HOROLOGY PLANET AWARDS

Discovering the Creativity of Contemporary Watchmaking

Witnessing the Future of the Art of Time

Honoring the Art of Contemporary Watchmaking

Discovering the Next Generation of Time Creators.

"Horology Planet Awards" is an annual professional award established by the "Horology Planet International Creative Exhibition" aiming to discover, recognize, and promote outstanding works and creators in contemporary watchmaking that exhibit the highest creativity, technology, craftsmanship, aesthetics, and collection value.

The awards are rooted in the cultural background of the "Forbidden city Divine Craft" Exhibition, showcasing Chinese Imperial Aesthetics and Contemporary Creations to the World. They connect the Eastern spirit of creation with global contemporary watchmaking art, re-examining the eternal theme of "time" from an open, professional, and diverse perspective.

We believe:

A great timepiece is not just a record of time, but also a way for humans to create time, understand time, and express time.

Why Establish the Horology Planet Awards

To Create a More Open Stage for Contemporary Watchmaking

Contemporary watchmaking is undergoing unprecedented richness and change.

The mechanical craftsmanship of traditional haute horlogerie continues to break new ground; independent watchmakers redefine mechanical watches with their individual creativity; artists and designers are constantly crossing over into the watchmaking field; enamel, engraving, goldsmithing, lacquer art, gem-setting, and traditional crafts are re-encountering modern mechanical structures.

At the same time, watchmaking creators from Asia and emerging global markets are bringing new aesthetics, materials, and narrative approaches to the world of watch culture.

This is why the Horology Planet Awards were established.

Through an award system that is professional, open, and internationally oriented, we hope to:

Discover truly creative timepieces;
Encourage independent watchmaking and emerging creators;
Recognize excellence in mechanical and artistic craftsmanship;
Promote the integration of Eastern aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking;
Establish a mechanism for communication among collectors, professionals, and the public;
Give excellent Chinese and international watch works wider international attention.

How We Evaluate

Professional Judgment × Collector's Eye × Public Choice

The Horology Planet Awards do not attempt to define "what makes a good watch" with a single standard.

We believe that an outstanding timepiece must not only withstand professional scrutiny but also build an emotional connection with collectors and ultimately impress those who truly wear and appreciate it.

Therefore, the Horology Planet Awards establish:

Professional Jury

To judge the watchmaking technology, design, craftsmanship, innovation, and overall completeness of the work.

Collector Jury

To judge from perspectives such as collection value, rarity, cultural value, and long-term value.

Public Selection

Allowing visitors who actually come to the exhibition and care about watch culture to participate in the selection, resulting in the "Horology Planet Annual Popularity Award."

Thus forming:

The professional jury determines excellence, collectors discover value, and the public expresses affection.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Horology Planet Grand Prix

HOROLOGY PLANET GRAND PRIX

Highest Honor

Awarded to the timepiece among the entries that exhibits the most outstanding performance across multiple dimensions, including design, mechanical technology, artistic craftsmanship, innovative spirit, cultural expression, and collection value.

This is not a champion in a single category, but the highest recognition for the overall excellence of a timepiece.

Horology Planet People's Choice Award

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

The only award determined by public vote

Whether a timepiece is truly captivating should not be decided solely by experts.

The People's Choice Award allows actual visitors, watch enthusiasts, and consumers to vote for their favorite timepiece among the exhibited works.

The professional jury selects the "best," and the audience selects their "favorite."

Creative Design Award

CREATIVE DESIGN AWARD

Recognizes works with outstanding originality in aspects such as form, proportion, visual language, material application, display method, and wearing experience.

We are not just looking for "beautiful watches," but for works with independent design philosophies.

Mechanical Innovation Award

MECHANICAL INNOVATION AWARD

Recognizes works that demonstrate breakthrough thinking and innovative practices in mechanical structure, power systems, display mechanisms, escapements, transmissions, or other watchmaking technical fields.

Innovation is not just about adding a function, but about rethinking how mechanics work.

Complication Award

COMPLICATION AWARD

Recognizes works with outstanding technical mastery and overall completion in the field of complications, including but not limited to tourbillons, perpetual calendars, astronomical displays, chronographs, minute repeaters, and other high-end complex mechanical functions.

Artistic Crafts Award

ARTISTIC CRAFTS AWARD

A tribute to the handcrafted artistry hidden within timepieces.

This award focuses on enamel, engraving, goldsmithing, micro-painting, lacquer art, guilloché, inlay, gem-setting, traditional crafts, and other high-end decorative techniques.

It not only judges "how complex the craftsmanship is" but also focuses on:

How traditional techniques gain new life in contemporary timepieces.

This category particularly emphasizes the connection between the spirit of imperial craftsmanship advocated by "Danchen Tiangong" and contemporary craft innovation.

Eastern Aesthetics Innovation Award

EASTERN AESTHETICS INNOVATION AWARD

Re-expressing time with Eastern beauty.

This is one of the important categories that distinguishes the Horology Planet Awards from traditional international watch awards.

The award recognizes works that innovatively integrate the aesthetic spirit, philosophical thought, artistic language, and traditional crafts of Chinese and Eastern culture with contemporary watchmaking technology.

We are not simply looking at the use of "Chinese elements," but rather:

Whether the Eastern culture is truly understood and translated into contemporary design language.

Independent Timepiece Award

INDEPENDENT TIMEPIECE AWARD

Independent watchmaking is one of the most important creative forces in contemporary watchmaking.

This award focuses on original works by independent watchmakers, small independent brands, and individual studios, with a key examination of their:

Independent creative ability
Watchmaking techniques
Design language
Innovative spirit
Craftsmanship level
Brand philosophy

We hope to provide a larger stage for those who lack a large system but possess immense creativity.

Horology Planet Rising Star Award

RISING STAR AWARD

Awarded to emerging brands, watchmakers, designers, or creators with outstanding potential.

We not only focus on those who have already achieved success today but also on:

Who might define watchmaking in the next decade.

Collectors' Choice Award

COLLECTORS' CHOICE AWARD

Selected by watch collectors and professional collector groups.

Distinguished from the popular public award, the "Collectors' Choice" focuses more on the work's:

Rarity · Collection Value · Craftsmanship Value · Historical Significance · Originality · Long-term Value

It represents the professional judgment of a timepiece by individuals with extensive collecting experience.

Pioneer Creativity Award

PIONEER CREATIVITY AWARD

Dedicated to those who dare to challenge tradition.

Whether it's unprecedented mechanical structures, breakthrough materials, new display methods, non-traditional forms, or bold creations that cross the boundaries of watchmaking, art, architecture, technology, and design, all will receive attention in this award.

Not all great works should follow the rules.
The value of some works lies precisely in redefining the rules.

Horology Planet Special Recognition Award

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

The award is not limited to a single timepiece.

It can be awarded to a master watchmaker, independent watchmaker, master craftsman, collector, scholar, cultural communicator, or industry promoter, in recognition of their long-term contributions to watch culture, watchmaking art, or industry development.

Because:

Great watches are not only created by machinery but also by generations of people.

Jury Principles

PROFESSIONAL · INDEPENDENT · OPEN

The Horology Planet Awards adhere to three core principles:

01 Professional

The evaluation focuses on the work itself, comprehensively considering design, mechanics, craftsmanship, innovation, cultural expression, and collection value.

02 Independent

Jury members should make independent judgments based on the work, unaffected by brand commercial relationships, market size, reputation, or commercial interests.

03 Open

We do not use brand size, origin, or traditional watchmaking background as the sole criterion.

Established haute horlogerie brands, independent watchmakers, emerging brands, and cross-disciplinary creators should all have equal opportunities to showcase their creativity.

Evaluation Dimensions

Each entered timepiece will be comprehensively evaluated across the following dimensions:

DESIGN

Design

Originality, proportion, aesthetics, readability, and wearing experience.

HOROLOGY

Horology

Mechanical structure, functions, technical level, and overall watchmaking capability.

CRAFT

Craftsmanship

Handicraft techniques, decoration, materials, and manufacturing completeness.

INNOVATION

Innovation

Whether new technologies, designs, or forms of expression are proposed.

CULTURE

Culture

The cultural value, artistic expression, and historical significance carried by the work.

COLLECTABILITY

Collectibility

Rarity, uniqueness, long-term collection value, and cultural significance.

Jury Mechanism

FROM NOMINATION TO AWARDS

01 Entry Submission

Exhibiting brands and independent watchmakers submit works and complete documentation that meet the entry requirements.

02 Eligibility Review

The organizing committee reviews the entries for eligibility, completeness of documentation, and category suitability.

03 Professional Jury

A jury committee composed of professionals from haute horlogerie, independent watchmaking, art, design, collecting, culture, and other fields conducts independent evaluations of the shortlisted works.

04 Collector Jury

Shortlisted works enter the collector evaluation mechanism, where invited collectors and professional collectors conduct evaluations.

05 Public Voting

All eligible shortlisted works enter the public voting phase to compete for the "Horology Planet Annual Popularity Award."

06 Final Selection

The final list of winners is determined by combining the results of the professional jury, collector jury, and public selection.

07 Awards Ceremony

An annual awards ceremony is held during the "Horology Planet International Creative Exhibition," and the annual list of winners is officially announced.

The Jury

THE JURY

The Horology Planet Awards jury committee will be composed of professionals from various fields, including:

Haute horlogerie masters · Independent watchmakers · Watch collectors · Watch culture scholars · Artists · Designers · Museum and cultural institution experts · Professional media professionals · Auction and connoisseurship experts

We believe:

Only a professional perspective that spans watchmaking, art, design, culture, and collecting can truly understand the value of a contemporary timepiece.

The list of jury members and their professional backgrounds will be announced progressively during the official evaluation phase.

Independence of the Jury

The Horology Planet Awards are committed to establishing a transparent, professional, and trustworthy evaluation system.

Jury members must recuse themselves from evaluating entries with which they have direct conflicts of interest; the evaluation process is based on independent judgment; the evaluation results are officially announced after compilation and review.

Commercial cooperation does not constitute a basis for winning an award.

The ultimate value of the award comes from the work itself.

What We Seek Is Not Just "The Best Watch"

WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT GREAT TIMEPIECE.

A great timepiece can come from a long-established haute horlogerie brand or from an independent watchmaker with just a few people.

It can possess a mechanically astonishingly complex structure, or express a profound idea through an extremely simple design.

It can inherit centuries of craftsmanship, or create forms never seen before.

We are looking for works that make people stop, think, marvel, and re-understand "time."

About Horology Planet Awards