What Makes A Watch Iconic?

As a new generation of watch collectors (and creators) takes over the industry, now is a good time to consider if the icons of a past generation will be the hallmarks of tomorrow.

- DARREN HO

Six years ago, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), the Oscars of the watch industry, introduced a series of new prizes including an Iconic Watch category. According to the foundation, the criteria for this category was "watches stemming from an emblematic collection or model that has been exercising a lasting influence on watchmaking history and the watch market for more than 20 years".

The Iconic Watch prize was established to commemorate the most notable creations in watchmaking history. So what makes a watch deserving of such a title, and how do the jury members of the Grand Prix nominate or select a winning timepiece? What makes one watch more deserving of this title than another? Furthermore, as the idea of an icon changes over time, is an icon defined by one person at some point in history, or agreed upon collectively?

The idea of a watch icon can differ greatly among different groups, as I've learnt from conversations with collectors, critics and watchmakers. Among purists, an iconic watch is one that has an outsized influence on the industry as a whole. Some examples would be TAG Heuer's Monaco, the world's first waterproof wristwatch in a square case and one of the first automatic chronograph wristwatches in the world, or Zenith's El which also set a new milestone in the industry as the first ladies' watch that combined precious brilliant-cut diamonds with a steel watch case? That was certainly a head-turning moment, but would that earn it the same "icon" status as the above watches? For some collectors, the Happy Sport is an icon because its design is unique and unmistakably identifiable. The spinning diamonds moving freely floating above the dial between two thin slivers of sapphire crystal gives instant recognition from both near and far.