GPHG 2023: Final Nominations for Men’s and Men’s Complication Categories Announced

The 2023 edition of GPHG, the grandest award ceremony in the horological calendar, will be held on November 9 in Geneva. A plethora of timepieces and clocks across a wide variety of categories will be vying for the prizes. Men’s and Men’s Complication categories are set to be the cynosure of all eyes. Here are the remarkable nominees for those categories.

Men’s

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59

Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel (Ref. 15212NB.OO.A002KB.01) comes in a 41 mm, black ceramic with white gold case. Invented in the 17th century, wandering hours are a type of horological complication that displays the hours using a system of satellites that gravitate along a minute scale, arranged in the form of an arc.

The watch’s blue aventurine dial serves as the backdrop for the three black, PVD-coated, aluminium wandering hour discs, completing their rotation in the centre. Powering the watch is Calibre 4310, a self-winding automatic movement with 70 hours of power reserve. Finishing the watch is a textured, black, rubber-coated strap with an 18-carat white gold pin buckle.

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De Bethune DB28xs Starry Seas

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The DB28 has long maintained a singular and very specific perspective on watchmaking and watch designing. With its floating lugs, delta-shaped bridges, crown at noon, and futuristic spirit, this DB28 nominee upholds the signature traits but has undergone a sea change. The time-only watch gets a silver-plated hour and minute ring and a starry sky with white gold stars.

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De Bethune has invented a watch featuring the world's first random guilloché.  The new model (Ref. DB28XsTIS3) gets a 39 mm titanium case. It is powered by Calibre DB2005, delivering six days of power reserve, courtesy of a double barrel. Finishing the watch is a leather strap with a pin buckle. 

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Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC

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This is the only cylindrical balance-spring chronometer, certified by the COSC. The Chronomètre FB 3SPC (Ref. FB 3SPC.1) draws its stylistic, technical, and aesthetic inspiration from a rare and exceptional creation, the No. 26 decimal watch, made in 1793 by Louis Berthoud. Appearing at 9 o'clock are the three main escapement organs – the balance-wheel, the pallet-lever and the escape-wheel.

The seconds counter is at 6 o’clock while the power reserve indicator rests at 2 o’clock. The watch comes in a 42 mm, 18 ct white gold case. Powering the watch is FB-SPC, a manual winding movement with 72 hours of power reserve. The watch is completed on an alligator leather strap with an 18 ct white gold pin buckle. 

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Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor

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Keeping the dial minimal has been one of the most significant features of the Tonda PF. The model succeeds the steel and rose gold variants, and now comes in a 40 mm platinum case (Ref.PFC914-2020001-200182). The only complication with the watch involves its date window at 6 o’clock that has a white background and black numeral.

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Otherwise, the construction of the watch is very monochromatic. The dial gets a grey sandblasted finishing. Powering the watch is the self-winding Calibre PF703 with 48 hours of power reserve; a micro rotor can be found on the caseback. The watch is finished on a platinum bracelet with a folding buckle. 

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Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans

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The watch seeks to bring fine watchmaking and elegance together. The 39 mm watch has a zirconium case, lugs and a crown. The dial gets the hand-engraved "dragon scales", minute marking on the outer periphery of the dial, and a seconds wheel between 45 and 50 minutes.

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The plate and bridges are crafted from ruthenium while the gears and chatons are in pink gold. There are flame-blued steel hour and minute hands. Powering the watch is the manual-winding mechanical movement with  72 ±5 hours of power reserve. The watch is finished on a leather strap with a pin buckle. 

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Xhevdet Rexhepi Minute Inerte

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This is the first watch from the independent watchmaker Xhevdet Rexhepi. This 38 mm, platinum-cased timepiece broke codes by making the second hand turn in 58 seconds before pausing at 60 for 2 seconds at each lap while keeping the chronometry of the movement. The minute hand is inert and jumps instantly by one minute when the second hand starts.

The opening of the dial at 6 o'clock allows one to see the mechanism of the complication. The dial gets a velvety finishing with applied hour markers. Powering the watch is a manual-winding mechanical movement with 69 hours of power reserve. The watch is finished on a leather strap with a pin buckle.  

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‍Men’s Complication

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ArtyA Tiny Purity Tourbillon Chameleon

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ArtyA has succeeded in developing NanoSapphire, a technology that colours this polycrystalline material. The "chameleon" case reflects a first colour, amber-orange for this piece, in natural light; when exposed to artificial light (6500 Kelvin or more), it instantly changes colour to green.

The 39 mm, NanoSapphire watch gets an off-set subdial with an hour and minute hand at 3 o’clock. The one-off-one watch is powered by a manual-winding mechanical movement with 72 hours of power reserve. The tourbillon now benefits from a traditional adjustment with a fixed piton. Finishing the watch is a leather strap with a pin buckle. 

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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date

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This marks the debut of the very first self-winding split-seconds flyback chronograph (Ref. 26650TI.OO.D013CA.01), bearing the Royal Oak tag. The 43 mm watch gets a 3-D titanium case. The openworked dial gets a black inner bezel with white gold hour markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating.

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There are two subdials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, and the complicated micro-mechanics takes centre stage on the rear side. Powering the watch is the self-winding Calibre 4407 with 72 hours of power reserve. Finishing the watch is a black-and-grey rubber strap with a titanium AP folding clasp and an interchangeable strap system. There is an additional black rubber strap.

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Bovet 1822 Récital 27

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BOVET 1822’s watchmakers designed the Récital 27 (Ref. R270014) by making great use of the emblematic "writing slope" case and by offering no fewer than three time zones. The 46.3 mm titanium watch gets a guilloche dial, a three-dimensional hemispheric precision moon at 6 o’clock, and a day and night indicator at 3 o’clock.

This fascinating complication is so precise that it only requires a single correction every 122 years. Powering the watch is the manual winding Caliber 13DM04-3FPL, offering a 7-day power reserve. The Récital 27 is available in grade 5 titanium and in 18 ct red gold. Finishing the watch is a rubber strap with a pin buckle.

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Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante 

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Parmigiani’s new Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante (Ref. PFC904-1020001-100182) follows in the footsteps of the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. The 40 mm steel and platinum watch gets a sand grey dial, along with  an hour hand and two superimposed minute hands, of which the first in rhodium-plated gold indicates real time, coupled with the hour hand.

This is to make the rose gold hand jump after five minutes with the pusher located at 8 o'clock and after one minute with the one positioned at 10 o'clock. Powering the watch is the self-winding mechanical movement with 48 hours of power reserve. The timepiece is finished on a steel bracelet with a folding buckle. 

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Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin

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The Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar (G0A48006) has been created in such a way that it can be worn as an everyday watch. The 42 mm pink gold watch features a dark emerald green dial with a gadroon pattern. One can spot a moon phase at 6 o’clock, the date of the week at 9 o’clock, the month subdial at 12 o’clock, and the date subdial at 3 o’clock.

Powering the watch is the self-winding mechanical Calibre 1255P ultra-thin movement with 42 hours of power reserve. This perpetual calendar timepiece is finished on a green rubber strap with a folding buckle. The strap mirrors the gadroon pattern of the dial. The watch also has a brand new interchangeable SingleTouch system for the bracelet.

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Voutilainen World Timer

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This timepiece perfectly syncs art with technical finesse. The 39 mm x 48 mm watch gets a cushion-shaped case in steel. The anthracite dial is finished in guilloche at Voutilainen workshops. The worldtimer function is easy to use: just press the crown inwards when changing town and time zone.

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Powering the watch is a manual winding movement with 60 hours of power reserve. Finishing the watch is a leather strap with a pin buckle.