The key facts
- 84 nominated watches compete for 19 awards, including the Aiguille d'Or; the ceremony takes place on 7 November in Geneva
- For the first time, the 'men's' and 'women's' watch categories have been abolished, and the ceremony will be held in English
- A 24-member jury will examine all models in person and vote by secret ballot
Wei Koh's first year at the helm of the GPHG jury
Revolution media company founder, 54-year-old Singaporean Wei Koh, has for the first time been appointed president of the jury of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) — the most prestigious award in the luxury watch industry. He spoke about it in an interview with Euronews at the Geneva Watch Days exhibition.
What has changed this year
This year's edition of the prize has seen real change: the former 'men's' and 'women's' watch categories have been abolished in favour of new ones built around technical criteria. In addition, the ceremony will for the first time be held in English instead of French — a shift that, according to Koh, reflects what he has been striving for over the past two decades. In total, 84 watches are competing for the prize, vying for 19 awards, including the Aiguille d'Or — the prize for the best watch of the year, awarded since 2001. The final list of contenders was published in early September.
How the jury selects the winners
The 24-member jury will gather behind closed doors in Geneva in early November, a few days before the ceremony, to examine each of the 84 nominated models in person, discuss them and vote by secret ballot. Details of the discussions are not to be disclosed: 'We have something like an honour system,' Koh explained, paying tribute to his predecessor Nick Foulkes, who set the tone for rigorous exchanges of views and open debate. Koh himself served on the jury of previous editions and recalled moments when someone's argument 'completely changed his opinion of a particular watch.'
What the jury is looking for
According to Koh, the main criterion is uniqueness: 'a voice that truly resembles no one else's.' He draws comparisons with John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Tupac — musicians who made fundamental contributions — and quotes watchmaker François-Paul Journe, who described the craft as one continuous wall into which every master must add at least one brick. Among this year's contenders, Koh names the first grand sonnerie in history capable of playing two different melodies for the quarter strikes, a watch reviving a century-old balance-wheel technique thought to have been lost, and a chronograph that rethinks the physical interaction with this function. 'The creativity this year is simply incredible,' he promises.
The ceremony and broadcast
The GPHG 2026 winners will be announced at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva on Saturday, 7 November, with a live broadcast on Euronews Culture and gphg.org. Koh also noted that mechanical watches are more relevant than ever in the age of AI: among major collectors he names 'tech and AI oligarchs,' including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been seen wearing watches by Patek Philippe, F.P. Journe, H. Moser & Cie. and De Bethune.
