Watches that merge the artistry of jewelry and engineering represent the most spectacular form of Haute Horlogerie. Not surprisingly, they received multiple nominations at the 23rd Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).
Éveil du Cyclamen Automaton
The Mechanical Clock category would be incomplete without another work of art from Van Cleef & Arpels. The Éveil du Cyclamen automaton combines a time indicator on its base with a captivating performance taking place above. In a bowl made of purple jade, delicate cyclamens “bloom” on golden stems, above which a precious butterfly adorned with diamonds, emeralds, lapis lazuli, and stained glass enamel flutters.
Lady Duo de Lions Watch
The mother-of-pearl dial of the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Duo de Lions watch is an applied art masterpiece, blending artistic enamel miniatures, gemstone inlay, and gold carving. The primary creative themes of Van Cleef & Arpels — love and nature — are embodied by a lion and lioness against the backdrop of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, their sculptural forms carved from white and yellow gold. The scene is lit by diamonds and pink sapphires.
Swinging Sautoir
The design of this unique sautoir, showcased in the jewelry category, refers to the Piaget style of the 1960s–1970s. A 25.38-carat cabochon-cut Zambian emerald is in the center of the composition. Directly below is a miniature malachite dial of the iconic oval shape, encased in twisted gold wire. The chain, adorned with diamonds and emeralds, is hand-assembled, requiring 130 hours of meticulous manual work.
Serpenti Cleopatra
The GPHG jury was particularly drawn to the luxurious cuff watch from Bvlgari in the Jewellery category, encrusted with three large topazes (24 carats), two rubellites (13.4 carats), two tanzanites (13 carats), two amethysts (11 carats), and an 86.5-carat diamond pave. The stunning Bvlgari Serpenti Cleopatra watch, a reinterpretation of the iconic snake motif, epitomizes hard luxury, as this model will cost the future owner over a million dollars.
G-Timeless Planetarium
The complex Gucci G-Timeless Planetarium was also contending for the title of best jewelry model. The centerpiece of its dial composition is the Dancing Hours Flying Tourbillon GGC.1976.DS, named after the Orion Nebula NGC 1976. Twelve peripheral stones (rubies, fire opals, pink tourmalines, and tangerine garnets) begin to move clockwise when a button inside the crown is pressed, completing a full circle on the dial in 90 seconds. Simultaneously, each stone spins around its axis, making one full rotation every 9 seconds.
Margherita Watch
Damiani, presenting the Margherita watch to the strict jury, competed for but did not secure the win in the jewelry category this year. The symbolic daisy served as the traditional inspiration for the model. The miniature case (a mere 17 mm in diameter) housing a quartz mechanism is surrounded by a lavish diamond pave: 2,315 colorless diamonds totaling 12.80 carats and 55 fancy yellow diamonds weighing 2.40 carats.
Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior
Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior, with its stunning three-dimensional dial, outshone its rivals in the Ladies’ Complication category. Their main feature is the stars that come to life at the owner’s request. The model is primarily intriguing due to its fusion of a mechanical automaton with a quartz mechanism. It boasts a 38-millimeter case crafted from a combination of white and yellow gold, encrusted with 3.11 carats of diamonds. A total of twenty-eight watches are set to be released.
Photo: press-office
