Independent watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi claimed the top “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix at the 26th annual Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in Geneva on November 7, 2026.
Held at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, the ceremony brought together figures from across the industry for an evening that also featured the Director-General of UNESCO, according to Fratello Watches.
Hosted by Stéphane Bern and Arianne Alcorta, the event evaluated 84 nominated timepieces across 14 categories. As Revolution Watch reported, a 24-person committee reviewed the timepieces behind closed doors, while the wider GPHG Academy provided one-third of the final tally via its own ballot.
Rexhepi secured the evening’s highest honor for his Chronograph Flyback. Commenting on the win, Rexhepi told Euronews Culture that he had always dreamed of taking the top honour, praising his team and global collectors. The proportions of the winning watch required a complete rethinking of the movement’s architecture
, according to Euronews.
The 2026 edition introduced changes to the category structure, adding Essential, Complication, and Gemset divisions to replace former gender-based divisions. Wei Koh served for the first time as President of the GPHG Jury, leading an event that distributed 20 prizes in total.
Audemars Piguet won the Iconic Watch Prize for the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5, created for the manufacturer’s 150th Anniversary
, as noted by Revolution Watch and Fratello Watches. Blancpain took the Mechanical Exception prize for its Grande Double Sonnerie, developed over eight years, while Chopard won the Jewellery Watch prize with its Mystery Nut pendant.
The Special Jury Prize went to Patek Philippe for the Watch Art Grand Exhibition, recognizing the brand’s contribution to watchmaking culture. Additional winners included Konstantin Chaykin for the ThinKing Mystery in the Audacity category, Ferdinand Berthoud for Naissance d’une Montre 3 in Chronometry, and Dominique Renaud for the Pulse60 Titanium Black in the Horological Revelation category, according to Monochrome Watches.
The nominated watches remain on display at Geneva’s Musée d’Art et d’Histoire until November 15, 2026. The winning timepieces will then travel for a public exhibition at the Watches of Switzerland boutique in Knightsbridge from November 19 to 23, 2026.
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève gathers compelling watches, watchmakers, and creative voices in contemporary horology. Regarded by many as the highest distinction in contemporary watchmaking, the event celebrates the year’s most exceptional achievements in innovation, craftsmanship, and design.
In previous years, the jury recognized ultra-high-end watchmaking with the Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle in 2023, followed by the complex IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar in 2024. Last year, the jury rewarded the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025.
Other awards distributed during the evening included the Chronograph Watch Prize awarded to Parmigiani Fleurier for the Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux. The chronograph is considered one of watchmaking’s most familiar complications, making alternative displays increasingly difficult to engineer.
Daniel Roth received the Essential Watch Prize for the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton, a piece that makes skeletonisation feel unusually disciplined. Meanwhile, the Challenge Watch Prize went to SpaceOne for the SpaceOne X Baltic – Seconde Majeure, bringing together two distinct visual languages around a mechanism developed by independent watchmaker Théo Auffret.
The Rexhep Rexhepi RRCHF Flyback Chronograph has just won the Aiguille d'Or at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2026 . For those who don't know, the event is basically 'The Oscars of Watchmkaing'. pic.twitter.com/84MzfIZBhm
The Inspiration One earned Cleguer the victory, showcasing an off-centre grand feu champlevé enamel dial at 2 o’clock, a snailed barrel accented by a 36-hour power reserve indicator, and a 12.9 mm oversized balance wheel ticking at 18,000 vibrations per hour.
Grand Seiko took the Sports Watch Prize with the Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver, combining Spring Drive technology with a professional dive-watch format. Ferdinand Berthoud also secured the Tourbillon Watch Prize with the Chronomètre FB 2TV, recognizing the brand’s work in a technically demanding traditional field.
Congratulations to Rexhep Rexhepi for winning the Aiguille d’Or at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix 2026 with the Chronograph Flyback. All tonight’s winners in the various watch categories are online at https://t.co/fwa7fsQbsy pic.twitter.com/8y7P3JEqfB
Exhibitions following the ceremony expose a wider audience to watchmaking history, craft, and production at a scale few other manufactures attempt. The ceremony also recognized Matt Jorgensen and Yuma Miyai as the winners of the Young Student Prize 2026. Ultimately, Rexhep Rexhepi claimed the biggest prize of all, while Cleguer, Dominique Renaud, Ferdinand Berthoud, and Otsuka Lotec each took home awards, demonstrating that exceptional contemporary watchmaking has no single definition.
More on Grand Prix
Albanian watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi wins the award for the best watch in the world. Rexhepi received the "Aiguille d'Or" trophy from the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in Switzerland for his Chronograph Flyback watch. This model can command millions of euros. 🇦🇱🇽🇰🇨🇭 https://t.co/jdSdMfpBTr pic.twitter.com/GmMloV58xF
🔴 Independent watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi wins Grand Prix d'Horlogerie top prize Geneva-based independent Swiss-Kosovan watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi won the Aiguille d'Or, the top honour at the 26th Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève awards ceremony on 7 November, for his Chronograph… pic.twitter.com/2e9EPld6y9