The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 won the Grand Prize at the 2023 Grand Prix D’Horlogerie de Geneva (GPHG). Click here to see details and imagesof all the winning watches.
Here’s the full 2023 Prize List “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: Audemars Piguet, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4
Innovation Prize: Hautlence, Sphere Series 1 Audacity Prize: Maison Alcée, Persée Azur Chronometry Prize: Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronomètre FB 3SPC “Horological Revelation” Prize: Simon Brette, Chronomètre Artisans Ladies’ Watch Prize: Piaget, Hidden Treasures Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Dior Montres, Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Voutilainen, World Timer Iconic Watch Prize: Ulysse Nardin, Freak One Tourbillon Watch Prize: Laurent Ferrier, Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 20 Astérium Chronograph Watch Prize: Petermann Bédat, Chronographe rattrapante Sports Watch Prize: Tudor, Pelagos 39 Jewellery Watch Prize: Bulgari, Serpenti Cleopatra Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Piaget, Altiplano Métiers d’Art – Undulata “Petite Aiguille” Prize: Christopher Ward London, C1 Bel Canto Challenge Watch Prize: Raymond Weil, Millésime automatic small seconds Mechanical Clock Prize: L’Epée 1839, Time Fast II Chrome Special Jury Prize: Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese
The Mr. Roboto from Azimuth is one of my favorite watches. Essentially this watch is the reason I fell in love with the brand in the first place.
Azimuth’s Mr. Roboto R1 Original.
Over the past twenty years, Azimuth has really established itself as a big player on the horological landscape. In particular the Azimuth avant-garde SP-1 collections have gained enormous critical acclaim. For this reason the brand has become synonymous for exceptional design and Swiss quality normally associated with more expensive watchmakers.
In fact it’s fair to say their progressive approach to watchmaking has led the pathway for many micro brands.
Over the last few years, I’ve frequently communicated with Chris Long and got to learn what makes him tick. As a brand owner, you can essentially invent a title and Chris playfully describes himself as the Chief Product Visionary. This perpetuates his approach to watchmaking, which is mainly inspired by childhood fantasies.
The Mr. Roboto Artist Series with rat and gears.
Ultimately this was the catalyst for iconic creations like Mr. Roboto that pay homage to the Golden Robot of the 1950s. The Mark I variant was originally released in 2008 and measures 42.6mm x 49.5mm. For the price, there was nothing comparable at the time and it instantly became collectable with watch enthusiasts.
What originally impressed me about the original Mr. Roboto was the meticulous attention to detail. This watch has a sophisticated geometry and several bespoke sapphire crystal windows. The eyes display the hours (left), and GMT/second-time zone (right), with his red triangular nose featuring seconds and minutes in a retrograde format.
Certainly, in 2008 it was an ambitious project for a small independent brand. However, for Chris Long, this became a perfect springboard.
In 2016 Azimuth took on another partner, Giuseppe Picchi, who now runs the technical side of the operation from Neuchatel in Switzerland. This allowed the brand to experiment with more sophisticated designs and build on a solid reputation.
In 2017 Azimuth unveiled the Mr. Roboto R2, which is a larger more muscular version of the original. The primary objective was to give the watch an ‘Haute Horlogerie’ aesthetic similar to MB&F and Urwerk.
Mr. Roboto R2
In my opinion, they were very successful and this is an exceptionally fine watch. However, interestingly Long revisited the original version to create several limited editions constructed from bronze.
Notable highlights include the Mr. Roboto Bronzo Artist Series, a collection of unique 1/1 pieces. These feature hand-engraved bezels inspired by steampunk, bitcoin and motorcycle themes.
Mr. Roboto Bronzo.
For those that prefer a natural finish there was also a 100-piece limited edition Mr Roboto Bronzo that’s long sold out.
Recently Chris Long informed me of a very special 43mm x 50mm sapphire crystal model, which will be limited to twenty pieces worldwide (to commemorate Azimuth’s 20th anniversary). Certainly, it’s the most exclusive model they’ve created to date and visually the boldest.
Mr. Roboto Sapphire.
Not surprisingly Azimuth will be entering this masterpiece for a prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève award.
Personally, I feel it’s a perfect recipient for this type of accolade and maybe a natural conclusion to Mr. Roboto’s story.
Steve Huyton is an industrial designer, illustrator and author who publishes Total Design Reviews
Watches of Switzerland will host an exhibition the 2022 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) award-winning watches for three days at its New York SoHo location at 60 Greene Street.
MB&F took home the coveted Aiguille d’Or award, the GPHG 2022 top prize, for its Legacy Machine Sequential EVO.
The exhibition will be open to the public starting Friday, December 2 through Sunday, December 4.
Watches of Switzerland says it will host the tour to promote the art of watchmaking.
The Chronomètre FB 2RSM.2-1 by Ferdinand Berthoud. won the 2022 GPHG Mechanical Exception Watch Prize.
Often called the Oscars of the watch industry, the GPHG has previously honored the year’s winners at locations in Dubai, London, Moscow, Paris, Singapore, and Vienna. The upcoming exhibition at Watches of Switzerland marks the first such exhibition in New York.
The Bulgari The Octo Finissimo Ultra is the winner of the GPHG 2022 Audacity prize.
For more details or to make an appointment, which is encouraged but not required, see the Watches of Switzerland site.
MB&F won the grand prize at the 2022 Grand Prix D’Horlogerie De Geneve (GPHG) with its Legacy Machine Sequential Evo. The pioneering independent watchmaker also took home the Challenge Watch prize with its M.A.D.1 Red.
The GPHG Grand Prize went to the MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential Evo.
Hermès also took two awards, winning both the Ladies’ Complication and the Men’s Complication categories for the same model family in different sizes and iterations.
Similarly, Bulgari won in both the Jewellery Watch and the Audacity categories, while Van Cleef & Arpels took the prize in the Mechanical Clock and the Innovation categories.
The remaining GPHG trophies were awarded to Akrivia, Grand Seiko, Ferdinand Berthoud, Grönefeld, H. Moser & Cie, Krayon, M.A.D. Editions, Parmigiani Fleurier, Sylvain Pinaud, TAG Heuer, Trilobe, Tudor and Voutilainen.
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra picked up the GPHG 2022 Audacity prize.
The Special Jury Prize, which rewards a key figure or institution in the watchmaking world, was attributed this year to François Junod, automaton-maker and sculptor.
See the GPHG website for a full list of the 2022 winners.
H. Moser & Cie combines two of its trademark minimalist components into one of its best-known collections to create the new red gold Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack, which is also the first non-steel model within the award-winningStreamliner collection.
The new H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack.
For this debut, the Schaffhausen-based independent watchmaker places its highly efficient, dual-hairspring automatic HMC 804 one-minute flying tourbillon caliber beneath a Vantablack dial, a design that features high-tech Vantablack, an ultra-black coating that absorbs more than 99 percent of all light.
The resulting ‘black hole’ dial beautifully contrasts with the finely wrought tourbillon at the 6 o’clock position, all framed by the Streamliner’s striking, Deco-influence cushion-shaped 5N red gold case.
H. Moser has created at least two Vantablack dials for watches in its Streamliner case. You might recall that H. Moser presented what may have been a precursor to this model with the steel-cased Streamliner Tourbillon with a Vantablack dial for the 2021 Only Watch charity auction. H. Moser also displayed a non-tourbillon iteration earlier this year at Watches and Wonders in Geneva when it displayed a one-off Streamliner ‘stealth concept’ watch.
Here H. Moser & Cie. carefully enhances a sharp black/gold contrast by fixing the dial’s red gold indexes from the back of the dial so that they appear or disappear against the Vantablack. All this is framed by a case that H. Moser finishes with vertical brushing alternating with polished lines — an effect mirrored along the fully integrated red gold bracelet.As noted, H. Moser’s automatic HMC 804 caliber powers the watch and is equipped with a double hairspring made by H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company Precision Engineering AG. This component, just one of many technical highlights found throughout H. Moser’s designs, reduces friction and improves the movement’s accuracy and isochronism. (See below for full specifications.) Price: $119,900.
Specifications: H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack
(Reference 6804-0400)
Movement:HMC 804 automatic Manufacture caliber, frequency of 21,600 vibrations/hour, automatic bi-directional pawl winding system, oscillating weight in 18-karat red gold with engraved H. Moser & Cie. logo, power reserve of three days, original double hairspring, one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with skeletonized bridges.
Case: 40mm by 12.1mm 5N red gold topped by a slightly domed sapphire crystal, screw-in crown adorned with an engraved M, see-through sapphire crystal case-back, water-resistant to 120 meters.
Dial: Vantablack,hour and minute hands with Globolight inserts, indices secured from the back of the dial using a plate.
Bracelet: Integrated in 5N red gold, folding clasp with three blades in 5N red gold, engraved with the Moser logo.
Personally, I feel it’s a perfect recipient for this type of accolade and maybe a natural conclusion to Mr. Roboto’s story.
