The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Announces Its 2020 Jury Including Watchonista’s Co-Founder Alexander Friedman

For those who are still unaware, the 2020 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) has a new format. Borrowing from the selection process of the Oscars and Academy Awards, the GPHG put together an Academy of 350 of watch industry professionals, including watch experts, watchmakers, brand CEOs, retailers, collectors, journalists, and influencers from around the globe.

Why the change of format? To both open up the competition to a larger group of industry professionals and to guide brands in future applications to the GPHG by providing them with an idea of which watches are more widely believed to be impressive or award-worthy.
 

For the 2020 edition, more than 4,700 watches were proposed by The Academy, which were then voted on by all 350 Academy members to come up with 84 finalists spread across 14 categories. Last month, the GPHG announced its full list of 2020 finalists.
 

Today, the GPHG has released the full list of its thirty-member jury, who will be picking the 2020 winners. And Watchonista is proud to announce that our Co-Founder, Alexander Friedman, is among the jury’s prestigious ranks!

Regarding his appointment to the jury, Friedman said, “I’m happy that this 2020 edition of the GPHG is actually taking place! I’m looking forward to experiencing the voting process as an insider. We will definitely miss our international friends this year, but I’m glad to be part of this 100 percent Swiss jury.”
 

A few days before the awards ceremony on November 12th at Geneva’s Théâtre du Léman, the jury, along with a notary, will meet in-person to physically evaluate each of the nominees and then vote via secret ballot.
 

Jury Commissioner

• Régis Huguenin-Dumittan, holder of a doctorate in history, curator-director of the MIH, Musée International d’Horlogerie, La Chaux-de-Fonds
 

President

•. Aurel Bacs, expert in collector’s watches, co-founder and partner with Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo
 

Members

• Pierre Amstutz, director of the Ecole d’horlogerie de Genève
• Denis Asch, watchmaker, expert, consultant, and collector
• René Beyer, co-owner and CEO of Beyer Chronometrie AG
• Vincent Calabrese, watchmaker
• Isabelle Chilier, CEO of Fiedler Marie de Pimodan, freelance journalist
• Philippe Dufour, watchmaker Alexandre Favez, expert, watchmaking consultant and violinist
• Alexander Friedman, co-founder of Watchonista and collector
• Eric Giroud, watch designer
• Denis Hayoun, photographer, founder of studio Diode
• Georges Humard, owner and CEO of Humard Automation
• Brice Lechevalier, co-founder and editor-in-chief of GMT
• Jean-Noël Lefèvre, CEO of Voucher Manufacture
• Hubert Lorenz, president of Mimotec
• Fabienne Lupo, ex-president of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie
• Jean-Michel Piguet, president of Chronométrophilia
• Gianfranco Ritschel, consultant and trainer in watchmaking
• Pierre Salanitro, CEO of Salanitro
• Elisabeth Saulcy, co-CEO of STS Saulcy Traitement de Surface
• Pierre-André Schmitt, editor-in-chief of Watch Around
• Guy Sémon, physicist and designer of high-precision watches
• Caroline Spir, editor-in-chief of l’Agefi Life
• Ignaz Steg, director of Les Ambassadeurs Geneva
• Antonio Teixeira, director of Bucherer Geneva
• Valérie Ursenbacher, watch designer, manager of the chair in watch design at the HEAD-Geneva School
• Patrick Wehrli, watch expert
• Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, watchmaker
• François-Henry Bennhamias, CEO of Audemars Piguet, the brand that won the 2019 “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix, out of competition in 2020.
 

Reminder: The brand that wins the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix is automatically ineligible for the competition the following year, and its founder or CEO is invited to sit on the jury for one year.
 

Stay tuned to Watchonista’s dedicated GPHG page for more information!