Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/11/17/why-there-were-no-winners-in-the-2023-gphg-mens-and-mechanical-exception-categories-and-my-proposed-solution-to-ensure-that-it-doesnt-happen-again/
When the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards presentation ceremony finished, I was among the many who thought: what happened to the Men’s and Mechanical Exception categories? Why were no winners of those categories announced?
There has been conjecture, but I didn’t hear anything that really made sense to me.
Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Subscription Edition
Yes, for the first time, two finalists in each of those categories won other prizes: in the Men’s category, Simon Brette’s Chronomètre Artisans took the Horological Revelation prize and the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC took the Chronometry prize, but that still left four other finalists.
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronométre FB 3SPC
In the Mechanical Exception category, the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 took the Aiguille d’Or, and the Hautlence Sphere Series 1 took the Innovation prize, again leaving four other finalists in the category.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4
While it’s never happened in the history of the GPHG that two finalists have been dropped from contention in their nominated category due to being awarded other prizes – let alone happening twice in one year – every year there are multiple categories that lose a finalist because they win another prize.
Hautlence Sphere Series 1
And when that happens the second watch (it is assumed) moves up to take the top slot.
I say it’s ‘assumed’ that a finalist dropped from its nominated category would have won if not promoted to another prize, because it’s possible that they would not have won.
I certainly think that Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans deserved to win Best Men’s Watch, but it’s possible that even if it was not quite good enough to win Best Men’s Watch, it could still easily be good enough to take the Horological Revelation prize (for young brands).
Same for Ferdinand Berthoud, in an imaginary world, it might have been second in the Men’s Watch category, but still far and away the best Chronometry watch.
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Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/11/17/why-there-were-no-winners-in-the-2023-gphg-mens-and-mechanical-exception-categories-and-my-proposed-solution-to-ensure-that-it-doesnt-happen-again/
