HOROLOGY PLANET AWARDS
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
HOROLOGY PLANET AWARDS
The Horology Planet Awards are part of the "Horology Planet International Creative Exhibition" and are initiated and organized by Horology Planet.
This award leverages the platform and cultural background of the "Danchen Tiangong" exhibition (Chinese Imperial Aesthetics and Contemporary Creations Exhibition) and is open to contemporary watch brands, independent watchmakers, and related creators worldwide.
In 2026, "Horology Planet" will debut as an independent international creative watch exhibition, working with "Danchen Tiangong" to build a new platform connecting:
Eastern Culture × Contemporary Creation × International Watchmaking × Collectors × Public
.