GAÏA PRIZE ANNOUNCES AWARDS
The 2022 edition of the Prix Gaïa , which awards those contributing to the reputation of watchmaking , its history , its technology or its industry , were awarded to :
Laurent Barotte , ( Craftsmanship - Creation category ) for his expertise in the field of clock restoration and for his contagious passion and for the ambition shown in the projects he has led with his students in restoring monumental clocks in public spaces .
Nico de Rooij ( History - Research category ) for his outstanding career dedicated to research in micro-technology , for the pioneering role he has played in the processes of producing miniaturized silicon-based sensors and actuators , and for his contribution in sharing these technologies with the watchmaking industry .
Edouard Meylan ( Entrepreneurship category ), for his bold career and the entrepreneurial approach he has taken with H . Moser & Cie . while defending fine mechanical watchmaking and exercising independence in component and product development and communication .
In addition , the winner of the Horizon Gaïa grant is Julien Gressot , a PhD student completing his doctoral thesis in the History of Technology at the University of Neuchâtel . His thesis project aims to give an overview of the scientific and technological heritage of the Neuchâtel Observatory .
The Gaia Prize ceremony is held annually at the International Watchmaking Museum ( MIH ) and the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds .
Laurent Barotte
Julien Gressot
Moser CEO Edouard Meylan
Nico de Rooij
GRAND SEIKO DONATES AUCTION PROCEEDS TO CHARITIES
Grand Seiko will donate proceeds from sales at Phillips New York Watch Auction : SEVEN on December 10-11 to two charities .
The profit from the sale of select modern timepieces during the auction will be donated to the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Miami , Florida . Its commitment to the environment perfectly aligns with the brand ’ s “ Nature of Time ” philosophy and recognizes the importance of the natural world as a source of inspiration and creativity , according to Grand Seiko .
Funds raised from the auction of special piece-unique Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon will be donated to the Children ’ s Heart Foundation , a leading organization dedicated to funding congenital heart defect research .
The Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon ( left ), introduced earlier this year , is Grand Seiko ’ s first mechanical complication watch . It features an unusual movement that delivers high accuracy by combining a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism as one unit on a single axis for the very first time in horological history . The watch is named Kodo , the Japanese word for heartbeat .
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