Horological Meandering

Gary G
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Gary G Grand Prix 2011

OK -- several hours ago, I posted my response to this year's Geneva Grand Prix in which I basically barfed all over the jury's selections.  PPlater, in his usual gentle style, suggested that it would be interesting to hear how others would have rated the contest, and proposed that I lead off.  His instructions were "nomination or no nomination," which broadened things!

So, here goes.  I started with the long list of nominees, identified my top pieces from that listing, and then went back through the PuristS reports on SIHH and Basel 2011 and my own notes and found some to add to the list.  In each category, I have picked a "semi long list" of watches I would have pre-nominated (including my additions) and a winner (and some runners-up).  In some categories I also have added my thoughts on "What Were They Thinking?" to spice things up even more.  And at the end, the "Gary G Golden Glove."  A few caveats and observations:

1.  I didn't use terribly structured criteria, although I did review the "official" criteria.  So, I'm afraid that a bit of "I really like this watch" may have crept in along with "this watch has tremendous merit."

2.  I'm no expert -- there are vast areas of the offering space about which I know next to nothing, which will become evident as you read further

3. I'm biased.  I like Independents, for one thing.  Also, I was a guest of VC at SIHH last year, and found myself trying to sneak VC watches onto the list.  PPlater's classic "I have not received a massage from Seiko" post came to mind here...

4. Seeing the watches makes a big difference -- there are some watches on the list that I am sure are splendid, but I just didn't know them well enough or hadn't handled them personally

5. There seem to be entire swaths of the industry that are not represented at these awards.  Hello, Swatch Group?  Panerai?  UN? Patek?

6. Despite some due diligence, I many have gotten some watches in the wrong year -- so sue me...

7.  Everything below is simply my personal (and hastily constructed) view -- YMMV, and it is for entertainment value only

Let's get going:

1.  Ladies' watch

From the nominee list: Bulgari Serpenti

My additions: VC Only Watch, Van Cleef and Arpels 5 Weeks in a Balloon, Breguet Reine de Naples ref. 3918

Winner: VC Only Watch (with Van Cleef a close second)

What Were They Thinking: Hublot Big Bang Leopard

Only the first category, and already I'm doing violence to the entire process.  Yes, I know that the Van Cleef piece was nominated in the Complicated category, the Bulgari has a quartz movement, the VC might not be considered a Ladies' watch, and the Reine has been in production in different forms for a while now.  To me the existing nominees in this category were weak enough that it needed some help!  As for the Reine, if Moser can put a new dial on a watch and re-enter it every year, I can put up the re-sized RdN.  If I were a lady (lots of problems with that hypothesis already) I would pick the VC Only Watch, with its beautiful bird motif and touching relevance to the cause of freeing children from Muscular Dystrophy, over all the rest.

2.  Men's watch

From the nominee list: AP Millenary 4101, Gronefeld One Hertz, Laurent Ferrier Gallet Micro-Rotor, Urban Jurgensen 11C

My additions: JLC Tribute to Reverso 1931, JLC Duometre Quantieme Lunaire WG and Duometre Chrono LE WG

Winner: Gronefeld One Hertz (runner up award to Urban Jurgensen)

What Were They Thinking: Hermes Arceau Le Temps Suspendu

What a great year for men's watches!  Strong "long list" of nominees, and there were many I could have added from my review of this year's novelties.  I'm sort of a JLC guy and love what they did this year with those WG cases and black dials -- and the "new" Reverso is a real treat.  At the top end, I've got to give it to Bart and Tim -- that watch is truly splendid, innovative, and attractive.  The UJ watch is the best thing to come out of the Voutilainen workshop this year -- the escapement concept is great, the sound is really cool, and the finishing to die for.  As for the Hermes, let me see if I have this straight: you push a button, and the hands snap to a different position and stop.  And then...?  Yeah, yeah, triple retrograde time restoration, blah, blah, blah -- the second most useless ballyhooed watch of the year, for me (yes, I get to #1 below...).

3.  Design watch

I think that the jury (and I) stretched the bounds of the "Design watch" category (most innovative aesthetic or conceptual research) somewhat here, but what the heck...

From the nominees: DeBethune DB28, Eva Leube Ari, Roger Dubuis La Monegasque Club, VC Aronde 1954

My additions: none

Winner: DeBethune (although you have to hand it to Eva Leube)

What Were They Thinking: Urwerk UR-110

I really, really wanted to pick Eva's watch here -- on a given day I probably would -- but I did have the DB on my wrist in January and looooved it.  Had Eva entered this in the Men's watch category, I might have picked it there as well.  I like the look of the RD Monegasque pieces, so there.  And having had the VC Aronde on my wrist (although not while receiving other inducements from VC), I can tell you that it is beautiful -- too bad that they somehow forgot to put a rectangular movement behind that solid case back, or it might have been a bit higher on my list.  As for the Urwerk, ugh...

4.  Jewelry and Artistic Crafts

From the nominees: none

My additions: Van Cleef and Arpels Floral Bracelet watch

Winner: Van Cleef Floral

I'll be honest and admit that I don't know anything about this category and can't quibble with the selections, but the prettiest thing I've seen in a while is that VC&A bracelet watch in the SIHH report on this site -- take a look and tell me I'm nuts.

5.  Complicated Watches

From the nominees: HW Opus Eleven (and VC&A five weeks in a Balloon if you don't move it up to the Ladies' category)

My additions: Lange PLM Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, Breguet Hora Mundi, GF Double Tourbillon Technique 30 degrees, GF Invention Piece 2, Cartier Astroregulateur; Patek 5139

Winner: Greubel-Forsey Invention Piece 2 (with the G-F DT Technique close behind and the Breguet Hora Mundi taking second in the Constructors' championship)

Special Jury What Were They Thinking Award: Lange Zeitwerk Striking

Another great field, although a decent proportion of it is made up of my additions.  As the Golden Hand winners last year, GF were ineligible for the official awards this year, which is a great shame as their two watches are both killer.  The strength of this category allowed me to sneak the Van Cleef piece up into the Ladies' category.  The Lange PLM is on my list, but definitely not the original version with its bland dial showing acres of a surface as featureless and pale as my German-Irish complexion.  But the cleverly named Handwerkskunst -- now we're talkin'!  One of the prettiest pieces of this year to me, with the PLM engine humming away underneath.  In contrast to the Hermes watch, the Breguet Hora Mundi actually does something with its moving hands complication.  I managed to sneak the PP 5139 on here because I was a big fan of the 5039 and am happy to see a similar watch back in the line-up.  And, yes, I do like the Cartier Astroregulateur and its funny "hold on, I have to get my watch upright to read the seconds hand" winding rotor -- don't hate me.  As for the Zeitwerk Striking, it is officially the Gary G most useless ballyhooed watch of 2011 -- ding!  It wasn't even on the list of nominees, but I had to "enter" it myself.  Don't get me wrong -- I absolutely love AL&S and everything they stand for, and they too bought me dinner in Geneva this past January (and are being spectacularly kind to me during the servicing of my Double Split -- muah!) -- but this watch is a real "miss" as far as I am concerned. 

6.  Sport Watches

From the nominees: VC Overseas Perpetual Calendar

My additions:  Patek Aquanaut Travel Time

What Were They Thinking: any Romain Jerome DNA watch, in this case the Selfridge's LE

Winner: Vacheron Overseas QP

Again, I'll mostly plead ignorance with this category.  The TAG might in fact be a great watch, but it seems a gimmick to me, so I left it out (but freely admit that this may simply reflect that I don't have any idea what I am talking about).  Additional full disclosure: while I did buy through an Authorized Dealer and did not receive a free lunch or other inducements for doing so, I do own (and love) the VC Overseas Chrono with the grey dial similar to the one on the "winner" above.

7.  "Small Hand" -- watches under 5000 CHF

I'm sure the jury did a great job here, and Montblanc really seems to be on a roll these days -- I'll confess that I don't follow this category at all.

8.  Jury Award -- PP Museum

Well deserved!  If you haven't been, go as soon as you can -- among other things, find the case on the top floor where they have the dual-balance student watch that apparently inspired the Dufour Duality.

9.  Watchmaker of the Year -- Vianney Halter

All right, Vianney!  As readers already know, I'm a big fan.  It seems that the members of the jury must have seen my extensive review of his Antiqua here on PuristS, been unaware that the watch originated in 1998, and therefore chosen to give him the award as "most creative watchmaker of 2011."  Of course, I think that there's a decent argument that Vianney is the most creative watchmaker of any year, even when he is creating no new watches...

10.  AND NOW -- THE GARY G 2011 GOLDEN GLOVE!!!

So, PPlater, are you regretting issuing this challenge yet?  I can't afford a Golden Hand, but I can spray paint one of the micro-fiber gloves that I took home from the VC dinner at SIHH and present that as a trophy to the makers of the...

Greubel-Forsey Invention Piece 2!!!

As they were ineligible, having won last year, I can't argue with the selection of DeBethune.  For me it was a really strong showing by the Independents, with Eva Leube, Gronefeld, UJ/KV, G-F, and of course DB -- but for my money Van Cleef had a super year as well, and some of the old guard (including VC, which, bias or not, I felt did a fine job this year) were obviously very much in the game as well.

If anyone is still reading at this point, thanks!  Also thanks to all of the PuristS reviewers who chronicled SIHH and Basel this year.  I will be interested to hear what others think about GPHG 2011.

All the Best,

Gary G