The Rexhep Rexhepi RRCHF Chronograph Flyback Wins the GPHG 2026 Aiguille d’Or (And All Prize Winners)

The 2026 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has just unveiled the winner of this year’s awards ceremony, and the winner is a watch that celebrates independence and traditional watchmaking. Often regarded as the Oscars of Watchmaking, the GPHG stands for a celebration of all things surrounding watchmaking. The jury has narrowed down all the entries into multiple categories with six watches each. Out of all the entries, only one has been selected as the grand winner, receiving the coveted “Aiguille d’Or” trophy for Best of Show. In addition to that, each category winner also received an award. Last year, the jury rewarded 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 distinction, the prestigious Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix of the GPHG 2026, was awarded to Rexhep Rexhepi for the Chronograph Flyback watch. And we also have the full list of winners at the 2026 edition of the GPHG, with all represented categories.

GPHG 2026 – Quick Take

After celebrating ultra-thin watchmaking with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin in 2019 (back then 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 supremely complex chronograph, the Legacy Machine Sequential EVO, this time celebrating an independent watchmaker. In 2023, with the Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle, the jury went back to ultra-high-end watchmaking, followed by the fantastically complex IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar in 2024. As said, last year the award went to a surprisingly simple watch, the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025, yet it felt more like a celebration of the brand itself and its 250th anniversary.

This year feels like an encore of 2022, with the award going to a chronograph created by an independent watchmaker – and the most hype of them all… If ever Rexhep Rexhepi needed even more visibility. That said, the watch in question, the RRCHF Chronograph Flyback, is a stunning creation, mixing a highly traditional construction and sheer respect for Geneva-based watchmaking, yet a strikingly distinctive personality. A chronograph watch developed entirely from the ground up is not a small achievement, and the RRCHF should be rewarded for that. A compact watch with a distinctive case design, its blue-green Grand Feu enamel (for the platinum edition) brings the focus to the complication, with an offset display of the time and off-centred sapphire sub-dials.

Under the hood is a movement that’s typically Rexhep, with a symmetrical construction, including on the vertical side, particularly with the chronograph minute wheel (with its characteristic toothing) on the left-hand side and the seconds wheel on the right-hand side. The underlying principles are classic, with a horizontal clutch and a column wheel, as well as a large screw balance. The finishing is top-notch, with superb, large and deep Geneva stripes that create a striking sense of depth. The bevelling, particularly on the sharp internal angles, is superbly executed.

Winning the GPHG 2026 is both recognition of Rexhep Rexhepi’s work and a sign that high-end, traditional independent watchmaking is becoming increasingly important; if there were ever doubts about the current situation and the 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’s the complete list of the winning watches at the GPHG 2026:

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix – Rexhep Rexhepi, Chronograph Flyback

Special Jury Prize – Patek Philippe, Watch Art Grand Exhibition

The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Patek Philippe for the Watch Art Grand Exhibition, recognising an exceptional commitment to watchmaking culture.

Audacity Prize – Konstantin Chaykin, ThinKing Mystery

Chronometry Prize – Ferdinand Berthoud, Naissance d’une Montre 3

Horological Revelation Prize – Dominique Renaud, Pulse60 Titanium Black

Iconic Watch Prize – Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5

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

For more details, please visit www.gphg.org.