The GPHG 2026 celebrated the finest in horology, with Rexhep Rexhepi's Chronograph Flyback winning the prestigious Golden Arrow. Key highlights included innovations in watchmaking that captivated enthusiasts and collectors alike.
Golden Arrow: Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback
Rexhep Rexhepi's first flyback chronograph features a striking Grand Feu enamel dial in 'stormy blue sky' inspired by classic pocket chronographs. The platinum case measures 38.8 x 9.7 mm, housing a hand-wound movement with a 3-day power reserve. Sapphire sub-dials enhance depth, while the hands provide excellent legibility.
Time Only: Chopard L.U.C 1860
The Chopard L.U.C 1860 boasts a perfectly proportioned 36.5 x 8.2 mm steel case. Its dial, crafted from white gold, features hand-guilloché decoration in a 'sunray' pattern, with shades shifting between green, blue, and gray. An ultra-thin automatic movement offers a 65-hour power reserve.
Essential Watch: Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton
The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Skeleton showcases the beauty of ultra-thin watches through delicate skeletonization. The rose gold case is 6.9 mm thick, with a manually wound movement fully exposed for viewing. Each bridge is hand-finished.
Complication: Cleguer Inspiration One
Despite its simple appearance, the Cleguer Inspiration One offers numerous intriguing features: an off-center dial with champlevé enamel, a 12.9 mm balance beating at 18,000 vph, and a 'Maltese Cross' escapement. The white gold case is 38.5 mm in diameter and features a unique Innate escapement for consistent timekeeping.
Exceptional Mechanics: Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie
Blancpain's most complex watch to date includes a minute repeater, grand and small strike, a flying tourbillon, a retrograde perpetual calendar, and power reserve indicators. The acoustic quality is enhanced by an integrated membrane and silent magnetic regulator. The melody of the strike can be selected with a button.
Gemset: Piaget Swinging Pebble
Inspired by 1972 Kimono pocket watches, the Piaget Swinging Pebble features a case cut from a solid slice of pietersite. Inside is a quartz movement, all suspended on a white gold chain. The watch is adorned with over 2.4 carats of diamonds.
Tourbillon: Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2TV
Ferdinand Berthoud's Chronomètre FB 2TV combines a fusée-and-chain transmission, stop-seconds, flyback function, and a compact planetary differential. The white gold 44 mm case exposes these elements, providing a stable torque and 60-hour power reserve.
Chronograph: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux features hidden rhodium-plated chronograph hands beneath rose gold time hands. A button at 7:30 activates the chronograph, with the hands re-concealable upon deactivation. The 40 mm case combines steel and platinum, housing an automatic movement with a 60-hour power reserve.
Sport Watches: Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver
Grand Seiko's smallest and most accurate dive watch, the Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver, features a 40.8 x 12.9 mm titanium case and a Spring Drive movement with an accuracy of ±20 seconds per year. Its textured gradient dial captures the beauty of Japanese waters.
Calendar and Astronomical Functions: Audemars Piguet 150 Heritage
The Audemars Piguet 150 Heritage pocket watch, with 30 complications, includes a universal calendar on the case back displaying solar, lunar, and lunisolar cycles. The platinum case is hand-engraved with portraits of the brand's founders, and the dial is enameled.
Jewelry Watches: Chopard Mystery Nut
The Chopard Mystery Nut is a pendant watch in rose gold, shaped like a walnut. It opens to reveal a dial with a moon phase indicator on one side and a diamond-studded dove on the other. The walnut and chain are encrusted with white and cognac diamonds, with a secret mechanism for opening.
Artistic Craft: Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata features a psychedelic Grand Feu enamel dial with seven animated elements. A button at 8 o'clock activates these automata, including a feathered eye and a transforming 'MOVE' to 'LOVE' word. The 42 mm white gold case houses a floating tourbillon with a peace symbol bridge.
Small Hand: Otsuka Lotec No.8
The industrial-style Otsuka Lotec No.8 combines a jumping hour with a retrograde minute display. Hours are read on the left, minutes on an arc to the right, with a small seconds indicator completing a rotation every 90 seconds.
Challenge: SpaceOne X Baltic - Seconde Majeure
The SpaceOne X Baltic - Seconde Majeure features a unique jumping hour module. The steel case measures 38.5 x 12.3 mm, with a mechanism that rotates a minute disk every 60 minutes, engaging a 12-tooth star for hour jumps.
Interior Clocks: La Vallée Cosmo
The La Vallée Cosmo features a 14.5 kg mechanism suspended on magnets, rotating once per sidereal day. It includes civil and solar time indications, date and moon phase display, sunrise and sunset times, star positions, and zodiac signs. The mechanism operates for 406 days on a single wind.
Revelation Prize: Dominique Renaud Pulse60 Titanium Black
The Dominique Renaud Pulse60 Titanium Black reimagines the balance and escapement interaction, with a balance beating at 60 oscillations per minute, akin to a human heartbeat. This titanium-cased watch measures 40 x 12 mm and features a rubber strap.
Audacity Prize: Konstantin Chaykin Thinking Mystery
Konstantin Chaykin's Thinking Mystery, the world's thinnest watch at 1.65 mm, uses innovative solutions like a split balance-spring assembly and a winding drum without an upper cover. It can be wound with a key or via a special carbon box.
Chronometer: Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d'une Montre 3
The Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d'une Montre 3 series, limited to 11 pieces, is handcrafted using traditional tools. The 44 mm white gold case houses a caliber with a bimetallic balance and fusée-and-chain mechanism for constant force.
Iconic Watch: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 150th Anniversary
The ultra-thin Audemars Piguet Royal Oak combines a flying tourbillon and chronograph, with a redesigned cam system and anti-vibration gear. The 39 x 8.1 mm titanium case is made with Bulk Metallic Glass, enriched with palladium.
Special Jury Prize: Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe received the Special Jury Prize for organizing the grand Watch Art Grand Exhibition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback?
The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback is a flyback chronograph with a Grand Feu enamel dial and a platinum case measuring 38.8 x 9.7 mm.
What are the features of the Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie?
The Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie includes a minute repeater, grand and small strike, flying tourbillon, retrograde perpetual calendar, and power reserve indicators.
What is unique about the Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver?
The Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver is the brand's smallest and most accurate dive watch, with a titanium case and Spring Drive movement providing ±20 seconds per year accuracy.