These Are the Best Watches of the Year, According to Experts

The results are in, and we now know what a panel of 30 watch industry professionals collectively think are the watches that deserve special recognition this year. This is the culmination of the annual GPHG, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève — the primary awards event in the watch world.

The top prize, the “Aguille d’Or,” went to a technically impressive and visually compelling watch, but there were other winners spanning a total of 18 categories — no runners-up, just a single watch in each category (plus a discretionary Special Jury Prize to the organizers of Dubai Watch Week). All entrants paid a fee, and the winners came home with a small, outstretched golden hand sculpture as a prize and the rights to use the GPHG award branding for marketing purposes.

Did your favorite watch make the cut? There was some overlap from our own favorites, but some interesting choices as well. Agree? Disagree? Check out a selection of the winners below (you can see the full list here) and leave your thoughts in the Comments section.

Grand Prize: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar

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Can’t really argue with this choice, as it broke the world record for thinnest perpetual calendar at 5.8mm, and its execution is as inspired as an innovative watch of this kind deserves.

Movement: Bulgari BVL 305 automatic
Diameter: 40mm
Price: $59,000+

Men’s: Grand Seiko Heritage Hi-Beat Shirakaba

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The category of “men’s watch” can include just about anything. We also chose this Grand Seiko as our favorite from among the six nominees for more or less all the reasons we love Grand Seiko normally.

Movement: Seiko 9SA5
Diameter: 40mm
Price: $9,100

Men’s Complication: MB&F LMX Titanium

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Industry favorite MB&F is a shoe-in for GPHG each year. For the category of complications, its LMX fits the bill, with dual time shown on angled dials and power reserve indicators.

Movement: MB&F LMX hand-wound
Diameter: 44mm
Price: $112,000

Iconic: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin isn’t new, but it’s definitely iconic. What’s new this year is its green-dial-and-platinum-case configuration.

Movement: Audemars Piguet 2121 automatic
Diameter: 39mm
Price: $105,400

Chronograph: Zenith Chronomaster Sport

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Zenith’s sporty new chronograph has some familiar elements which combined in a novel model this year. The brand’s Chronomaster series is so good, it was bound to win in one category or another.

Movement: Zenith El Primero 3600 automatic
Diameter: 41mm
Price: $9,500+

Calendar & Astronomy: Christiaan van der Klaauw CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga

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It’s cool to see smaller and independent watchmakers get recognition. This almost looks like a relatively “normal” watch, but its subdial at 6 o’clock “displays real time — the solar orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.”

Movement: CVDK7386 automatic
Diameter: 40mm
Price: ~$50,000+

Diver: Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver

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Bound to be controversial, Louis Vuitton debuted a dive watch in its Tambour collection this year with a fashionable “urban” theme it calls the Street Diver. It certainly deserves some attention.

Movement: ETA 2895-2 automatic
Diameter: 44mm
Price: $7,505

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