The Swiss magazine “Montres Passion” awarded its ‘Watch of the Year 2004’ award in Lausanne on November 10. The winner was chosen by a jury whose members remains anonymous, except for its President, the indisputable watchmaker, Philippe Dufour. This year the prestigious prize was granted to Chopard for the L.U.C. 4R Quattro Regulator, thus rewarding the efforts of a ten-year project to create and develop its mechanical manufacture in Fleurier.




Gondolo Calendario from Patek Philippe and the chronograph Aquatimer Split Minute from IWC


The second and third prizes went to Gondolo Calendario from Patek Philippe and the chronograph Aquatimer Split Minute from IWC, respectively.
In the feminine category, Chanel’s J12 chronograph, in its white ceramic robe, took top honours.
Last, but not least, the ‘Public Prize’ went to the superb Master Hometime by Jaeger-LeCoultre, with Vacheron Constantin’s Malte chronograph taking second place and Calvin Klein’s cK Flash in third.
And, as the initiator of this respected Watch of the Year award said with a dash of humour, “those who are disappointed should take heart because tomorrow there will be enough awards for everyone.” Well, the next day, Geneva’s ‘Tribune des Arts’ organized a large ceremony for the ‘Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève’, where not less than 10 awards were given out to 11 watches.
The grand winner of the ‘Aiguille d'Or 2004’ prize was F.P. Journe for his Tourbillon Souverain with its independent seconds hand, an award which confirms the unique position of Journe in the watch galaxy.
The other prize winners read like a who’s who in watchmaking. Lange & Söhne took the ‘Special Jury’ award with its Lange Double Split. Girard-Perregaux won the ‘Ladies’ category with its sensual Cat's Eye, while Patek Philippe’s Gondolo Calendario tied with Zenith’s Grande ChronoMaster Open El Primero for the top prize in the ‘Men’s’ division.
In ‘Design’, TAG Heuer’s 69 timepiece took top honours, while the Villeret by Blancpain won in the ‘Extra-Thin’ category. The very meritorious Gyrotourbillon by Jaeger-LeCoultre was the victor in the category of ‘Technical innovation and complications’, and the ‘Sports’ prize was almost a given for the Luminor Submersible 2500M by Panerai. The ‘Public’ prize went to Colour Dream by Franck Muller, and the rather curious ‘Public Prize of the Middle East’ was awarded to Vacheron Constantin’s enamelled Patrimony timekeeper.
The crowd that eagerly pushed its way into the Grand-Théâtre in Geneva where the ceremony took place was also witness to the appearance of the reconciled duelists Franck Muller and Vartan Sirmakes. Neither made any allusion to the violent confrontation between them that dragged on for many months, and seemed content to say ”Thank you … thank you for everything … thank you to the team … and thank you to everybody for everything …” as did the other laureates, just like at the Oscars. The next day, it was business as usual.

Above: Chopard - the L.U.C. 4R Quattro Regulator



GRAND PRIX D' HORLOGERIE DE GENEVE

The Prizes Winner




F.P.Journe, 'L'Aiguille d'Or' Prize




Lange & Söhne, Jury's Prize




Girard-Perregaux, Favourite Lady's Watch






Patek Philippe and Zenith, Favourite Men's Watch (ex-aequo)




TAG Heuer, Favourite Designer's Watch




Blancpain, Favourite Ultra Flat Watch




Jaeger-LeCoultre, Favourite Watch with Technical Innovation and Complication




Panerai, Favourite Sport's Watch




Franck Muller, Public's Prize




Vacheron Constantin, Middle-East Public's Prize