The Foundation du Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève or translated into English as the Foundation for the Grand Horological Prize of Geneva (GPHG) was founded in 2001 to highlight and yearly reward the most contemporary creations and promote the art of watchmaking worldwide. Just like the name, the stated aim is a bit of a mouthful but the idea of a yearly prize for global watchmaking is a good one. GPHG consists of 15 categories and at least 16 prizes (there are four discretionary prizes too).
Definition Of The Category
What’s a “Petite Aiguille” and what does it have to do with watches? You can find a couple of definitions of aiguille. The most mundane is a needle, the more romantic one is that of a pinnacle of a mountain. Since there is a grand prize of Aiguille d’Or the petite aiguille prize refers to a smaller or perhaps less lofty goal. GPHG defines this category as Watches with a retail price between CHF 3,500 and CHF 10,000. Smartwatches are permissible in this category. The prize is awarded to the best watch in the “Petite Aiguille” category. In 2022 there are 23 watches entered into this category. What is the best watch in this category going to be? Here are my thoughts.
My Favorite
In the rules for this category, GPHG is quite careful not to specify what “best” means and how it is judged. I am going to define my favorite as the watch I would spend my money on”. The choice is very easy in that case, say hello to the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team. That’s a lot of words for a 41mm three sub-register chronographs and added up would be heavier than the brushed titanium case. The case has a water resistance of 100m and a height of 14.5mm. 
The design is within the familiar IWC chronograph family with the day/date complications at 3 o’clock. IWC has chosen to emphasize the color. The hands, indices, sub-registers, day/date, IWC logo, and strap are the same bright green which has become characteristic of the Mercedes F1 team. The movement is the Calibre 69385 with a 46-hour power reserve which is visible through a sapphire case back.
There are quite a lot of 2 and three register chronographs in the Petite Aiguille category this year. This is the only one I’d spend any money on. It’s not just the formula one connection as the watch has no references to Mercedes on the dial. It’s the combination of the color and finish of the case, the color of the indices against the black dial that makes this work. Priced at CHF 8,100 and available exclusively online from IWC’s website this chronograph almost certainly won’t win its class at GPHG and may not even get through to the second round of votes but it would be my pick.
Credit: IWC
What Should Win
I spent a little while looking at the winners of this category over the last ten years. Tudor has won it four times with dull variations on a Black Bay theme and Habring2 has won it three times and so it’s hard to decide if a sports watch or dress watch is favored by the judging panel. This year neither Tudor nor Habring2 has any watches in this category the field is a little more open than it might be. If there’s a watch that deserves to win then my pick is the Carl Suchy und Söhne Day and Night. I wouldn’t normally pick a very limited edition because the suspicion would be that they were made just for CPHG and there’s no real guarantee that all of them will be made. However, this 41.5mm watch has an art deco feel with modern design touches that feel just right. 
Carl Suchy und Söhne was founded in 1822 in Vienna and reborn in 2017. The watches are now assembled in Switzerland. The Day and Night is a version of their Waltz Number 1 powered by a Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier VMF 5401 movement. This beats at 21,600 vph with a power reserve of 48 hours. It’s visible through a sapphire case back. When I first looked at the Petite Aiguille category this is one of two watches that caught my eye. The first was the IWC and then this. I’d love to see this CHF 9,500 watch win. 
Credit: Carl Suchy und Söhne
What’s Going To Win
I have a sneaking feeling that this is the year of unusual design. In that case, I’m going to nominate the Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena Lab Gold. It follows the all modern conventions that are popular with the watch industry and community today. It is a limited edition of 178 pieces, it is a collaboration and takes a novel approach to the art of telling the time. 
The dial mixes roman numerals and Arabic numerals on the upper and lower sub dial respectively. The two sub-dials float above a textured golden dial which is itself surrounded by a combined minute and seconds track. The hands are delicately blued dauphines two of which don’t have a counterweight. This perfectly captures the spirit of the times. There is one thing that might count against it though, at 42mm in diameter it is too large to be truly on-trend. You are getting a lot for your CHF 3,600 in this case. Something tells me that this has a good chance of winning the Petite Aiguille category. 
Credit: Louis Erard
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