The annual Grand Prix d Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG), which is known as the ‘Oscar Award’ in the watch industry, is the creator of the highest honor in watchmaking. Hundreds of brands and watchmakers competed to compete for the ten most prestigious, authoritative and influential awards in the global fine watch industry. A few days ago this year’s list of timepieces was announced. A total of 175 watches appeared on the list. Zenith, which has more than 150 years of watchmaking legend, also has two timepiece masterpieces. These two timepieces are shortlisted ‘ El Primero’s flagship 36 000 rpm watch for the ‘Best Chronograph’ award, and the HERITAGE PILOT Ton-Up watch for the ‘small hands’ award.
This year’s ‘Geneva Haute Horlogerie Awards’ 2016 sixteenth awards ceremony will be held on November 10th local time, the venue was selected at the Geneva Léman Theatre. Prior to this, Zenith’s two masterpieces of timepieces will participate in world tour exhibitions with a total of 72 carefully selected watches, including the tour exhibitions in Seoul and Rome in October, and 11 Special exhibition at the Dubai Watch Fair this month. The peak of the global watchmaking world is about to begin.
Legends are endless:
‘Best Chronograph’ Award Finalist (Chronograph Cathegory)
El Primero flagship 36 000 rpm watch
Although the award setting of the Geneva Fine Watch Awards changes slightly every year, the ‘Best Chronograph’ award is one of the longest-established awards, not only with extremely high gold content, but also with fierce competition. The Elitero flagship 36 000 rpm watch, which was nominated for Zenith, combines extraordinary performance with unique aesthetics, and the result is naturally fascinating.
This watch embodies the essence of the flagship series in a modern style, not only retaining the basic elements of the legendary original chronograph, but also equipped with a unique mechanical structure. In 1969, the watch also adopted a single-tone dial as the main trend. El Primero unveiled a multi-tone dial, decorated three timers in three colors, and red seconds on the second hand for clearer reading.
These three shades have also become the classic colors of the dials of the El Primero flagship series: dark gray 30-minute timer at 3 o’clock, dark blue 12-hour timer at 6 o’clock, and white small at 9 o’clock. Second hand dial. The tachymeter scale is set around the silver reflective dial. Water-resistant to 100 meters, stainless steel case diameter 42 mm, transparent sapphire crystal case back, as well as the movement structure it contains, is a model of perfect and harmonious structure ratio.
If you do not have the main genetic factors of classic mechanical construction, you cannot call it an in-line movement. The El Primero 400 B movement is the best proof of this statement: the integrated monolithic structure is equipped with column wheels, and other details show its noble blood. Like the legendary El Primero movement launched in 1969, this movement vibrates 36,000 times per hour with a time display accurate to 1 / 10th of a second. The legend is not made by accident. This high-frequency vibration El Primero 400 B movement is equipped with a power reserve of at least 50 hours in addition to high frequency.
Retro Spirit Free Race
‘Little Hands’ Awards First Round Finalist (Petite Aiguille Cathegory)
HERITAGE PILOT Ton-Up Watch
In the Geneva Haute Horlogerie Awards, the ‘small hands’ is a very special resident award, used to compete for timepieces with both price advantages and Zoran quality in the market. In the fierce competition, the meaning of Zoran’s quality is not only the design with superb stable performance and unique style, but also the spirit of the times behind the finalists.
The HERITAGE PILOT Ton-Up watch shortlisted for Zenith is a masterpiece of timepieces with outstanding performance in different dimensions such as price, quality, design and even spirit. The magnificent 45 mm diameter retro stainless steel case is equipped with the legendary El Primero star speed 4069 automatic chronograph movement, and the retro dial will pull back every time it is read. Behind the masculine charm and strong machinery of the watch is the spirit of the ‘Cafe Knight’ represented by the watch: to speed up and go away, all with a sense of independence and purity.
Heritage Pilot Ton-Up was inspired by the English ‘Coffee Knight’ cycling movement that began in the 1920s. Young and rebellious cycling enthusiasts are eager for a fast motorcycle that can be customized to personal requirements, allowing them to run from cafe to cafe on the roads of Great Britain. To this end, they abandon all the burdens on their motorcycles that they don’t consider useful, and prepare for the engine to reach maximum power.
The new Zenith watch evokes memories of these riding tools and their strong personality of high speed, originality and freedom. The atmospheric retro stainless steel case inherits the various attributes of the Pilot series-including large-size luminous Arabic numerals and a wide, twist-locked crown with a groove-a retro look. The light olive-gray dial with grainy decorative pattern supports two chronograph dials, and the arched sapphire crystal glass covers it, and the faceted hands and numbers with beige luminous coating are clearly visible on the dial. The pure titanium case back, which is water-resistant to 100 meters, is engraved with the words ‘Café Racer Spirit’, like a medal of honor.
About the Geneva Fine Watch Awards
The Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix Foundation (GPHG), officially recognized as a public welfare organization, was officially established on May 31, 2011 under the witness of a notary public. The five founding members of the foundation include: Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva, the International Watch Museum (MIH) at La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Geneva Watch Manufacturing and Micro-Engineering Laboratory (Timelab) and the Edipresse Media Group. With the exception of the Edipresse Group, all the founding members are members of the foundation’s board of directors, and the chairman is Mr. Carlo Lamprecht, the former chairman of the Geneva Administration.
The main goal of the GPHG Foundation is to spread Swiss watchmaking and its value to the world through this trademark. The Foundation holds the Geneva High-end Watch Awards (GPHG) once a year, which aims to recognize world-class excellence in watch manufacturing and to award the annual awards to the most beautiful works of heavyweight watchmaking industry operators.