News Watchmakers from the Jura and German-speaking regions of Switzerland took the lion’s share of the prizes awarded this year by the magazines Montres Passion and Uhrenwelt.
Presented on 31 October for the twelfth year running, the Watch of the Year prize went to designer Rodolphe Cattin for his Instinct Chrono 180° watch, much to his delight and astonishment! Having joined the Franck Muller group 18 months ago, he did not believe that such acclaim was within his grasp – at least not so soon. For him, the prize means so much more considering that his design office creates hundreds of models each year for the private label. Equipped with two movements - an automatic chronograph with date and a power reserve of 36 hours, and a quartz calibre with two hands indicating the hours and minutes - the Instinct Chrono 180° model is mounted on an alligator strap for a sporting allure, on a shagreen wristlet for fashionable soirées, or is available with a rubber strap or a metal bracelet.
In second place was the Perpetual 1 model from the Schaffhouse based manufacturer H. Moser & Cie. Marking the brand’s renaissance, this watch is the only one to possess a “flash calendar” display. In other words, the date jumps directly from the end of one month – without any intermediate position – to the beginning of the next. Third place, meanwhile, went to a great classic, the Portugaise Automatic from IWC, which with its exquisite looks and technical prowess fully merits its ranking.
The prize for ladies’ watch, after a short deliberation, was awarded to the Cat’s Eye Bi-Retro from Girard Perregaux, whose white gold arabesques and diamonds, on a black mother-of-pearl dial, won over the jury presided by Philippe Dufour.
Meanwhile the public prize was won by Les Architectes du Temps for their 1911 BTR perpetual calendar automatic chronograph.
It should be noted that in order to compete, the 42 short-listed models must be Swiss made and have made their appearance on the Swiss market between 1st September 2005 and 1st September 2006. According to the rules, they also have to be produced in runs of at least 200 pieces and have a selling price not exceeding 35,000 francs.
What will the 13th edition have in store? The awards are already earmarked for next autumn in Lausanne.
November 21, 2006
