brands, and all about want in a calendar are the archenemy of individual products. We simply watch: At a single CALENDAR mechanical timepieces. call out the best, irrespective glance you can tell the Unlearn that. In TAG’s BENJAMIN of advertising budgets or phase of the moon, double tourbillon ambassadors. I started day of the week, date watch, one mechanical CLYMER Hodinkee to make high-end of the month, month tourbillon regulates the watchmaking as accessible to of the year, whether timekeeping function, On his role as a real people as the 65-year- while the magnetic GPHG jurist it is a leap year – and old millionaire collector and the time. By far one one controls the the watch industry. We use of the most elegantly chronograph. the same model to generate designed timepieces interest in the GPHG. entered into the competition.

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