“History, Research” category. Unique en son genre, le Prix Gaïa, surnommé le “Nobel de l’horlogerie“, The unique Prix Gaïa aka the “Nobel Prize of watchmaking, honours the very best: those contributing to the reputation of watchmaking, its history, its technology or its industry.

Written by MIH, the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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The Prix Gaïa jury, chaired by MIH Curator Régis Huguenin and including Joël A. Grandjean, editor-in-chief of the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie JSH and Swiss Watch Passport, is paying tribute to Helmut Crott for his meticulous research combining archive sources and oral testimony with his encyclopaedic knowledge of watchmaking history to benefit the watch collectors’ market.

Career

Helmut Crott actually started his career as a doctor, rather than in watchmaking. Graduating in medicine from the RWTH Aachen University in 1971, he went on to specialise as an orthopaedic surgeon in 1979. Alongside his studies, from the early 1970s, Dr Helmut Crott developed a passion for the world of antiquities; a dynamic sector, but one which was not very compatible with the professional rigours of medicine. Working at the hospital during the day, he spent his free time scouring the nearby villages for antiques. In 1972, he opened a boutique in Aachen, where he started to become seriously interested in watches.

Father of watch auctions (read also)

In 1975, he founded his own auction house, Aachener Auktionhaus, once again in Aachen. Within what proved to be a highly competitive antiques market, he decided to focus on an as-yet lesser explored segment: the auctioning of watches. Two years later, he organised his first public sale of silver, jewellery and watches.

At odds with the market trends of that time, his company concentrated from the outset on wristwatches, which was quite a left-field decision at a time when the pocket watch dominated. As sales grew, his firm gradually started to specialise in clocks and watches. Helmut Crott honed his knowledge of the market, analysing the preferences of collectors and developing a recognised expertise in the evaluation of antique timepieces.

In 1986, Aachener Auktionhaus became Dr Crott Auktionen. The following year, Helmut Crott moved his headquarters to Frankfurt. By 1993, he had organised 50 specialist auctions, becoming a reference in the field. Through the catalogues that he compiled and the many oral statements he gave, he actively helped to educate collectors and pass on his in-depth knowledge of collectors’ timepieces.

In 1993, Helmut Crott sold his company to Stephan Muser, in Mannheim, to focus on historical research, mainly into the history of Patek Philippe.

He developed data-bases which enabled him to advise and write historical précis for the watches sold at auction by various houses. His objective at this time was to provide proof of transparency to help in the fight against counterfeiting which was affecting the watch auction market.

In 2010, Helmut Crott founded his own watch consultancy, Dr. Crott Consulting, in Luxembourg. The same year, he was contacted by the board of the watch brand Urban Jürgensen, following the death of its owner, Peter Baumberger, to whom he was close. He took over the company and ran it until 2014. During this period, the brand designed several calibres, included the one which won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in November 2014, in the men’s wristwatch category.

“The Dial,” a lifetime’s achievement, a key book

In 2019, Helmut Crott published his masterpiece “Le Cadran”, in French. A second edition and an English translation were published in 2023.

In February 2023, he became a member of the board for the Horopedia Foundation, an organisation based in Geneva. This structure governs the horopedia.org platform, a multilingual video encyclopaedia dedicated to watchmaking. Helmut Crott brought his expertise as a dial specialist and an expert in watch history.

Still active, Helmut Crott continues to work with international auction houses, provide guidance to private collectors, and advise historic brands. In 2024, he sat on the jury for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), alongside other important figures from the industry.