The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) announced its winners in Geneva on Saturday evening. The jury, chaired by Wei Koh, founder of the watch publication "Revolution," handed out 20 prizes together with the Académie, which counts more than 1,000 members.

The evening was hosted by Stéphane Bern and Arianne Alcorta.

The "Aiguille d'Or," the industry's highest honor, went to Rexhep Rexhepi for his Chronograph Flyback. Born in Kosovo in 1987, the watchmaker came to Switzerland in 1999 and opened his own workshop in Geneva's old town in 2012.

He is no stranger to the GPHG: In 2018, he won the Men's Watch Prize with his former brand, Akrivia.

An independent takes the top spot

Rexhepi succeeds Breguet, which triumphed last year with the Classique Souscription, and IWC Schaffhausen, the 2024 winner. After two victories for group-owned brands, the main prize now goes to an independent watchmaker.

Three houses stood out with two awards each. Chopard won the Time Only Watch Prize with the L.U.C 1860 and the Jewellery Watch Prize with the Mystery Nut.

The Geneva-based house had placed all six of its entries in the final selection (finews.ch reported, article in German).

A double win for the Scheufeles

Ferdinand Berthoud, which like Chopard is owned by the Scheufele family, collected the Chronometry Prize and the Tourbillon Watch Prize. That means four of the 20 awards went to the family's houses.

Audemars Piguet was also honored twice, for a Royal Oak "Jumbo" marking the brand's 150th anniversary and for the 150 Heritage.

Blancpain made a comeback in style. Back in the competition for the first time after a 12-year absence, the brand promptly won the Mechanical Exception Watch Prize with its Grande Double Sonnerie.

From Geneva to London

The Special Jury Prize went to Patek Philippe for its Watch Art Grand Exhibition, a nod to the house's commitment to watchmaking culture. The director-general of UNESCO was also among the guests at the ceremony.

After stops in Mumbai and Bangkok, the 84 nominated timepieces are on display at Geneva's Musée d'Art et d'Histoire until November 15. The winning pieces then travel to London, where they can be seen at the Watches of Switzerland boutique in Knightsbridge from November 18 to 23.

The 2026 winning watches:

1. "Aiguille d'Or" Grand Prix – Rexhep Rexhepi, Chronograph Flyback:

2. Iconic Watch Prize – Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 "150th Anniversary":

3. Special Jury Prize – Patek Philippe, Watch Art Grand Exhibition:

4. Audacity Prize – Konstantin Chaykin, ThinKing Mystery:

5. Chronometry Prize – Ferdinand Berthoud, Naissance d'une Montre 3:

6. Horological Revelation Prize – Dominique Renaud, Pulse60 Titanium Black:

7. Mechanical Exception Watch Prize – Blancpain, Grande Double Sonnerie:

8. Complication Watch Prize – Cleguer, Inspiration One:

9. Chronograph Watch Prize – Parmigiani Fleurier, Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux:

10. Tourbillon Watch Prize – Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronomètre FB 2TV:

11. Sports Watch Prize – Grand Seiko, Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver:

12. Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize – Audemars Piguet, 150 Heritage:

13. Essential Watch Prize – Daniel Roth, Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton:

14. Time Only Watch Prize – Chopard, L.U.C 1860:

15. Jewellery Watch Prize – Chopard, Mystery Nut:

16. Artistic Crafts Watch Prize – Louis Vuitton, Tambour Taiko Arty Automata:

17. Gemset Watch Prize – Piaget, Swinging Pebble:

18. "Petite Aiguille" Watch Prize – Otsuka Lotec, No.8:

19. Challenge Watch Prize – SpaceOne, SpaceOne X Baltic – Seconde Majeure:

20. Mechanical Clock Prize – La Vallée, Cosmo: