Hodinkee Founder Ben Clymer Re-Joins Jury Of The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG)

It was a great honor to be asked to join the GPHG. Then, people like us – you know, young people that spent most of their time using the internet – were not the norm in any way in this industry. And I thought of my role then as something of an ambassador for a new kind of mechanical watch consumer, in addition to showing that just because we were online, it didn't mean we were bad or lacked understanding. In 2013, Instagram was barely a thing in watchmaking – if you can believe that – but we saw its place, and actually, to make a point, when I went on stage to present my award (the Revival Award, which went to the original Tudor Black Bay), I took a photo from the stage of the entire audience and posted it to the @hodinkee on Instagram. That post got 452 likes. That was how big watches were back then.

I served on the GPHG jury in 2013, 2014, and 2015, after which point I stepped down and passed my seat on to others. Since that time, watchmaking, Hodinkee, the industry, and the Grand Prix itself have taken on new meaning to more people. Hodinkee now sees about 4 million visitors a month, with a team of over 100. Philippe Dufour is now a household name. Jean-Frederic Dufour no longer wears an El Primero, and Tudor has revived, well, a lot of Black Bays (nothing wrong with that; they are still the best bang for your buck out there). And with all this change, the role of Instagram and social media has outpaced it, alongside what people now look for in watches. This is why I decided to step back into this role.

Now, in 2023, I'm re-joining the jury of the GPHG, and alongside me are some great friends and colleagues who represent the past, present, and future of watchmaking. Included here is not Philippe but Daniella Dufour, and another early force in watchmaking social media, Anish Bhatt from WatchAnish, and talking watches alum Alfredo Paramico, and Sotheby's head, and the woman who sold the Graves Supercomplication, Daryn Schnipper, and also expert watchmakers Vianney Halter and Naoya Hida, friends Max Busser and Mark Cho, and a whole heck of a lot more. 

All of us are serving under the guidance of the great Nick Foulkes – someone for whom the respect in this space is immeasurable. It will be my goal this year to ensure that the spotlight is shown on the most innovative and thoughtful watches of 2023 – and I know the rest of the jury feels the same way.

Be sure to stay tuned to Hodinkee for more updates on the GPHG, and if you have any ideas as to which of the nominated watches should win and why, drop them in the comments below. You can see the full list of watches here and the full jury here.