GPHG 2026 winners: Rexhep Rexhepi takes the Aiguille d'Or
The headline result from Geneva, and why it went to an independent.
Rexhep Rexhepi's Chronograph Flyback is the best watch of 2026, according to the GPHG 2026 winners list announced in Geneva on Saturday, November 7.
The Aiguille d'Or is the one prize open to every nominated watch in every category. Rexhepi, a Geneva independent who builds watches in very small numbers, took it with his first chronograph movement developed fully in-house.
The specs explain the result. The caliber is hand-wound, with a column wheel, a horizontal clutch, a flyback function and a minute counter that jumps instead of creeping. It beats at 3Hz with a 72-hour power reserve.
The platinum case measures 38.8mm across and 9.7mm thick. Rexhepi has said that height forced him to build the chronograph into the movement instead of stacking a module on top. The storm blue Grand Feu enamel dial is made in his own workshop and borrows from vintage pocket-watch chronographs.
Our read is that the jury got this one right. Designing a new chronograph caliber from a blank sheet is about the hardest job a small workshop can take on, and the finishing here would be very hard to reproduce at industrial scale.
The problem for buyers is simple. Rexhepi doesn't publish a price, and allocation runs through a handful of partner boutiques in Geneva, Lausanne, London, Dubai and Singapore. If you weren't already in line, this award made the line longer.
How the 2026 ceremony worked
The 26th edition was held at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva, hosted by Stéphane Bern and Arianne Alcorta. Brands entered 320 watches from 194 brands, and the first round cut that to 84 nominees.
Winners were chosen by an Academy of more than 1,000 members and an international jury chaired by Wei Koh, founder of Revolution and The Rake. He took over from Nick Foulkes, who chaired the jury from 2021 to 2025.
The GPHG also dropped its Men's and Ladies' categories this year and replaced them with the Essential Watch and Complication Watch prizes. We think that change was overdue. Wrist size and taste stopped following gender lines a long time ago.
The short version
The 26th Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève awarded 20 prizes on November 7, 2026. Here is what matters.
- Rexhep Rexhepi's Chronograph Flyback won the Aiguille d'Or, the first independent winner since MB&F in 2022.
- Audemars Piguet won two prizes in its 150th anniversary year, including the Iconic Watch Prize for a Royal Oak RD#5.
- Chopard and its sister brand Ferdinand Berthoud took four of the 20 prizes between them.
- Grand Seiko and Otsuka Lotec put two Japanese brands on the winners list.
- Rolex was not on the list. It does not enter the GPHG.
- The catch: most of the top winners are limited, unpriced, or sold by allocation, so a trophy is no shortcut to owning one.
The top 15 GPHG 2026 winners, ranked
Only the Aiguille d'Or outranks the rest, so the order below follows the official prize list.
The GPHG ranks one prize above all others. Everything after the Aiguille d'Or is a category award, so our order follows the official GPHG prize list and leaves out the Special Jury Prize and the Mechanical Clock Prize.
| Rank | Prize | Brand | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiguille d'Or Grand Prix | Rexhep Rexhepi | Chronograph Flyback |
| 2 | Iconic Watch Prize | Audemars Piguet | Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 150th Anniversary |
| 3 | Audacity Prize | Konstantin Chaykin | ThinKing Mystery |
| 4 | Chronometry Prize | Ferdinand Berthoud | Naissance d'une Montre 3 |
| 5 | Horological Revelation Prize | Dominique Renaud | Pulse60 Titanium Black |
| 6 | Mechanical Exception Watch Prize | Blancpain | Grande Double Sonnerie |
| 7 | Complication Watch Prize | Cleguer | Inspiration One |
| 8 | Chronograph Watch Prize | Parmigiani Fleurier | Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux |
| 9 | Tourbillon Watch Prize | Ferdinand Berthoud | Chronomètre FB 2TV |
| 10 | Sports Watch Prize | Grand Seiko | Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver |
| 11 | Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize | Audemars Piguet | 150 Heritage |
| 12 | Essential Watch Prize | Daniel Roth | Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton |
| 13 | Time Only Watch Prize | Chopard | L.U.C 1860 |
| 14 | Jewellery Watch Prize | Chopard | Mystery Nut |
| 15 | Artistic Crafts Watch Prize | Louis Vuitton | Tambour Taiko Arty Automata |
The GPHG does not publish a written verdict for each category. Our notes on why each watch won come from its technical details and the press coverage out of Geneva, verified November 9, 2026.
1. Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback
Covered in full above. A brand-new in-house chronograph caliber in a 9.7mm platinum case, with an enamel dial made under the same roof.
Why it won. It does the hardest thing in the room, a new chronograph movement, with restraint and hand finishing that sets the standard for 2026.
2. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo RD#5
This is the first Royal Oak to pair a flyback chronograph with a flying tourbillon. It adds an instant-jump minute counter and an hour counter, all inside the extra-thin Jumbo case, for the brand's 150th anniversary.
Why it won. The Iconic prize rewards a model that carries a famous design forward. AP fit serious new mechanics into the silhouette it introduced in 1972. We don't expect it to move standard Royal Oak prices, but it settles any argument about whether Le Brassus can still out-engineer its own hype.
3. Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Mystery
Chaykin's Moscow workshop bills this as the thinnest series-produced mechanical watch in the world. It tells the time through two apertures in the face-style dial Chaykin is known for.
Why it won. The Audacity Prize rewards risk, and a small independent chasing an ultra-thin record usually held by the biggest houses is exactly that. Record-thin watches give up rigidity to get there, so this one wants gentle handling.
4. Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d'une Montre 3
This heritage project marks ten years of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. Every component was made without digital assistance, either fully by hand or with traditional tools.
Why it won. It shows precision timekeeping is still possible with pre-industrial methods, which is the purest version of what the Chronometry Prize exists to celebrate.
5. Dominique Renaud Pulse60 Titanium Black
The Pulse60 runs at 1Hz, the lowest frequency in contemporary mechanical watchmaking. Its balance swings 60 times a minute, about the rhythm of a resting heart.
Why it won. The Horological Revelation Prize spotlights young brands with a genuinely new idea, and rethinking the beat rate itself qualifies. Low beat rates have a reputation for being more sensitive to knocks, and it's too early to know how this one holds up in daily wear.
6. Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie
Blancpain's most complicated watch took eight years to develop and uses more than 1,000 components. It combines grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie and minute repeater on four hammers and four notes, plus a flying tourbillon and a perpetual calendar with retrograde display.
Why it won. It's a first for a grande sonnerie wristwatch. A pusher lets the wearer switch between two different melodies, so the complexity comes with a real innovation attached.
7. Cleguer Inspiration One
This was Mathieu Cleguer's debut watch, and the win surprised plenty of people in the room. Its escapement uses two escape wheels acting directly on a large balance, so the movement starts instantly and reliably after winding.
The balance is 12.9mm across and beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Add an off-center Grand Feu champlevé enamel dial and a power reserve indicator on a snailed barrel.
Why it won. A newcomer solved a real mechanical problem with an original escapement. The honest drawback is the 36-hour power reserve, which means winding it every day.
8. Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux
At rest, the dial looks like a plain three-hand watch. Start the chronograph and three coaxial hands for seconds, minutes and hours come to life, all run from a single monopusher.
Why it won. It hides a full chronograph in plain sight, which suits Parmigiani's quiet design language and delivers a clever surprise every time you press the pusher.
9. Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2TV
The FB 2TV pairs a flying one-minute tourbillon with a fusée-and-chain transmission. The fusée keeps the force reaching the escapement constant across the whole power reserve, and both mechanisms are visible from the dial side.
Why it won. The tourbillon is there for accuracy, and the fusée backs it up. Most tourbillons on the market are there to be looked at.
10. Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver
This is Grand Seiko's smallest dive watch and its most accurate Spring Drive diver, powered by the U.F.A. caliber. It pairs a tough case with the textured dial work the brand is known for.
Why it won. Real tool-watch ability, class-leading accuracy and a size most wrists can wear. If you want one 2026 winner you can take into the ocean on Monday, this is it.
11. Audemars Piguet 150 Heritage
This limited-edition pocket watch introduces AP's Universal Calendar, a mechanical calculator visible through the caseback. It tracks the celestial cycles behind cultural celebrations around the world.
Why it won. It takes the calendar complication beyond the Gregorian system, which is a genuinely new idea. It's also a limited pocket watch, so very few people will ever handle one.
12. Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton
The revived Daniel Roth name offers a skeletonized version of its ultra-thin Extra Plat, built around lightness and transparency.
Why it won. It was the first winner of the new Essential category, and it shows how much craft a time-only watch can carry.
13. Chopard L.U.C 1860
The new L.U.C 1860 marks 30 years of the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier. It has a 36.5mm Lucent Steel case, the slim self-winding L.U.C 96.40-L caliber with a 22k gold micro-rotor, and a guilloché dial with no date window.
Why it won. It's a faithful return of a collector favorite with a movement finished to high-end standards. At 36.5mm it will wear small on bigger wrists, so try it on first.
14. Chopard Mystery Nut
A walnut-shaped pendant in 18k ethical rose gold, set with brown and cognac diamonds. It opens to reveal a moonphase watch driven by an in-house self-winding movement.
Why it won. It blends jewelry design, ethically sourced gold and real watchmaking in one playful object, which is more than setting stones on a case.
15. Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata
The dial took more than 250 hours of handwork and uses 23 distinct shades of champlevé enamel.
Why it won. The scale and color range of the hand enamel work set it apart in the decorative arts this year.
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The other five GPHG 2026 prizes
Two affordable winners, a stone pocket watch, a floating clock, and Patek Philippe.
Two of the remaining five prizes went to watches under CHF 10,000, which is where most people actually buy.
| Prize | Winner | Why it won |
|---|---|---|
| Gemset Watch Prize | Piaget Swinging Pebble | A pocket watch carved from polished ornamental stone, hung on a twisted gold chain. |
| Petite Aiguille Prize, CHF 4,500 to 10,000 | Otsuka Lotec No.8 | A 62-part module built around a 1.5mm MinebeaMitsumi ball bearing, described as the smallest in the world. |
| Challenge Watch Prize, up to CHF 4,500 | SpaceOne X Baltic Seconde Majeure | A jumping-hour module at an entry-level price. |
| Mechanical Clock Prize | La Vallée Cosmo | The whole mechanism is magnetically suspended and turns continuously on its own axis. |
| Special Jury Prize | Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition | Honors the seventh edition of Patek's traveling exhibition, held in Milan in 2026. |
Category price limits are retail, in Swiss francs, as set by the GPHG.
What the GPHG 2026 winners say about the market
Independents won the night, two family groups cleaned up, and Rolex sat it out.
The jury rewarded hand-built depth over brand power, and independents were the story of the night.
Rexhepi, Chaykin, Renaud, Cleguer and Otsuka Lotec all went home with prizes. It's the first independent Aiguille d'Or since MB&F's Legacy Machine Sequential EVO in 2022, after three years of big houses: the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle in 2023, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar in 2024 and the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 last year.
The Chopard family had the most productive evening. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele collected two prizes for Chopard and two more for Ferdinand Berthoud, four of the 20 in total.
Audemars Piguet left with two prizes in its 150th year. For AP owners, that matters more than any marketing campaign, because it's the watchmaking getting the credit.
Where was Rolex?
Rolex doesn't enter the GPHG, so its absence says nothing about the watches. If you came here for Rolex, our Rolex watch market report covers what's actually moving, and you can browse our Rolex watches for sale.
Does a GPHG win move prices?
For independents, demand already outruns supply, so a win mostly lengthens waiting lists. For production watches from large brands, we don't expect a trophy on its own to reset resale. Condition, box and papers, and demand for the specific reference do that.
Want to see an Audemars Piguet or Patek Philippe in person?
Book a time at our showroom in the California Jewelry Mart in downtown Los Angeles.
Should you buy a GPHG 2026 winner?
Which winners we'd actually buy, and who should ignore the trophies entirely.
Buy the winner you'd wear every week, and skip the ones you'd only want for the trophy.
Our two picks are the Chopard L.U.C 1860 for a dress watch and the Grand Seiko Ushio 300 Diver for a daily sports watch. Both come from brands with boutique networks, so you can try one on before you commit.
The Rexhepi, the Blancpain and the Audemars Piguet RD#5 are watches most collectors will only ever see behind glass. That's fine. Admire them, and don't chase them on the secondary market in the week after a win, when excitement is at its peak.
Who should ignore this list
If you buy watches to hold value, a GPHG trophy shouldn't be the reason you buy. The jury judges watchmaking, and resale depends on things the jury never looks at.
If you already own a Royal Oak or a Patek, this year's results are good news for the brands' reputations and change nothing about how you should look after your watch. If you're thinking of selling, get a real number first.
GPHG 2026 winners FAQ
Who won the GPHG 2026 Aiguille d'Or?
Rexhep Rexhepi won the 2026 Aiguille d'Or Grand Prix for his Chronograph Flyback, a hand-wound platinum chronograph with a fully in-house movement and a storm blue Grand Feu enamel dial. The prize was announced in Geneva on November 7, 2026.
How many GPHG 2026 winners were there?
The GPHG awarded 20 prizes in 2026. They were chosen from 84 nominees, which came from 320 watches entered by 194 brands.
When and where was the GPHG 2026 ceremony?
The 26th Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève ceremony took place on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva, Switzerland.
Which brand won the most GPHG 2026 prizes?
Audemars Piguet, Chopard and Ferdinand Berthoud each won two prizes at GPHG 2026. Ferdinand Berthoud is Chopard's sister brand, so the two together took four of the 20 prizes.
Did Rolex win anything at GPHG 2026?
No. Rolex was not among the 20 GPHG 2026 winners. Rolex does not enter its watches in the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
Who chaired the GPHG 2026 jury?
Wei Koh, founder of Revolution and The Rake magazines, chaired the GPHG 2026 jury. He succeeded Nick Foulkes, who led the jury from 2021 to 2025.
Can you buy the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback?
Rexhep Rexhepi sells through a small group of partner boutiques in Geneva, Lausanne, London, Dubai and Singapore. As of November 2026, the price of the Chronograph Flyback has not been published and production is very limited.
What changed at the GPHG in 2026?
For 2026 the GPHG removed its Men's and Ladies' watch categories and replaced them with two new prizes, the Essential Watch Prize and the Complication Watch Prize.
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