GRAND PRIX VIEW: GPHG 2015 “Petite Aiguille”

With the pre-selected Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève watches replica visible on the organization’s own site, enthusiasts can see all the nominees for today’s annual Oscars of the watchmaking industry. iW has been annotating the list of nominated watches replica for you with a series of posts, organized by category, so you can put each nominee into context.

All told, seventy-two timepieces will be competing to win the Aiguille d’Or Grand Prize or one of the sixteen prizes awarded for creative talent and watchmaking expertise. The 2015 list of winners will be announced at the 15th annual ceremony at the Grand Théâtre de Genève today. Below is our final review of the nominees. Read about the watches replica nominated in the PETITE AIGUILLE category.

Bulgari Diagono Magnesium

This is a connected watch that also maintains the traditions of watchmaking. This self-winding mechanical watch incorporates technology using NFC technology (Near Field Communication) enabling the watch to transmit a digital certificate to the Bulgari Vault application downloaded for an iOS or Android mobile phone. The wearer simply connects the watch to the Bvlgari Vault application through the electronic passport to access confidential data under banking level security through a partnership with WISeKey, a Swiss company specializing in digital security. The encrypted information is extremely secure as it’s stored on a cloud buried in the Alps deep inside a Swiss military bunker.

Habring2 Felix

The Austrian duo of Maria and Richard Habring celebrate the 10th anniversary of Habring2 with the manual-winding Felix watch. The 38.5 mm model features an A11B movement is designed and produced by Habring Uhrentechnik OG, or small, specialized suppliers in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Each anchor is assembled and individually adjusted by hand; the balance springs are manually counted and curved; hand-riveted wheel and pinion combinations and screws polished and blued by hand.

Hermès Slim d’Hermès

Philippe Delhotal, creative director of La Montre Hermès designed the pure aesthetics of this Hermès watch and incorporated original and modern typography by graphic designer Philippe Apeloig. At the heart of the 39.5 mm stainless steel case is ultra-thin Manufacture Hermès H1950 movement measuring just 2.6 mm in height due to the micro-rotor. Time is displayed in its simplest expression showing only the hours, minutes and a small seconds display at 6 o’clock against a white dial. A glimpse of the movements fine finishes such as the H motif and hand-beveled bridges can be viewed through the sapphire crystal case-back.

Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarium

This watch displays the world time function in a new and innovative way with the earth anchored at the core of the complication. This timepiece displays the time and day or night indication in 24 different time zones via a manufacture module developed in-house by the Montblanc. A multi-layer dial sits within the 41 mm steel case. The rotation of the world time disc changes the colors of the continents as seen on the dial, alternately from light (day) to dark (night) making it easy to read. This watch is also simple to operate. For more details see here.

Tudor North Flag

This watch was inspired by the 1950s Tudor Oyster Prince models, worn by members of the British North Greenland Expedition while studying glaciology, geology in Arctic environments. It is an adventurer’s tool watch with evidence of its history in the integrated lugs, arrow-shaped hands and large indices. Inside the sporty 40mm steel and black ceramic case is caliber TUDOR MT5621, the first manufactured movement by Tudor. Certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), the movement is regulated by a variable inertia oscillator with silicon balance spring, held in place by a traversing bridge fixed at both sides to improve resistance to shocks and vibrations. The clean and fresh dial displays the hours, minutes and seconds as well as the date against the jet-black dial with vivid yellow accents.

Zenith Elite 6150

Zenith has revamped the precise and reliable Elite base movement developed in the early 1990s to create the Elite 6150. Zenith has doubled the power reserve to a minimum of a 100-hours by adding a second barrel. In addition to broadening the movement to 30 mm, this contemporary version has a central sweep-seconds hand. The new mechanical automatic movement, the Elite 6150 calibre, fits into a completely redesigned, stainless steel case measuring 42mm while preserving the slender nature of a movement measuring a mere 3.92 mm thick.