Watchonista Staff Picks: The GPHG Finalists We Would We Like to Own
With the 2024 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève less than a month away on Wednesday, November 13th, we couldn’t help but ask ourselves: Which GPHG 2024 finalist would we like to own?
When Watchonista put out the call to pick our favorite watch from the long list of 2024 GPHG nominees, it came with a caveat: it had to be a timepiece that we would wear or, at least, have in our collections.
However, as someone who prefers to wear her watches, this meant selecting an haute jewelry or super conceptual timepiece that wouldn’t end up as a vault queen. And, I’m not gonna lie; it caused me a mini existential crisis because my heart chose the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar – one of the most complicated watches on the list.
A finalist in the “Calendar and Astronomy” category, this is IWC’s first secular perpetual calendar, automatically accounting for the Gregorian calendar’s leap year exception rules by skipping three leap years over 400 years. So, it checks all the boxes in mechanical excellence for me.
Aesthetically, it also made my heart skip a beat when I first held it in my hands at Watches and Wonders 2024. The Double Moon indication (portraying the moon as seen from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres) floats between a titanium base disc with two blue dots and a glass disc rotating above. It is made even more ethereal by double box-glass sapphire crystals highlighting the ingenious mechanism, which only requires adjustment after 45 million years.
And this is how I would rationalize wearing it on the daily: I could easily admire it every day for eternity.
Now, without further ado, let’s see which finalists my colleagues would like to make theirs.
In 2024, Tudor released the standout Black Bay 58 GMT, demonstrating the brand’s commitment to its principles. Plus, after taking clear inspiration from the highly sought-after vintage GMT Master models from its sister brand Rolex, I have to think that the Black Bay 58 GMT is the odds-on favorite to win in the “Petite Aiguille” category of this new edition of the GPHG.
In keeping with the characteristic proportions of the 1950s, this model features a 39mm diameter steel case, making this new reference ideally suited to a GMT function and providing comfort and retro style. Additionally, Tudor put its precision technology to work by equipping this new Black Bay with the METAS- and COSC-certified manufacture caliber MT5450-U.
Finally, the quality of its construction and detailing is truly evident as it rests comfortably on the wrist while feeling reassuringly robust. In short, the compact, sleek, and decidedly lighter Tudor BB58 GMT is a delight to wear.
Among the myriad horological marvels vying for the Jury’s attention at the GPHG 2024, the L.U.C Strike One from Chopard, featuring a 40mm white gold case and a teal-toned dial, is a masterstroke that marries historical significance with modern appeal, making it the finalist I want in my collection.
At its heart lies the sonnerie au passage, a chiming complication as rare as it is audacious. With only a single chime marking each passing hour, this chiming mechanism whispers rather than shouts – quietly confident in its technical prowess.
The L.U.C Strike One is also as easy to wear as it is to admire, evincing the same nonchalant ease as a Chanel blazer or a tailored beige cashmere overcoat; it is timeless yet with a modern edge. Plus, I won’t deny that as a 25-piece limited edition, its numbered status only heightens my desire to make it mine.
I am a very frugal person. Normally, that isn’t a problem, but it can make finding a new watch to add to my (very small) collection challenging, to say the least. So, I wasn’t surprised when I fell in love with the “Petite Aiguille” category’s Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture made by Frederique Constant in collaboration with French artist Romaric André, a.k.a. seconde/seconde/.
I love this watch. Anyone with eyes can see that it is whimsical and elegant, but I also find it limitlessly charming for reasons I find difficult to articulate. Perhaps it’s the wind-tossed hour markers that appeal to me; perhaps it’s the hand-lettered-looking font that makes my heart flutter. I don’t know.
What I do know is that, with a ridiculously amazing price of only €3,295, I waited too long to get my hands on one.
Even when confronted with fantasy, I tend to select the familiar. Well, kind of. I am embarrassed to admit that I have never owned a TAG Heuer Monaco (and even more embarrassed to admit that I currently do not own a non-circular watch).
So, this stunning, bold, and complicated TAG Heuer Monaco Split Seconds Chronograph from the “Chronograph” category would take my collection into some new areas while keeping me firmly in my sports chrono comfort zone.
Furthermore, with its split rattrapante technicality and skeletonized visibility spread across a race-worthy color story, I would wear the living bejesus out of this next-gen version of the legendary Monaco.
Besides being longtime friends with its creators and having been part of this project since its inception, this watch captivated me at first glance, which is why I already own it.
Among the 2024 GPHG finalists, the Arceau Chorus Stellarum from Hermès speaks to me differently. What truly captivates me about this timepiece, which is a finalist in the “Artistic Crafts” category, is the way this piece bridges the realms of imagination and craftsmanship.
A timepiece where time dances between the past and the future, the celestial beauty of this watch, with its gilded constellation and lacquered motifs, is mesmerizing. Moreover, because I am very passionate about fashion, the fact that the Chorus Stellarum silk scarf inspired its design makes it even more perfect for me.
As the proud owner of not one but two Sartory Billard timepieces (a 40mm SB04 with a cranberry titanium and white ceramic dial and a 37mm SB04s with a tiger iron dial and a gold ostrich strap), I know the brand well.
However, when I was introduced to the then yet-to-be-released SB06-24HM “La Nuit” while attending Dubai Watch Week in November 2023, I gasped in delighted surprise at what the microbrand had created. Thus, out of all of the 2024 GPHG finalists, it is the Sartory Billard SB06-24HM “La Nuit” in the “Tourbillon” category that I most covet.
First and foremost, the watch is stunning: The finishing is *chef’s kiss*; the aventurine outer ring perfectly complements the engraved central moon; the hands are striking; the overall appearance of the dial works in a way that is complex but not overly busy; and, the view through the sapphire caseback is ridiculously elegant.
I would love to own this watch and would proudly wear it regularly.
I first saw the H. Moser & Cie’s Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel (a finalist in the “Time Only” category) in the metal for the first time at Geneva Watch Days 2023. It is a vivid memory because I was fresh off my second training in the art of enamel and immediately taken with the dial.
I knew firsthand the immense care and patience that had gone into this watch to achieve the vibrant, gradient effect of the brand’s signature fumé finish. Its ability to play with light – at times appearing a bottomless violet and at other times radiating aqua blue – left me mesmerized.
Despite my petite stature, I like a watch with some heft. So, I found the 39mm sizing to make this beauty the perfect wear. If I had $30,000 to spare, there’s no question I’d make this model part of my collection, and given its versatility and wearability, I know it’d be a part of my regular rotation.
The watch I would love to own and wear is Daniel Roth’s Tourbillon Souscription from the “Tourbillon” category. Classic yet cutting edge, complex yet still a daily wearer, the Tourbillon Souscription is so exacting in so many ways – right down to its use of 18-karat yellow gold – which I love.
There is much to like about this watch: The double ellipse case is unmistakably Daniel Roth and immediately identifiable by any watch insider; guilloché master Kari Voutilainen made the intricate dial; and the tourbillon movement, Calibre DR001, created exclusively for Daniel Roth by La Fabrique du Temps, is mechanically superb.
So, while the 20-piece limited edition Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription is definitely not the most expensive watch on the GPHG list (it retails for CHF 140,000), and it may not even be a winner in its category, in my heart, it has already won.
My choice goes to a timepiece in the “Chronograph” category that features the world’s first-ever chiming chronograph: the Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie.
It features a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, completing one rotation every five minutes. The chiming mechanism (which, once activated, emits a musical tone after each passing minute) is displayed on the front, showcasing the breathtaking architecture and exquisite decorations. The reverse side reveals a traditional chronograph dial that tracks minutes and seconds.
A combination of Rexhep Rexhepi’s and La Fabrique du Temps of Louis Vuitton’s unique expertise and design codes: Rexhep designed the entirely new movement; the Grand Feu enamel chronograph dial was created by the artisans at La Fabrique du Temps (Watchonista even witnessed this dial being made during a recent tour of the manufacture); and the 39mm platinum case, crafted by Akrivia, is based on the signature tambour shape of Louis Vuitton timepieces.
Even the logo is a clever fusion of Akrivia and LV branding.
My dad wore what was undoubtedly a knockoff version, so it evokes fond memories of a bygone era of Sunday tailgates at Myopia polo matches. Moreover, sentimentality aside, the design is so bold and timelessly modern that it looks even more fab today. Cue the yacht rock!