Geneva has crowned the best watches of the year, and this time India had a seat at the table.
When the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève named its 2026 winners on 7 November, one of the 24 jurors deciding them was Pranav Saboo, Managing Director and CEO of Ethos. Ethos also brought the GPHG exhibition to Mumbai this year.
We are thrilled. An Indian watch leader on the panel that crowns the world’s best watches, and an Indian city on the exhibition tour, made this edition feel personal for everyone who loves watches here.
The short version. The Aiguille d’Or went to Rexhep Rexhepi’s Chronograph Flyback. Landed in India, the 19 winners run from about ₹3.6 lakh to ₹42 crore. Only a handful can be bought off the shelf: the Grand Seiko diver, the Chopard L.U.C 1860, the Parmigiani chronograph and the SpaceOne x Baltic. The rest are allocation-based or rare. Every watch below shows its USD price, what it costs once landed in India, and how available it is.
Jump to a winner
- 01Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph FlybackAiguille d’Or
- 02Chopard L.U.C 1860Time Only
- 03Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold SkeletonEssential
- 04Cleguer Inspiration OneComplication
- 05Blancpain Grande Double SonnerieMechanical Exception
- 06Piaget Swinging PebbleGemset
- 07Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2TVTourbillon
- 08Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe MystérieuxChronograph
- 09Audemars Piguet 150 HeritageCalendar and Astronomy
- 10Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 DiverSports
- 11Chopard Mystery NutJewellery
- 12Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty AutomataArtistic Crafts
- 13Otsuka Lotec No.8Petite Aiguille
- 14SpaceOne x Baltic Seconde MajeureChallenge
- 15La Vallée COSMOMechanical Clock
- 16Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing MysteryAudacity
- 17Dominique Renaud Pulse60 Titanium BlackHorological Revelation
- 18Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d’une Montre 3Chronometry
- 19Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” RD#5Iconic Watch
The winners
Rexhep Rexhepi
Chronograph Flyback
A first flyback chronograph from the maker, on an entirely new hand-wound movement, wearing an in-house storm-blue Grand Feu enamel dial.
- Column wheel, lateral clutch and instant minute counter
- Smoked sapphire counters, vintage pocket-watch inspiration
- Every visible part hand-finished in the Geneva tradition
Enquire directly with the atelier in Geneva. As an allocation-based watch, expect to join a list rather than walk out with one.
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Chopard
L.U.C 1860
Chronometer certificate and Geneva Seal together in a steel case, which Chopard calls rare, with a hand-guilloché gold dial in Areuse Blue.
- 36.5 mm Lucent Steel case, 30 years of the Fleurier manufacture
- Automatic Calibre 96.40-L, 22-carat gold micro-rotor
- 65-hour power reserve, small seconds at 6
Chopard boutiques and authorised retailers, or order through the brand’s website and pay duty on arrival. Ask for reference 168860-3005.
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Daniel Roth
Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton
The first skeleton in the Extra Plat’s history, with case and movement both in solid rose gold, cut away to just 6.9 mm thick.
- Signature double-ellipse case with a gadroon edge
- Hand-wound DR002SR made at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
- Hand-bevelled bridges with sharp inside angles machines cannot copy
Enquire with Daniel Roth or an authorised retailer. It is made in limited numbers each year, so ask about allocation.
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Cleguer
Inspiration One
A debut watch built around the Innate escapement, five years of research that turns the natural escapement into one that starts by itself.
- 38.5 mm white-gold case, off-centre Grand Feu champlevé enamel
- Oversized 12.9 mm balance wheel beating slowly in full view
- Snailed barrel showing the 36-hour power reserve
Enquire directly with Cleguer. As a first watch from a new maker, supply is small.
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Blancpain
Grande Double Sonnerie
A world first: a grande sonnerie wristwatch that lets you choose between two melodies at the push of a button.
- Westminster chime or an original composition for Blancpain
- 1,053 components, eight years of development
- Minute repeater, flying tourbillon and perpetual calendar
Through Blancpain directly or your nearest Blancpain boutique. Production is about two pieces a year, so the conversation starts with the brand.
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Piaget
Swinging Pebble
Jewellery first, watch second: each pendant is carved from a single slice of ornamental stone, with a dial matched to the stone.
- Revisits Piaget’s 1972 Kimono pocket watches
- Twisted gold chain showing the house’s goldsmithing
- No two stones are alike
Through Piaget boutiques or directly with the maison. Price shown is for the full sautoir; we could not confirm an official figure.
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Ferdinand Berthoud
Chronomètre FB 2TV
A 15 mm flying tourbillon with no upper bridge, paired with a fusée-and-chain mechanism that keeps the power to the escapement constant.
- 1,240 components in a 44 mm white-gold case
- Stop-seconds and a flyback-style zero-reset seconds hand
- 60-hour power reserve, 10 to 12 pieces a year
Directly with Ferdinand Berthoud. With only 10 to 12 made a year, the conversation starts with the maison.
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Parmigiani Fleurier
Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux
A chronograph that stays hidden until you need it: one pusher starts it, stops it and tucks the hands away again.
- Three chronograph hands snap to 12 on the first press
- Single monopusher in the caseband at 7:30
- Clean three-hand dial at rest, 40 mm steel and platinum
Parmigiani Fleurier boutiques and authorised retailers. Price shown is the US retail price.
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Audemars Piguet
150 Heritage
A pocket watch with 47 functions, including a Universal Calendar in the caseback that marks Diwali, Ramadan, Easter and Chinese New Year.
- Calibre 1150 with 30 complications
- Platinum case with hand engraving and Grand Feu enamel
- Solar, lunar and lunisolar cycles on an independent calculator
Directly with Audemars Piguet. A piece like this is a conversation, not a purchase.
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Grand Seiko
Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver
Ultra Fine Accuracy of ±20 seconds a year, now in a professional diver’s watch for the first time.
- 41 mm, Grand Seiko’s smallest diver yet
- Textured blue Ushio dial inspired by Japan’s tides
- 300 m water resistance, Evolution 9 collection
Grand Seiko boutiques and authorised dealers in India. Ask for the Ushio 300 Diver in blue, reference SLGB023.
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Chopard
Mystery Nut
A rose-gold walnut that opens at the press of a hidden diamond to reveal a moonphase watch and a diamond-set dove.
- Brown and cognac diamonds with a hand-applied patina
- Sautoir carrying nearly 430 carats of briolette-cut diamonds
- In-house automatic moonphase movement
Through Chopard directly or a Chopard boutique. A high-jewellery piece, so it is enquiry only.
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Louis Vuitton
Tambour Taiko Arty Automata
A dial that is an animated miniature painting: 20 elements on four levels in 23 shades of champlevé enamel, over 250 hours of handwork.
- Press the pusher at 8 to start seven animations
- Monogram Flowers spin and LOVE turns into MOVE
- Peace-symbol tourbillon turning once a minute
Through Louis Vuitton directly. Ask your client advisor about allocation.
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Otsuka Lotec
No.8
A dial laid out like a studio mixing desk: the hour channel jumps while a minute “fader” slides back from 60 to zero.
- 62-part in-house module on a Miyota movement
- Ultra-small 1.5 mm ball bearing in the mechanism
- Seconds disc turns once every 90 seconds
Directly with Otsuka Lotec, which builds in small batches.
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SpaceOne x Baltic
Seconde Majeure
A jumping-hour watch for about the price of a good quartz diver: three visible parts store energy and snap the hour forward.
- Dial machined from one piece of German silver, also the mainplate
- A jumper spring builds tension, then releases it
- Developed by watchmaker Théo Auffret
Order through Baltic. Price shown is about €2,500 converted, before import charges.
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La Vallée
COSMO
A 14.5 kg mechanism that floats on magnets and turns once every sidereal day, with a 406-day power reserve from one winding.
- Shows solar time, sunrise, sunset, zodiac and lunar references
- Patented transmission with two eccentric gears
- Acoustic resonator under a hand-blown Murano glass dome
Directly with La Vallée. It is a clock, so customs may classify it differently and the landed figure is rough.
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Konstantin Chaykin
ThinKing Mystery
At 1.65 mm thick, described as the thinnest mechanical watch made as an ultra-limited series, with hour and minute discs that seem to float.
- The case is the mainplate and the barrel has no walls
- Double balance with toothed coupling on a single plane
- Antimagnetic alloy case, about two months to make each
Directly with the Chaykin workshop. We could not confirm an official price, so treat this one as a guide.
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Dominique Renaud
Pulse60 Titanium Black
A balance that beats just 60 times a minute, one beat a second, a fraction of the usual speed, so you can almost feel the watch pulse.
- 40 mm titanium case
- 1 Hz regulating system
- Explores what a mechanical watch becomes when it is slowed down
Directly with Dominique Renaud. Price is CHF 49,000 before tax, converted.
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Ferdinand Berthoud
Naissance d’une Montre 3
Made entirely by hand, without digital help, by more than 80 artisans over six years.
- Constant-force fusée and chain, temperature-compensating balance
- 44 mm COSC-certified, inspired by Astronomical Pocket Watch No. 3
- 11 made, after about 11,000 hours of work
Directly with Ferdinand Berthoud. Price is CHF 850,000, converted; only 11 were made.
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Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak “Jumbo” RD#5
The first Royal Oak to combine a flyback chronograph with a flying tourbillon, on a new calibre with a rack-and-pinion reset instead of the usual hammer.
- Titanium and bulk metallic glass, in an edition of 150
- Instant-jump minute counter and an hour counter
- 72-hour power reserve, platinum peripheral rotor
Audemars Piguet boutiques and authorised retailers. With only 150 pieces, ask your boutique about allocation.
Back to the list ↑How to actually get one in India
Three routes cover almost everything on this list. For the watches marked Available, go to the brand’s boutique or authorised dealer, or order through the brand’s international site and pay duty on arrival. For allocation-based pieces, the work is relationship rather than money: tell the brand or a dealer you want to be on the list, and be ready to wait. For the rare pieces, the maker decides, and the conversation often starts with a meeting rather than a price.
Remember that duty is the big hidden number. At roughly 44% with IGST, a $12,400 watch becomes ₹16.43 lakh, not the ₹11.4 lakh the exchange rate alone suggests. Ethos, which hosted the GPHG exhibition in Mumbai, is a sensible first call for the Swiss names. Always ask for the final landed price in writing before you commit.
Want the buying links and landed costs sent to you? Comment “GPHG” on our Instagram post at @horakaaofficial. We also cover every watch on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@horakaaofficial.
Prices checked 9 November 2026 and converted at ₹92 per US dollar; ≈ marks approximate prices we could not confirm with the maker. Landed price = USD × 92 + approx. 44% customs duty and IGST, before shipping, and is an estimate, not tax advice. Verified list prices: Grand Seiko (grand-seiko.com US) and Chopard L.U.C 1860 (chopard.com US). Daniel Roth and Parmigiani Fleurier prices from Watches of Switzerland US listings and press reports; the remaining prices from press reports, dealer listings and maker communications, and ultra-limited pieces are normally quoted on request. “What set it apart” is each maker’s headline feature from its own description and press coverage; it is not a juror quotation, as GPHG jury votes are secret. Pranav Saboo’s appointment to the GPHG 2026 jury and Ethos’s hosting of the Mumbai exhibition are from Ethos Limited’s announcements and Indian press coverage. Prize list, winners and edition details from the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (gphg.org) and Outlook Luxe’s winners coverage of 8 November 2026. Images: official GPHG 2026 laureate press photographs supplied by the Fondation du Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and the respective brands; trophy photograph courtesy of the GPHG. By the Horakaa team.
