Regulations

The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) aims to yearly highlight and reward the excellence of contemporary timepieces, in order to contribute to the influence and promotion of the watch industry worldwide.

Article 1 Presentation

1.1 The GPHG Academy brings together the major players in the main watchmaking sectors, divided into colleges. It is governed by the GPHG Foundation, which publishes the Academy's Regulations.

1.2 The Academy is based on the GPHG's core values of neutrality, independence and universality.

Article 2 Role of the Academy

The Academy is creatively proactive, responsible for the selection (nomination and awards) of timepieces in competition and an ambassador of the GPHG throughout the world.

2.1 Proposals for eligible timepieces 
Each member of the Academy is invited to propose timepieces in the 15 categories of the GPHG, in accordance with the GPHG 2023 Rules⁽¹⁾. These submissions are strictly confidential and anonymous in terms of their authors. The eligibility of the proposed timepieces is verified by the GPHG.

The proposals made by members of the Academy are submitted to the brands concerned. The brands decide whether or not to confirm the entries of the proposed timepieces and may enter other timepieces for the competition.

Brands which have not been put forward by the Academy may also submit spontaneous entries.

2.2 Timepiece nominations (1^st vote)

The timepieces entered in the competition are submitted to a vote by the Academy, which thus selects the 90 nominated timepieces. The members of the Academy must participate in this first vote via a secure digital platform. They nominate six timepieces in each category.

The votes of the Academy members are confidential. The GPHG only has access to the final results. The votes are verified and recorded by a notary appointed by the Board of the Foundation.

2.3 Prize list (2^nd vote)

A Jury of 30 members of the Academy is constituted each year (cf. art. 4). This Jury meets behind closed doors, in the presence of two notaries, a few days before the awards ceremony, in order to physically evaluate each of the nominated timepieces and to proceed to the second ballot.

In parallel to the vote of the Jury, the nominated timepieces are also submitted to the vote of the entire Academy via the secure platform (excluding members of the Jury who vote in person).

For each prize, the results of the Academy votes, in proportion to the number of Academy voters, count as 15 votes, which are added to the votes of the 30 members of the jury, i.e. one third of the total of 45 votes. The total count determines the prize list.

The votes of the Academy members as well as of the Jury members are confidential. The GPHG only has access to the final results.

The ballots of the Jury are counted and checked by two notaries appointed by the Board of the Foundation. 

2.4 The members of the Academy serve as ambassadors for the GPHG, in the sense that they contribute to its reputation and development throughout the world.

Article 3 Members of the Academy

The members of the Academy are significant stakeholders in the main sectors related to watchmaking, divided into six different colleges, in addition to the “guest college”, (composed of personalities who support the influence and dynamism of watchmaking) and the Youth college.

Spread of members between the different colleges: 
3.a. College of watchmakers, designers and artisans 
3.b. College of watch-related industries: subcontractors, component suppliers, etc. 
3.c. College of experts: educators, historians, watchmaking experts, etc. 
3.d. College of distributors and retailers 
3.e. College of journalists and influencers 
3.f.  College of brands: CEOs, presidents, founders, etc. 
3.g. Guest college: collectors, end customers, aesthetes, other personalities, etc. 
3.h Youth college: young people under 26 years of age subsequently likely to join one of the above-mentioned colleges

The GPHG will, as far as possible, ensure the diversity of its members. 

Article 4 Composition of the jury

4.1 The Jury is composed each year of 30 members drawn from the Academy, aged 16 and over.

4.2 The Jury is annually composed as follows: 
- 1 president chosen from within the Academy by the GPHG Foundation Board. 
- 14 members chosen by drawing lots among all Academy members (in the different colleges, except the college of brands). 
- 14 members from the Academy chosen by agreement between the GPHG and the president of the Jury. 
- 1 representative (president, owner or CEO) of the brand that won the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix the previous year. The brand that wins the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix is automatically ineligible for the competition the following year. If the representative is directly related to one or more other brands, he or she will not take part in voting in the categories in which timepieces from this (these) brand(s) participate.

4.3 All members of the Jury participate in the meeting for the second round of voting mentioned under point 2.3.

Article 5 Membership conditions

5.1 Membership is open to persons who meet the membership conditions of the above-described colleges, who have expressly applied to the GPHG Foundation, and whose application is supported by the sponsorship of two Academy members.

5.2 The Foundation may also appoint new members without sponsorship.

5.1 The Academy does not include more than five members of any one brand or company.

Article 6 Application and application form

6.1 The application file to become a member of the Academy must include the following elements:

- a request indicating the motivation for joining the Academy and mentioning the applicant's contact details (address, email, telephone number). 
- a letter of sponsorship from two members of the Academy. 
- a curriculum vitae attesting to the involvement in the field of watchmaking or a sector related to watchmaking and indicating the nature of any vested interests in watch brands.

6.2 Application forms: 
Complete applications must be sent to the GPHG Foundation. They will be examined, within three months, by the Foundation, which reserves the right to accept or reject the application.

Article 7 Membership status and duration

7.1 Membership is granted "ad personam". It is therefore not transferable to a third party.

7.2 Members are appointed for a three-year term, which is renewable.

7.3 Any resignation must be tendered in writing to the GPHG Foundation. In addition, the Foundation reserves the right to terminate the mandate of an Academy member without any specific reason. 

7.4 Membership is confirmed after validation of the membership on the Academy platform.

7.5 While ‘member of the Academy’ status may be mentioned in communications, the use of the GPHG logo is not authorised and remains strictly reserved for the Foundation.

Article 8 Commitments of members and the GPHG

8.1 The members of the Academy undertake to:

• Propose eligible timepieces within the specified time frame (see 2.1).
• Participate in voting within the time limits set (see 2.2 and 2.3).
• Respect the duty of confidentiality related to their membership status. The official secrecy applies to all members of the Academy.
• Fulfil their obligations to the best of their knowledge and belief and with complete impartiality.
• Not damage the image of the GPHG, of the Academy and of the competing brands.

In the event of non-compliance with the above obligations, the Foundation may terminate membership of the Academy.

8.2 The members of the Academy will be able to attend GPHG events on a priority basis if they so wish and if space is available (exhibitions and awards ceremony). Travel expenses are not covered by the GPHG Foundation. 

8.3 The members of the Academy agree to be contacted by the GPHG for the operational needs of the Academy. For this purpose, they must provide their email addresses and phone numbers. The GPHG undertakes not to pass on these details to third parties.

Article 9 List of Academy members 

9.1 The list of Academy members is published yearly on the GPHG website.

9.2 The Academy's Regulations and the list of members are updated yearly by the GPHG Foundation. These documents are available on the GPHG official website (www.gphg.org).

Contact: academy@gphg.org

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⁽¹⁾ The GPHG Rules notably specify the criteria for the eligibility of timepieces, the organisation of votes, prize definitions, etc. They are published every year in March.