The annual Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève ceremony took place on Thursday night, and it was a night of surprises. This year the jury trumped the fixed categories, and, as always, the overlooked nominations were maddening. Still, the GPHG remains the gold standard for watch awards, driving sales and press like no other.
My Picks For the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2021
This year, I’m going to take a look at the nominations for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards and pick my favorites. Although my selections don’t usually make the cut, I’m going to enjoy making selections rather than try to pick the winners. I’ll also offer some historical perspective on the best entries.
Why Have No Smartwatches Won at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève?
It sounds like a rhetorical question, but the answer isn’t as simple as “because the industry hates them!” Why has the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève never awarded a prize to a smartwatch? After all, smartwatches have officially been eligible for prizes since 2017, over a dozen models have been entered, and the group added a Smartwatch category in 2020. So why was that prize unclaimed? Is it that smartwatches are undeserving of recognition or is there a more prosaic explanation?