At a glance
- Aiguille d’Or 2026: Rexhep Rexhepi, for his Chronograph Flyback watch, on 7 November 2026 at the 26th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).
- Patek Philippe: the Special Jury Prize for an exhibition, the Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan.
- The prize list: twenty prizes, seventeen brands rewarded; Audemars Piguet, Chopard and Ferdinand Berthoud each take home two.
- The jury: chaired by Wei Koh, alongside an Academy of more than 1,000 members and 84 shortlisted watches.
- Where to see them: in Geneva until 15 November, then in London from 18 to 23 November.
He began his apprenticeship at Patek Philippe at the age of 15. On the same evening, Rexhep Rexhepi received the GPHG’s highest honour and the Geneva manufacture won a prize without a watch. For the first time, the independent watchmaker based in Geneva’s Old Town wins the Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix, after two Men’s Watch Prizes.
The Chronograph Flyback, just 9.7 mm thick
The GPHG Foundation awarded the Aiguille d’Or to the Chronograph Flyback watch. Under the rules, this prize goes to the best timepiece across all categories. According to its official product page, it is Rexhep Rexhepi’s first flyback chronograph, with an in-house hand-wound calibre, a column wheel, a horizontal clutch and an instantaneous minute counter.
The platinum case measures 38.8 mm in diameter and 9.7 mm in thickness, one of the thinnest chronographs with an in-house movement, according to the brand. The storm-blue grand feu enamel dial is made in its own workshops. It also exists in rose gold; no price has been published.
From Patek Philippe’s bench to Akrivia
According to his official biography, Rexhep Rexhepi was born in Kosovo and came to Switzerland at 11 to join his father, as war broke out in his home country. At 15 he began an apprenticeship at Patek Philippe, where he spent five years. He founded Atelier Akrivia in 2012, at the age of 25, and presented his first watch in 2013, the AK-01, a single-pusher tourbillon chronograph.
The Chronomètre Contemporain, launched in 2018, won the Men’s Watch Prize at the 2018 GPHG; its second version won the same prize in 2022.
Why did Patek Philippe win without a watch?
The Special Jury Prize does not reward a timepiece. The 2026 rules reserve it for a personality, an institution or an initiative that has played a fundamental role in promoting fine watchmaking. Only the jury votes on it, by secret ballot, choosing between three proposals. This year it honours Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition, praised by the GPHG for “an exceptional commitment to watchmaking culture”.
According to the manufacture, the exhibition was held in Milan from 2 to 18 October 2026, over more than 2,900 m². It welcomed 68,000 visitors, and seven limited editions were presented there, engraved “Patek Philippe Milano 2026” on their sapphire caseback.
Twenty prizes for seventeen brands
Behind the Aiguille d’Or, the official prize list includes nineteen other awards. Audemars Piguet and Chopard each take home two. Ferdinand Berthoud wins both the Chronometry Prize and the Tourbillon Watch Prize. For Audemars Piguet, see also its three Supersonnerie in Royal Oak and Code 11.59.
| Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix | Rexhep Rexhepi, Chronograph Flyback |
| Iconic Watch Prize | Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 “150th Anniversary” |
| Special Jury Prize | Patek Philippe, Watch Art Grand Exhibition |
| Audacity Prize | Konstantin Chaykin, ThinKing Mystery |
| Chronometry Prize | Ferdinand Berthoud, Naissance d’une Montre 3 |
| Horological Revelation Prize | Dominique Renaud, Pulse60 Titanium Black |
| Mechanical Exception Watch Prize | Blancpain, Grande Double Sonnerie |
| Complication Watch Prize | Cleguer, Inspiration One |
| Chronograph Watch Prize | Parmigiani Fleurier, Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux |
| Tourbillon Watch Prize | Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronomètre FB 2TV |
| Sports Watch Prize | Grand Seiko, Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver |
| Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize | Audemars Piguet, 150 Heritage |
| Essential Watch Prize | Daniel Roth, Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton |
| Time Only Watch Prize | Chopard, L.U.C 1860 |
| Jewellery Watch Prize | Chopard, Mystery Nut |
| Artistic Crafts Watch Prize | Louis Vuitton, Tambour Taiko Arty Automata |
| Gemset Watch Prize | Piaget, Swinging Pebble |
| “Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize | Otsuka Lotec, No.8 |
| Challenge Watch Prize | SpaceOne, SpaceOne X Baltic, Seconde Majeure |
| Mechanical Clock Prize | La Vallée, Cosmo |
Breguet out of contention, Wei Koh chairs
The rules automatically exclude the previous year’s winning brand. Breguet, winner of the 2025 Aiguille d’Or with the Classique Souscription 2025, therefore did not compete in 2026, but one of its representatives sat on the jury chaired by Wei Koh. The ceremony, hosted by Stéphane Bern and Arianne Alcorta, was attended by the Director-General of UNESCO.
Where to see the winning watches
The 84 shortlisted timepieces remain on show at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva until 15 November 2026. The winners will then be shown in London from 18 to 23 November, at the Watches of Switzerland boutique in Knightsbridge. In Geneva, November is also the month of the major watch auctions.
| Watch | Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback (RRCHF) |
| Calibre | in-house, hand-wound, flyback |
| Case | platinum (rose gold version also listed), 38.8 x 9.7 mm |
| Dial | storm-blue grand feu enamel, smoked sapphire sub-dials |
| Power reserve | 72 hours, 21,600 vibrations per hour |
| Components | 320, including 30 jewels |
| Price | not disclosed |
Information verified on 9 November 2026. Sources: GPHG Foundation statement of 7 November 2026, GPHG 2026 rules, Rexhep Rexhepi, Patek Philippe.
