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While Swiss watch manufacturers again remained prophets in their own land, the 2006 Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix also gave a measure of recognition to Germany and Japan. Second top award for François Paul Journe.
2006 will be another year to feature in the annals of the most Genevan of watchmakers from Marseilles. Indeed, not content to have been elevated to France’s Legion of Honour of the Arts this spring by the French Ministry of Culture, François Paul Journe also walked away on 9 November with the most coveted distinction of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, the Aiguille d'or, for its extraordinary Sonnerie souveraine, a masterpiece composed of more than 400 pieces which required six years of research and the filing of ten or more patents.
After six editions, there can be no denying that the Aiguille d'or has become attached to the city of Calvin: since its creation six years ago, this prize has never left Geneva, having been won twice by Patek Philippe (2002 and 2003), twice by Vacheron Constantin (2001 and 2005) and twice by François Paul Journe (2004 and 2006). At the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, good things do indeed seem to come in twos, since the 2006 winner of the Special Jury Prize was none other than the Saxon firm A. Lange & Söhne, with its "for merit" Tourbograph, which received the same distinction back in 2004... the year in which François Paul Journe won its first Aiguille d'or!
Chaired by Cäsar Menz, Director of Museums of Art and History of the City of Geneva, the jury – composed largely of specialist journalists from all four corners of the globe: Joe Thompson, Grégory Pons, Eugenio Zigliotto, Alexey Kutkovoy, Shigeru Sugawara, etc – did not hesitate this year to mix genres for the remaining prizes. Renowned for its complicated watches, the Patek Philippe manufactory won the Ladies’ Watch prize for its Gondola Gemma model, while Cartier, itself famous for its ladies’ timepieces and jewellery – two categories in which the manufacturer was moreover nominated – won the Design Watch prize with its Santos mysterious watch. Meanwhile Chopard, another reference in ladies’ watches, came out top in the Extra-flat Watch category with the LUC extra-flat, a distinction which comes just at the right time since this year the firm celebrates the tenth anniversary of its Fleurier manufactory. While it comes as no surprise, all of the above tends to prove that leading manufacturers can be assured of success when they step outside their accustomed boundaries.
Already a winner in the Design Watch category in 2002 and 2004 and the Ladies’ Watch category in 2005, TAG Heuer this year added another string to its bow by taking the Sports Watch prize with the Carrera Calibre 360. Meanwhile Piaget, after gaining distinction in previous years in the Design Watch and Extra-flat categories, at last made its mark in its preferred area of expertise, namely jewellery, with its delicious Limelight Party.
Competing for the first time, Roger Dubuis pulled off a masterstroke by winning the best Men’s Watch with the Excalibur Globe Timer model, while Seiko opened a breach for overseas watch manufacturers by seeing its Electronic Ink Watch crowned in the electronic watch category. Meanwhile the public’s good taste proved its credentials once again, since after voting in recent years for Cartier, Franck Muller, Breguet, Longines and Panerai, for 2006 it chose the Breguet Classique 5177.
Last but not least, the prize for best complicated watch went to the Moser Perpetual 1 model, a ringing endorsement of the renaissance of this Schaffhouse firm which a week earlier and for the same timepiece, came second in the Watch of the Year.
Aside from the prize-winning manufacturers, the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix made someone else very happy in the person of Delphine Marti, best pupil of the School of Watchmaking of Geneva. As a reward, Roger Dubuis presented her with a watchmaker’s work-table complete with its own set of tools.
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发表于 2006-12-7 16:33:00
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