Watch of the Year 2014: Piaget’s Altiplano

The 21st edition of the Watch of the Year Prize sponsored by Montres Passion magazine was held on 24 October last at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva. Fabrice Eschmann, the new editor-in-chief of Montres Passion, welcomed some 500 invited guests. Since 1994, the aim of the Watch of the Year Prize has been to promote the horological creations of the past twelve months with the finest technical and aesthetic features. The jury made up of independent watchmaking professionals, voted on the forty pre-selected models.

The Watch of the Year 2014 Prize was won by Piaget for its Altiplano 900P model. Last year, the Genevan house had already won this distinction for its self-winding Altiplano Date 40 mm. An impressive reward for Piaget which is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year and has seen its expertise in the field of ultra-slim timepieces acknowledged once again as a veritable signature. The inverted movement of this piece, its case back machined to serve as a bottom plate and its eccentric dial housed under the visible bars particularly impressed the experts who summarised the achievement in these words: «Technology is design».

Another well-merited award went to the house of H. Moser & Cie which ranked in second place with its Venturer Small Seconds. Its domed glass, ultra-wide bezel, curved dial and hollowed-out middle part all testify to the effort made to achieve a high aesthetic standard. This timeless watch which is a pleasure for both the eyes and the hands has been described as having sex appeal and masculine elegance. This award crowns the efforts made in the past two years by Edouard Meylan, CEO of the manufacturing company, who thanked his teams warmly when the prize was presented to him.

The third place went to Bulgari for its Octo Finissimo model. The faceted design of this timepiece elicited many reactions from the jury whose members believe it will be a future icon.

L’Elégante by F.P. Journe, the brand’s first watch for women, won the Ladies Watch of the Year Prize. The members of the jury were particularly impressed by its revolutionary concept. Autonomy of ten years when worn and up to 18 years in standby mode… who can do better than that? If the watch is not moved for more than thirty minutes or so it stops to save energy. When it is activated again, it automatically takes the shortest path to the right time. Its entirely luminescent dial is perfectly readable in the dark. As is the case each year, the public were invited to make their choice on the Internet. With some 4000 votes, the public prize went to Breitling for its Navitimer GMT.

Each year, the prize for the Watchmaking Campaign of the Year is awarded for two categories of visuals: Print/Posters and Film & Cyber. Its aim is to acknowledge creation, the spirit of innovation, aesthetics and the quality of the advertising campaigns created by the watch industry. This year, the jury reviewed a record number of entries in the shape of campaigns and visuals, demonstrating the permanent evolution, quality and rich creativity of the brands in this field. The «Instant Chanel» won the award for the Print/Poster category. The coherence between the creative idea, implementation and execution, the successful aesthetic and the clear legibility of the visuals attracted attention. A modern campaign with great purity which exploits, recreates and perfectly embodies the iconic elements of the brand for its watchmaking division. In the Film/Cyber category, the jury’s choice went to the film «Don’t crack under pressure» by TAG Heuer. The force of the message, the universe exploited, the fidelity to the icons of the present day and past and the heritage of the brand attracted the jury members. Two special mentions were awarded to Bell & Ross for its «2014» campaign and to RJ Romain Jerome for its film «Movie Scenes». For its part, the «Life is about moments» campaign of Baume & Mercier touched websurfers’ hearts.

How are the timepieces selected for the competition and what criteria are applied? Reviewed since the previous autumn, the models all come from the Swiss market and have often been presented at the leading watch shows (SIHH and Baselworld). For this occasion, they must bear the Swiss Made label, appear on the market between the start of the month of September of the year prior to the prize award and the end of December of the current year. Their price must not exceed 50,000 francs. They may use quartz calibres but in that case they must embody a technical or aesthetic added value. A production of not less than 200 copies is required. The technical qualities, movement finish, dial legibility, design, wearability and quality-price ratio are taken into consideration when the jury deliberates and votes.

The procedure by which the winners are designated falls into several stages. Firstly, each member makes a broad personal choice. A first selection then takes place on the basis of reasoned proposals argued in plenary session. Votes, verifications and further information then lead on to a short list reduced to some forty pieces. In the final stage, the jury meets to consider the short-listed watches. The vote is held by a secret ballot in which marks are awarded. Discussions, debates and consultations - sometimes with a vote by a show of hands - are required to decide on the prize-winners.  

November 06, 2014