From among five finalists (shortlisted from 20 semi-finalists) Hazemann & Monnin, a Swiss independent watchmaking brand, has emerged as the winner this year, for their debut creation — School Watch. Founded in 2024 by Alexandre Hazemann and Victor Monnin, the brand manufactures almost every component in-house for its limited edition timepieces. 

The School Watch (Montre École) by Hazemann & Monnin is a high-complication timepiece that evolved from the founders' graduation project at the Lycée Edgar Faure watchmaking school in Morteau. There are two iterations of the watch based on the founder’s distinct aesthetics — Hazemann School Watch Subscription and Monnin School Watch Subscription, both limited editions of 10 pieces. 

The watches stand out for their synchronised dual complications and a completely original in-house movement – HM01 Calibre. The 39.5 mm watch features two rare complications at the top of every hour. First, there is the Instantaneous Jumping Hour — unlike traditional hands that move gradually, the hour indicator "jumps" instantly to the next digit at the 60-minute mark. And the second complication, the Passing Strike (Sonnerie au Passage) — simultaneously with the hour jump, a hammer strikes a circumferential gong to chime once, audibly marking the passage of time. The Hazemann Edition features a technical, skeletonised look with blue pinstripes and a monobloc case middle, and the Monnin Edition offers an artistic variation with sub-dials crafted from malachite and opal, and a case featuring soldered lugs. The watches display hours at 12, minutes at 3, seconds at 9. Crafted from stainless steel, the watches are only 10.9 mm thick and come dressed with leather straps. 

The other four finalists were: Daizoh Makihara Watchcraft Japan, Fam Al Hut, Lederer, and Quiet Club. The winner of the first-ever edition was Raúl Pagès ( based out of Switzerland) for his RP1 - Régulateur à détente watch.