Jaeger le‘Coultre Wins Top Prize at Awards Gala, attended by watch collectors, celebrities and high society. Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Rolf Schnyder.
Singapore, 1 October 2008: The first-ever Asian edition of the renown Grand Prix d‘Horlogerie de Geneve, the Oscars of the Watch-Making World ended in a glittering and highly-acclaimed Awards Gala in Singapore on 30 September, with the Jaeger-Le Coultre Reverso Gyrotourbuillon II winning the coveted Watch of the Year award, and watch making giants Richard Mille and Rolf Schnyder being presented with the inaugural Trailblazer and Lifetime Achievement Awards respectively.
A total of eight watch awards were presented at the Gala, held at Singapore‘s Four Seasons Hotel and attended by some 200 of the region‘s top watch collectors, enthusiasts and watch industry leaders. Also in attendance were Guest-of-Honour Dr Lee Boon Yang, Singapore‘s Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, F1 driver Felippe Massa, actress Michelle Yeoh, and former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt. The event was hosted by entertainer extraordinaire Dick Lee and Sharanjit Leyl of the BBC.
Some 70 watches valued at over S$15 million were in Singapore for a three day public exhibition that preceded the awards gala. The exhibition and awards were organised by Edipresse Singapore, publishers of Singapore Tatler. A distinguished panel of top watch collectors convened on the 29th to select the winners in seven categories: Complicated Watch, Men‘s Watch, Sports Watch, Ladies‘ Watch, Best Design Watch, Full-Calendar Watch and Jewellery Watch. Of the seven winning watches, one timepiece was then selected as the Watch of the Year. In addition, attendees to the public exhibition voted on their favourite, which was then named winner of the Public Choice. Award winners received a Daum crystal trophy by renown artiste Jean-Baptiste Sibertin-Blanc, valued at over S$10,000 each.
In order to ensure that the judging process would be transparent and credible, a specialist in voting systems, Dr Massimiliano Landi, Associate Professor of Economics at Singapore Management University, was brought in to supervise and manage the voting process. Using a system of Approval Voting, which ensured that no single judge could skew the results for or against any watch through his or her votes, the judging process was hailed as an exemplar for emulation. Dr Landi was present at the Awards and introduced to the audience.
Before the watch awards were given out, Wei Koh, co-chair of the jury and editor-in-chief of Revolution Press presented the Trailblazer award to maverick watchmaker Richard Mille. Calling Mille a genius and a maverick, a poet and a mastermind. Koh said Mille ushered in an all new vision of contemporary watchmaking that has affected every single brand on the planet.
Singapore deserves to have such a Grand Prix for watches as they did the Formula One Grand Prix, said Mille. Singapore has always been a leading place for watch connoisseurs.
Following the presentation of the seven watch awards and before the announcement of the final award for Watch of the Year, a special Lifetime Achievement Award was given to the legendary Rolf Schnyder, CEO of Ulysee Nardin.
Co-chair of the jury, Dr Bernard Cheong delivered a tribute to Schnyder, calling him the founder and resurrector of Ulysse Nardin... who turned the world on its industrial head and changed the face of the industry.
In his acceptance speech, Schnyder praised the Asian Edition of the Grand Prix d‘Horlogerie, saying This evening is an event of great importance. He further said Edipresse should be congratulated for having had the foresight to include the Asian chapter of watch lovers to express themselves, especially since it‘s headed by the Singapore chapter. Singapore is, for me, the most knowledgeable watch corner in the world.
Also in attendance at the event were YTL Group‘s Managing Director, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and Senior Counsel Steven Chong, both of whom also served on the jury.
Watch collectors and connoisseurs were full of praise for the event. Noted collector and watch blogger Raphael Too wrote in his Timetapestry Blog (http://timetapestry.blogspot.com) that the Grad Prix d‘Horlogerie was an amazing night... a wonderful event. This was just a fantastic night and a resounding success on all counts...
List of Winning Watches:
! BEST FULL CALENDAR WATCH
Hermes Dressage Annual Calendar
! BEST SPORTS WATCH
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic
! BEST WATCH DESIGN
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon Chronograph
! BEST MEN‘S WATCH
Harry Winston‘s Ocean Dual Time
! BEST COMPLICATION WATCH
Jaeger-Le Coultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon II
! BEST JEWELLERY WATCH
Cartier Jewellery Watch with Panda Motif
! BEST LADIES WATCH
Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Soiree
! PUBLIC CHOICE WINNER
Audemars Piguet Ladies Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph in Pink Gold
! GRAND PRIX D‘HORLOGERIE ASIA EDITION WATCH OF THE YEAR -
Jaeger-Le Coultre Reverso Gyrotourbuillon II
List of Judges for the 2008 Grand Prix d‘Horlogerie Asia Edition:
Dr Bernard Cheong - Co-Chair
Mr Wei Koh - Co-Chair
Dr Frank Cintamani
Mr Steven Chong
Mr Audric Haryanto
Mr Lawrence Liaw
Ms Linda Liaw
Mr Aswin Techajareonvikul
Tan Sri Francis Yeoh
Press release
