Foundation

Created in 2001, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is a Foundation recognised as a public interest organisation since 2011.

The foundation is overseen by the Canton and City of Geneva, both represented by the Foundation Board chaired since 2018 by Raymond Loretan. The latter succeeded Carlo Lamprecht, former President of the Geneva State Council, who worked on creating the foundation alongside Carine Maillard, current Director of the GPHG, and presided over it from 2011 to 2017.

Role

The main purpose of the Foundation of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is to highlight and yearly reward the most remarkable contemporary creations and promote the watchmaking art worldwide.

The GPHG notably plays this unifying promotional role by staging an annual competition involving several hundreds of watches marketed during the year and attributing the highest awards in this domain. In doing so, it contributes to enhancing the traditions, skills and values of Swiss – and indeed universal – watchmaking culture.

The GPHG awards ceremony held in November of each year draws elite representatives of the international watchmaking profession, united in honouring the finest creations and stakeholders who daily breathe vitality and creativity into the watchmaking world. Twenty or so prizes, including the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix (Best in Show) distinction are awarded on this occasion.

Each autumn, in the run-up to the annual awards ceremony, the GPHG organises a travelling exhibition stopping off in the world's major cities presenting the nominated watches. Each of these exhibitions enables a cosmopolitan public to discover and admire the most beautiful timepieces of the year, exceptionally brought together in various key locations. The winning watches are also exhibited after the awards ceremony.

Since 2020, the GPHG has amplified its field of promotion and action with the creation of an Academy inviting experienced men and women who believe in the common destiny of watchmaking to take part in the various stages of watch selection.

Often referred to as the watch industry “Oscars”, the GPHG is a not-to-be-missed event in the watchmaking calendar and one of the sector’s most famous media showcases.