Latest news: The Rexhep Rexhepi RRCHF chronograph wins the 2026 GPHG Aiguille d’Or

The 2026 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has just revealed the winner of this year’s awards ceremony. The winner is a watch that celebrates independence and traditional watchmaking. Often considered the Oscars of watchmaking, the GPHG celebrates all things watchmaking. The jury divided all the applications into several categories of six watches each. Of all the entries, only one was selected as the overall winner, receiving the coveted “Aiguille d’Or” trophy for Best of Show. In addition to this, each category winner also received a prize. Last year, the jury awarded a deceptively simple watch, but one that bears one of the most important names in the industry: the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025. This year, the highest honor, the prestigious Grand Prix de l’Aiguille d’Or du GPHG 2026, was awarded to Rexhep Rexhepi for the Flyback Chronograph watch. And we also have the full list of winners from the 2026 edition of the GPHG, with all categories represented.

GPHG 2026 – Quick take

After celebrating ultra-thin watchmaking with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Flat in 2019 (at the time the thinnest QP) and the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept in 2020 (the thinnest mechanical watch ever made), and Bulgari with the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar in 2021, the GPHG, in 2022, followed a chronograph of supreme complexity, the Héritage. Sequential EVO machine, this time celebrating an independent watchmaker. In 2023, with the Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle, the jury returned to ultra-high-end watchmaking, followed in 2024 by the fantastically complex IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar. As noted, last year the award went to a surprisingly simple watch, the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025, but it felt more like a celebration of the brand itself and its 250th anniversary.

This year feels like a reminder of 2022, with the award given to a chronograph created by an independent watchmaker – and the most hyped of all… If ever Rexhep Rexhepi needed even more visibility. That said, the watch in question, the RRCHF Chronograph Flyback, is a stunning creation, blending very traditional construction and pure respect for Geneva watchmaking, but a remarkably distinctive personality. A chronograph watch developed entirely from scratch is no small feat, and the RRCHF should be rewarded for it. A compact watch with a distinctive case design, its blue-green Grand Feu enamel (for the platinum edition) emphasizes the complication, with an offset time display and off-center sapphire sub-dials.

Under the hood hides a typically Rexhep movement, of symmetrical construction, including on the vertical side, in particular with the chronograph minute wheel (with its characteristic teeth) on the left side and the seconds wheel on the right side. The underlying principles are classic, with a horizontal clutch and column wheel, as well as a large screw balance wheel. The finishes are top notch, with stunning wide and deep Geneva stripes that create a striking sense of depth. The beveling, particularly on the sharp interior corners, is superbly executed.

Winning the GPHG 2026 is both recognition of Rexhep Rexhepi’s work and a sign that high-end and traditional independent watchmaking is becoming increasingly important; if there were ever any doubts about the current situation and collectability of these watches, and indeed Rexhep Rexhepi is at the top of this game. You can read our full review of the RRCHF Chronograph Flyback here

And now, here is the complete list of GPHG 2026 winning watches: