A new competition that transposes automotive elegance to haute horlogerie
Geneva already boasts its major watchmaking events, manufactures, auctions, and institutions. However, in November 2026, a new event will enrich this ecosystem: the first Vacheron Constantin Concours d'Élégance Horlogère.
The concept is unusual. At the initiative of Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, Vacheron Constantin is applying the historical spirit of the Concours d'Élégance, traditionally associated with classic cars, to the world of timepieces. The goal is therefore not simply to determine which watch has the most spectacular complication or the most complex movement. It is about judging a horological object in its entirety: its authenticity, its design, its rarity, its provenance, its historical significance, its state of preservation, and even the emotion it evokes.
This approach gives the competition a particularly strong heritage dimension. Here, the watch is no longer considered simply as a mechanical instrument or a collector's item: it becomes a witness to an era, an aesthetic, and a certain idea of elegance.
To find more comprehensive news about manufacturers, complications and the collectors' market, Luxe Daily dedicates an entire section to luxury watchmaking.
A competition reserved for Vacheron Constantin watches from 1755 to 1999
This is one of the essential points to remember. Contrary to what the expression "horological elegance competition" might suggest, it is not a competition open to all brands.
This first edition is exclusively reserved for owners of pocket watches and wristwatches produced between 1755 and 1999.The watches must be complete, with Vacheron Constantin movement and case.
Quartz watches , clocks, and pieces that have undergone significant alterations are excluded. A watch does not need to be in perfect working order to be submitted, provided it remains in a condition compatible with the competition's heritage requirements. This choice makes the competition an event deeply connected to the market for collectible watches and the preservation of the Geneva-based manufacturer's heritage.
The goal is not to promote the latest commercial novelty of the House, but to bring forth pieces capable of telling more than two centuries of watchmaking history.
Why is the year 1999 important?
The 1999 cutoff date gives the competition a distinctly historical feel. Some pieces may appear relatively modern to a collector, but no creation launched during the 2000s or 2010s can participate in this first edition.
Fans of the manufacture's current collections can nevertheless find on Luxe Daily our analysis of Vacheron Constantin's ultra-thin watches and their perpetual calendars, an interesting example of howthe Maison's technical heritage continues to nourish its contemporary creations.
This boundary between heritage and current creation is precisely what makes the competition interesting: it allows us to look at the Vacheron Constantin archives with the criteria of a collector in 2026.
Seven official categories to tell the story of Vacheron Constantin
The officially announced categories are much more precise than simple distinctions between vintage, contemporary or handcrafted.
| Category | Watches in question |
|---|---|
| Ringing mechanism | Pocket watches or wristwatches featuring, among other things, repeaters or grand sonneries |
| Chronographs | Chronographs with one or more counters, single pushers or split-seconds mechanisms |
| Astronomical complications | Triple calendars, complete calendars, and perpetual calendars |
| Multiple complications | A timepiece combining at least two major complications |
| Royal Chronometer | Pieces bearing the historic designation Chronomètre Royal, launched in 1907 |
| Crafts | Engraving, enameling, stone setting, guilloché engraving and other decorative techniques |
| Design | Watches characterized by a case architecture or display particularly representative of the Vacheron Constantin style |
Each owner had to choose only one category per watch presented, although it was possible to submit several different timepieces.
This segmentation also provides a particularly rich snapshot of the Maison's history: grand complication, chronometry, artistic crafts, case design, retrograde displays or jumping hours are all placed on the same heritage level.
Nine criteria: elegance is not limited to design
The term "elegance" might suggest that the jury focuses primarily on the proportions of a case or the balance of a dial. However, the official regulations actually adopt a much broader approach. Watches are evaluated according to nine official criteria.
| Criteria | What it allows us to appreciate |
|---|---|
| Authenticity | The historical integrity of the piece and its components |
| Elegance | Overall aesthetic coherence |
| Rarity | The difficulty in finding a comparable configuration |
| Historical impact | The importance of the watch in the history of Vacheron Constantin or of watchmaking |
| Origin | The documented history of the timepiece |
| Technicality | The quality and complexity of watchmaking |
| Crafts | The level of decorative techniques employed |
| State of preservation | Preserving the watch over time |
| Emotional dimension | The part's ability to elicit a reaction beyond its technical specifications |
This analytical framework is particularly relevant in the current context of vintage watchmaking. A very rare watch isn't automatically the most desirable if its dial has been heavily restored. Conversely, a less spectacular timepiece can become remarkable for its provenance, its integrity, or the exceptional coherence of its design. It's also a way of reminding us that, in fine collectible watchmaking, value isn't solely determined by the number of complications.
Authenticity and state of preservation: two major issues in vintage
The market for antique watches today places considerable importance on the originality of dials, hands, cases and movements.
Excessive polishing can alter the design of a case. Overly interventionist restoration can erase part of a dial's history. A replaced component can alter the watch's heritage value.
The Concours d'Élégance therefore highlights a notion that has become fundamental among collectors: the beauty of an antique watch also lies in its ability to have survived the decades without losing its identity.
This philosophy aligns more broadly with the transmission efforts emphasized by the manufacture. Luxe Daily had already explored this relationship between heritage, experience , and watchmaking culture through the reinvention of the Vacheron Constantin boutique near Place Vendôme.
Phillips and Bacs & Russo: Expertise in the collectible watch market
' choice, in association with Bacs & Russo, is clearly not insignificant. The auction house plays a central role in the international market for collectible watches. The competition originated with them, as Vacheron Constantin agreed to bring this adaptation of the Concours d'Élégance to the world of watchmaking.
Aurel Bacs explained that he had long dreamed of applying this concept to haute horlogerie. The connection between collecting, historical expertise, and auctions is all the more logical given that the competition's schedule is directly linked to Phillips' autumn season in Geneva.
The Geneva Watch Auction XXIV is scheduled for November 7 and 8, 2026.Phillips also indicates that the 35 finalist watches from the Concours d'Élégance will be presented as part of the preview event organized around the sale, from November 4 to 10. The result is a particularly busy schedule for international collectors.
35 watches selected before seven trophies
Following the submission period, the process will culminate in the selection of 35 timepieces, five watches in each of the seven categories. These pieces constitute the final selection for the competition. They must be made available to Vacheron Constantin for examination and presentation before the ceremony. The regulations stipulate that the selected watches must be available for the Maison for the duration of the exhibition.
On November 10, 2026, seven trophies will be awarded, one per category. These are not cash prizes. The value of the award is primarily symbolic and related to heritage: for the owner, seeing their watch recognized by such a jury naturally contributes to documenting its history and uniqueness.
A jury of 14 personalities from the international watchmaking industry
The credibility of the competition rests largely on its jury, constructed to combine historical expertise, market knowledge, design, journalism and watchmaking practice.
It is co-chaired by Aurel Bacs, senior consultant at Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo, and Christian Selmoni, director of style and heritage at Vacheron Constantin.
Around them sit Yasmine Alshathry, Felix Baumgartner, Matteo Bega, Benjamin Clymer, Helmut Crott, Nicholas Foulkes, Alexandre Ghotbi, Wei Koh, Morgan Maillard, Auro Montanari, Roberta Naas and Jia Xian Su.
This diversity is crucial. A historical piece cannot be properly appreciated through a single lens. The designer's eye doesn't seek the same qualities as the watchmaker's. The auction specialist is interested in provenance and the market. The historian places the watch within its historical context. The collector sometimes perceives details or configurations whose rarity only becomes apparent after years of observation. The competition thus transforms the evaluation of a watch into a multidisciplinary exercise.
Watch design finally recognized as heritage
One of the most appealing aspects of the project lies in the emphasis placed on design. In haute horlogerie, media attention easily focuses on the tourbillon, the minute repeater, the perpetual calendar, or records for thinness. Yet, some watches make history without needing to accumulate complications.
A proportioned case , theintegration of the lugs, the rhythm of the hour markers, typography, a retrograde display , or an unusual dial construction can be enough to create an instantly recognizable identity. By creating a Design category and incorporating elegance into its official criteria, the competition reminds us that a luxury watch is also a work of art.
This reading reflects a broader evolution in the sector: collectors now pay as much attention to the aesthetic language of major references as to their mechanical performance.
Crafts: when the dial becomes a work of art
The Métiers d'Art category , meanwhile, highlights another essential component of Geneva's fine watchmaking: the mastery of decorative techniques. Engraving, enameling, guilloché work, and gem-setting transform the watch into a canvas for artistic expression. These skills sometimes require dozens or even hundreds of hours for a surface measuring only a few centimeters.
At Vacheron Constantin, these disciplines are closely linked to the Maison's history. Their inclusion in the competition thus prevents horological excellence from being reduced to the mere construction of a caliber. The value of an exceptional timepiece often arises precisely from this dialogue between mechanics, decoration, and design.
Geneva at the center of a major watch week in November 2026
Geneva's appeal extends far beyond Vacheron Constantin. The city has maintained a close relationship with watchmaking for over four centuries.Geneva Tourism now presents the destination as one of the world's leading symbols ofluxury watchmaking, linking its identity to tradition, expertise, and innovation. The November 2026 calendar further reinforces this position.
The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève will hold its 26th ceremony on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices. That same weekend, Phillips will host its Geneva Watch Auction XXIV on November 7 and 8. Three days later, on November 10 , the winners of the Vacheron Constantin Concours d'Élégance Horlogère will be announced. Geneva will thus bring together contemporary creations, heritage watches, auctions, and major international collectors in just a few days.
This density also reminds us why the return of major brands to Geneva remains strategic, a topic addressed in our article dedicated to the return of Audemars Piguet to Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026.
Concours d'Élégance Horlogère and GPHG: what are the differences?
The two events take place in Geneva just a few days apart, but their focus is very different. The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) primarily recognizes contemporary watchmaking. Its Academy and jury evaluate the timepieces submitted in the 2026 vintage categories, and its awards ceremony will be held on November 7.
The Vacheron Constantin Concours d'Élégance Horlogère, on the other hand, focuses on the heritage of a single manufacture and only on pieces dating from 1755 to 1999.
One focuses primarily on what watchmaking creates today; the other seeks to determine which watches from the past have best stood the test of time. This complementarity is precisely what makes the Geneva series in November particularly interesting.
Can a watch still be entered in the 2026 Concours d'Élégance?
No. Applications were open online and in Vacheron Constantin boutiques from January 19, 2026 at 9:00 AM CET to April 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM CET. The registration phase therefore ended several months ago.
As of the date of this article's update, August 24, 2026, attention is now shifting towards the selection of the watches, their presentation in Geneva and the designation of the seven winners on November 10.
For collectors, the main interest now lies in the nature of the pieces that will emerge from this selection: famous references in exceptional condition, extremely rare configurations, historical complications, or watches with remarkable provenance. It is probably at this point that the competition will reveal its full potential.
Why could this first edition be significant in the history of watch collecting?
Grand prizes rarely influence taste on their own. However, they can help shift perspectives. The Vacheron Constantin Concours d'Élégance Horlogère specifically highlights notions that are increasingly shaping the collectors' market: originality, provenance, integrity, rarity, design quality, and historical significance.
By enshrining these criteria in an international event, Vacheron Constantin and Phillips are contributing to an already noticeable evolution: vintage watches are now studied with a rigor akin to that applied to other collectibles. The precise model remains important, but its individual history counts just as much.
Two watches bearing the same reference number can have radically different heritage values depending on their state of preservation, their configuration, their history and the documentation that accompanies them.
On November 10, 2026, Geneva will also judge how well a watch stands the test of time
This first Vacheron Constantin Concours d'Élégance Horlogère thus transcends mere aesthetic competition. It explores what truly constitutes the value of a timepiece decades, even centuries, after its creation. Mechanical sophistication matters. Rarity does too. But an exceptional watch must also have retained its character, its integrity, and that more difficult-to-measure ability: to evoke an immediate emotion.
On November 10, 2026 in Geneva, seven watches will be awarded prizes. Behind them, it is above all 270 years of Vacheron Constantin watchmaking, the culture of collectors, and a certain conception of heritage that will be highlighted.
For haute horlogerie, this first edition could thus become much more than a new event on the calendar: a different way of looking at vintage watches and deciding which ones truly deserve to stand the test of time.
Official sources in French
- Vacheron Constantin – Concours d'Élégance Horlogère: official presentation, schedule, categories and criteria.
Visit the official Vacheron Constantin page - Vacheron Constantin – Official Rules 2026: eligibility requirements, dates, selection, exhibition, and jury composition.
Consult the official competition rules. - Geneva Tourism & Conventions – Geneva Watchmaking Guide: watchmaking heritage and Geneva's role in the fine watchmaking ecosystem.
See the official Geneva Tourism source.
