During the last edition of Salón de la Alta Relojería in México (SIAR) 2013, Tiempo de Relojes Magazine awarded Guy Sémon for his contribution to the watch industry by developing the most comprehensive and innovative Concept watches.

He was awarded the TIEMPO DE RELOJES 2013 SPECIAL AWARD.

Part of this great merit is due to Guy Sémon’s expertise and his academic preparation for the know-how and exertion that is required to create Haute Horlogerie timepieces while being an engineer and not a watchmaker by trade.

Guy Sémon joined the French Navy in his youth, where he trained as a jet pilot. Science was his predominant interest and he left the navy to work as a researcher for the French Ministry and a lecturer and researcher at the University of Franche-Comté. There, he completed his doctorate in physics and engineering science.

In August of 1995 he started his own company, employing 5 highly qualified engineers and specializing in flight simulation. At that time, he was exploring new technological fields, specializing in new materials and was invited by a number of industrial companies to help with their corporate campaigns (industrial reorganization, integration of new technologies, launches, air risk analysis, etc…).

Finally, Guy Sémon met TAG-Heuer by chance in Switzerland in 2004, at a time when the company was interested in manufacturing the smallest belts in the world!
This was the beginning of an intensive and fruitful collaboration that led to the production of the Monaco V4 watch, and to the establishment of the TAG Heuer R&D Centre that Guy Sémon has led since January 2008.

The objective of the TIEMPO DE RELOJES 2013 SPECIAL AWARD , is to expressly recognize a timepiece that may have gone unnoticed throughout the season and that deserves to have public recognition for its intrinsic value, technical innovation, and for setting trends, among other criteria.

The Tiempo de Relojes Awards initiated in 2007 in line with the first edition of Salón Internacional Alta Relojería (SIAR). The awards were established to commemorate October as the month to celebrate the best watches of the season.

A jury of journalists specialized in watchmaking and jewelry expertise are responsible for identifying which Brands and which timepieces will be nominated in the different categories. It is the same court that, once the nominees are published, chooses the winners. The criteria depend on the category and include: clockwork precision, concept, aesthetics, ethics, infinitesimal calculations, inspiration, historical value of the timepiece in relation to the past, substantial improvements in the portfolio of a Brand, and the significance of the timepiece in its category.

Specifically the TIEMPO DE RELOJES SPECIAL AWARD is usually awarded to a company or a timepiece, but for the first time in its history, it was recognition to a person: Guy Sémon, Head of Research and Development for TAG Heuer, creating exceptional and insurmountable Concept Watch timepieces.

To date, Guy Sémon has contributed to significant innovations and technology for the watch industry including masterpieces such as the Monaco V4, Mikrotimer, Mikrotourbillon S that was presented this year, and the Mikrogider that won the world’s most coveted watchmaking award, the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix “Aiguille d’Or” in 2012.