Awarded annually by the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH), one of Switzerland’s leading timekeeping museums, the Prix Gaïa recognises individuals who have contributed to watchmaking in three categories. This year’s winner in the “History [and] Research” category is Dr Helmut Crott.

Best known for having founded the eponymous auction house, Dr Crott is also an author, scholar, and former owner of Urban Jürgensen, amongst other roles. In 2021 he authored Le Cadran, an in-depth study of dials and dial making techniques of 20th century wristwatches.

Le Cadran by Dr Helmut Crott

Past winners of the Prix Gaïa include Reinhard Meis, Jonathan Betts, Pierre-Yves Donzé, Kathleen Pritschard, and Ludwig Oechslin, all scholars and authors who have contributed substantively to the body of knowledge in the field.

Alongside Dr Crott, this year’s winners are Jean-Jacques Paolini for “Entrepreneurship”, and Roger W. Smith for “Craftsmanship [and] Creation”. As the successor to Georges Daniels’ brand of English watchmaking, Mr Smith now produces watches under his own name, with his achievements and timepieces well known.

Jean-Jacques Paolini

Mr Paolini, on the other hand, is less known outside the industry, but he is arguably most responsible for building the enterprise that’s the largest employer in La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1980, Mr Paolini took over his family’s case and bracelet manufacturing business, developing its operations sufficiently that it was acquired by Cartier in 1989.

Cartier soon tapped Mr Paolini to take over its other case-related operations nearby, forming the industrial base for Cartier and Richemont in the region. Mr Paolini refined production techniques and processes, even introduced lean manufacturing inspired by Toyota. Today the operation he built employs over 3,000 people.

The Prix Gaïa itself, a glass orb, will be awarded on the evening of September 18, 2025, at a ceremony within the MIH in La Chaux-de-Fonds.