On February 10th, 2024, China enters the Year of the Dragon – renewing their 12-year Lunar cycle.
As this celestial serpent roars, unfurling its glorious wings, the Shengxiao reveres this beast as a harbinger of transformation, wisdom, and prosperity. While Western folklore depicts dragons as flame-spewing medieval basilisks terrifying villagers and setting ablaze kingdoms, the Chinese consider dragons as benevolent beings with mystical powers of controlling weather patterns and bringing rain for crop cultivation. It also symbolises success, good fortune, and growth. As this noble serpent ascends to once again reign over the Shengxiao calendar, watch maisons see it as a muse.
Artistically intersecting craftsmanship and mythology, these Year of the Dragon-inspired timepieces perfectly encapsulate the majestic dragon’s spirit of auspiciousness and fierce elegance.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel “Dragon”
In their second consecutive year, JLC proves their penchant for embracing Chinese Lunar New Year festivities by bringing its Shengxiao animals to life with their haute horlogerie creations. Like clockwork, this year JLC struts the Riverso Tribute Enamel “Dragon”, marking the majestic serpent’s year of fortune. Made to order, this timepiece embraces the Reverso’s dual alter-ego design with a stunning black grand feu enamel dial and a dynamically engraved depiction of the Chinese dragon.
The Reverso “Dragon” depicts a dragon nestled in the clouds against a stark black background, dexterity courtesy of their in-house Métiers Rares division. This technique meticulously uses hand-painted black enamel which surrounds the mighty serpent. Next, this surface is oven-fired and polished to obtain its lustrous black gloss. All in all, it uses 10 different gravers, the final of which intricately extracts the material to form the serpent. After this, the serpent’s scales are accented with black rhodium, taking a total of 80 hours of work. On the less exciting side, it receives a similar treatment as last year’s Reverso “Tiger” – featuring a black grand feu enamel dial, Dauphine hands, and cased in 18-carat pink gold measuring 45.5 mm. Inside rests a Reverso-staple right from the 90s – manually-wound Calibre 822 which delivers a 42-hour power reserve.
Hamilton Ventura ELVIS80 Dragon Skeleton
Hamilton turns its famed Ventura into a tributary canvas, celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year in two iterations of Rose Gold and absolute blackness. With its Elvis80 watch case measuring 42.5 mm in diameter and 44.6 mm in height, both versions boast a matte-black PVD-coated skeleton dial emblazoned with 3D cut-outs depicting the face of a predatory Eastern Dragon. For the Rose Gold case variant, the dragon’s eyes are accentuated in a green hue with golden outlines, complementing the warm tones of its case. On the other hand, the all-black option features fiery red eyes with black outlining – appearing as if the dragon stalks you in darkness.
The beating heart of this dragon is the H-10-S calibre which runs automatic and is equipped with an anti-magnetic and shock-resistant Nicachron™ balance spring. It offers a power reserve of 80 hours and 50-meter water resistance.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery ‘Dragon’
The Les Cabinotiers – Récits de Voyages collection odysseys the many magnificent wonders of the world, including the dynasty of China. Just in time for the Year of the Dragon, the Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery ‘Dragon’ edition also pays tribute to the contracts forged between VC and this great land in 1845. The dial of this exquisite timepiece showcases a regal five-clawed imperial dragon cradling its pearl, Vacheron Constantin’s master artisan introduces a groundbreaking motif in lush green grisaille enamel—an unprecedented achievement for the maison. Dating back to the 16th century, the art of grisaille consists of firing layers upon layers in a kiln, with the dragon gradually appearing. The White Gold case is adorned with a total of 146 baguette-cut diamonds meticulously set on the bezel, middle, and lugs. Its beating heart is the self-winding Calibre 1120, a legendary movement celebrated for its astonishing 2.45 mm thinness. Completing the ensemble is a luxurious dark green leather strap, elegantly secured by a gem-set white gold pin buckle.
Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Year Of The Dragon
Chopard’s Lunar New Year tribute boasts the delicate Maki-e technique of Urushi lacquer. Dexterity credits of this exquisite dial go to Japanese master craftsman, Minori Koizumi, which took a total of 20 hours of highly intricate work. Depicting the Chinese golden scaly serpent in all its fierce glory, this took multiple layers of Urushi lacquering, sprinkled with gold flakes and a mother-of-pearl inlay seen as a shimmering orb held in its right fist. Cased in 18-carat ethical Rose Gold, it measures 39.5 mm. Underneath this artistic masterpiece of a dial, is the L.U.C 96.17-L which runs automatically with a 65-hour power reserve. Its open caseback exposes a sunburst patterned 18-carat gold micro rotor which brilliantly contrasts the Cotes de Genève and perlage finishing of the calibre. It arrives in a singular strap option of hand-stitched black leather with nubuck lining. This Chinese New Year 2024 novelty is limited to just 88 builds.
Piaget Dragon and Pheonix Collection – Chinese New Year 2024
Going a full Shengxiao 12-year cycle back to 2012, the dawn of the last Lunar New Year, Piaget welcomed the Dragon Year with an exquisite capsule of timepieces and joaillerie stunners. As this cycle renews next year, Piaget’s spirit of audacious creativity and pristine dexterity is again with a capsule paying homage to the powerful symbols of the Dragon and Phoenix, embodying strength, balance, and hope. The spotlight is on the Altiplano models, where the 38mm limited edition Dragon timepiece, meticulously crafted by enamelling master Anita Porchet, features a vibrant blue Dragon against a white and grey mother-of-pearl dial. The High Jewellery segment showcases an exclusive 41mm Altiplano Dragon watch, limited to eight editions, presenting a gold-engraved Dragon with red lacquered eyes embracing a mystical black opal. The Dragon motif further graces a Piaget Emperador watch, embellished with snow-set sapphires and diamonds. This exceptional collection also includes Dragon-themed jewellery, featuring a captivating ring centred around a 4.02ct cushion-cut Mozambique ruby. The Piaget Lunar New Year collection exemplifies precision, artistry, and the spirit of celebration.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of The Dragon
Dawning upon the Dragon Year, TAG Heuer struts two limited-edition Carreras embracing the regality of the eponymous serpent. Being a performance-focused luxury timekeeper, TAG certainly stepped out of its natural habitat for this one – how often do you see an animal depiction on their sporty dials? Fusing TAG’s racetrack DNA with the fiery red tones of the Chinese Dragon, the Carrera Chronograph Year of the Dragon arrives in case options of stainless steel and 18-carat Rose Gold, both slating in at 42 mm. It ditches its signature tachymeter scale, taking after Jack Heuer’s original 1963 design, furthering its simplistic classiness. At two and four o’clock, we have two Piston-style pushers. Matching their case-makes, the dials boast sunray-brushed finishes in either silver or rose gold, contrasted by two red-snailed panda sub-dials at three and nine o’clock. Just above the date window at six, we see a Chinese calligraphic dragon character. Complimenting the red sub-dials, the second’s hand and the hour indexes are dipped in red lacquer. Flip this masterpiece over, and the dragon ascends in all its glory – painted on the sapphire crystal case back is a black-bodied dragon with golden scales, coiling around the rose gold rotor and calibre. Oh! Which is a Heuer 02 which runs automatically offering an 80-hour power reserve. All of this is strapped on in red leather.
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