Often referred to as the Oscars of the watch world, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) celebrates the best watches of the year by bestowing various awards across 15 categories. For the 2023 GPHG edition, there are 90 timepieces competing for top prizes, including the biggest of the night — the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix. It has to be said that the GPHG has some limitations; some of the biggest watch brands (think Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Cartier, and others) do not compete. And it is a pay-to-play awards event — any brand can put its watches up for consideration as long as the dues are paid. However, this is the closest we get to an official “best watches” annual event, and there have been plenty of past winning watches that have gone on to become exceedingly popular with collectors and enthusiasts. So with that in mind, we asked some members of the Luxury Bazaar team to select their favorites out of the 90 pieces. Here’s what we think are the best watches from the 2023 GPHG field.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel
The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Starwheel was selected as one of the best watches from 2023 GPHG by several of our team members, and one look at this piece and it’s not hard to see why. Audemars Piguet combines one of its newest watch models (the Code 11.59) with one of horology’s oldest complications (the wandering hours), which was invented back in the 17th century. A wandering hours complication displays the hours using a satellite system whereby the hour travels along an arched minute scale to tell the time.
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More on the Code 11.59: Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Watches In Steel
This is not the first time Audemars Piguet has used wandering hours in its watches; in 1991 AP reintroduced this long-forgotten complication and named it the Starwheel. In Audemars Piguet’s approach to the complication, the rotating disks are attached to the rotor via a star wheel at the center hence the watch’s name. The 2023 GPHG-nominated Audemars Piguet Starwheel, competing in the “Men’s Category” combines an 18k white gold 41mm case with a black ceramic mid-case, and is paired with a beautiful blue aventurine dial and textured black rubber-coated strap.
More on Audemars Piguet:
Guide to Audemars Piguet Nicknames
Audemars Piguet Will Replace Stolen Watches… for Free!?
Audemars Piguet Watch Prices from Actual Sales Numbers
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe
First spotted on Lewis Hamilton’s wrist a month before the official announcement, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe combines many of the brand’s hallmarks. We have a very large 46.5mm Big Pilot model, the super cool perpetual calendar complication with a special double moon phase display, the fresh “Lake Tahoe” white ceramic case, and finally, the association with the TOP GUN, a.k.a. the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program.
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If you love your IWC watches big and bold, then this one is an excellent choice. For 2023 GPHG, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe is competing in the “Calendar and Astronomy” category and in our opinion, one of the best out of all the nominees.
More on IWC:
The Best IWC Watches
In Depth: IWC Portofino Complete Calendar
Xhevdet Rexhepi Minute Inerte
After a stint at Patek Philippe and working with his brother Rexhep at Akrivia, Xhevdet Rexhepi decided it was time to branch out on his own. And he did this by announcing the Minute Inerte, which will be the first watch produced under Xhevdet Rexhepi’s name. The independent watchmaker put his creation in the highly competitive “Men’s Category” at 2023 GPHG.
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The Xhevdet Rexhepi Minute Inerte includes a 38mm platinum case (8.5 mm thick) and a powdery blue dial. But the star of the show is his complication, which in his own words, is “disruptive.” The seconds hand, located at the 6 o’clock subdial, rotates for 58 seconds before pausing for 2 seconds. Then the minute hand jumps instantly to the next minute once the seconds hand starts up again. To show off the movement, Xhevdet Rexhepi not only left an opening at the 6 o’clock subdial but the back of the watch is furnished with a display caseback for a more detailed view.
Petermann Bédat Ref. 2941 Chronographe Rattrapante
Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat are a duo to keep an eye on in the exciting independent watchmaking space, releasing creations under their eponymous Petermann Bédat watch brand. Petermann Bédat’s sophomore release was the Reference 2941 Split Seconds Chronograph (or Chronographe Rattrapante in French), which is competing in the “Chronograph Category” at the 2023 GPHG — despite all 10 pieces having already sold out.
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The split-seconds monopusher chronograph sports a 38.6mm platinum case, home to a semi-open dial for partial views of the technically impressive movement inside the watch. Petermann Bédat added the split-second function to a column wheel and horizontal clutch chronograph movement to permit the timing of two separate events that begin in the same instant. Remarkably, this is a monopusher, therefore the chronograph is operated by a single button. There’s also a jumping minute counter for more precise interval readings as well as a safety mechanism to prevent an unintentional reset of the stopwatch. As expected, the watch is superbly decorated and finished, and well deserving of one of our best of 2023 GPHG spots.
Learn more: What is a Chronograph Watch?
L’Epée 1839 Time Fast II Chrome
Unbeknownst to some, there’s also a “Mechanical Clock Category” at GPHG, and the best entrant among all six nominees is the Time Fast II Chrome by L’Epée 1839 which pays tribute to 1960s race cars.
![2023 GPHG L’Epée 1839 Time Fast II Chrome](https://www.luxurybazaar.com/grey-market/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-GPHG-LEpee-1839-Time-Fast-II-Chrome-1024x1024.jpg)
Built on an aluminum H-chassis as many of the cars that inspired the clock were, the Time Fast II Chrome includes a three-spoke steering wheel to set the time. The time is displayed on the dual air filters that feed the V8 engine’s two banks of carburetors. The movement boasts eight days of power reserve and the escapement sits under the driver’s helmet for all to admire. Plus, if you turn the ignition key, the engine’s pistons will move up and down while the manual gear stick flips between time setting and winding positions. Part art, part timekeeping device, and one hundred percent fun, the Time Fast II Chrome is perfect for those obsessed with automotive and horological pursuits.
And the GPHG 2023 Winner is…
There you have it, our picks of the best watches among all the 2023 GPHG nominees. The awards ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva on November 9, 2023. Before the event, the nominated watches will go on a world tour including stops in Macao, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, New York City, and Geneva.
After the awards ceremony, the winning watches will be exhibited first at Dubai Watch Week and then in Zurich. Catching these exceptional watches “in the metal” would be a worthwhile experience for anyone who appreciates high-end watches.
You can check out the entire field of GPHG Nominations on the GPHG website.
Other “Best Of” Roundups by Luxury Bazaar
The Best Releases From Geneva Watch Days 2023
The Best & Worst from the 2023 Only Watch Auction Block