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Chinese New Year: The luxury watches paying tribute to the Year of the Snake
By Shivani Dubey | 27 December 2024 | Design, Style
As we enter the Year of the Snake, these luxury brands have released limited edition watches to commemorate the Chinese New Year
On 29 January, the world will enter the Year of the Snake as celebrations begin to mark the Chinese New Year. Each year, these festivities mark the transition between the Chinese zodiac signs, with celebrations lasting for up to 16 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival (in 2025, it will fall on 12 February).
The Year of the Snake represents introspection, wisdom, charm, elegance and growth in the Chinese lunar calendar. In Chinese culture, the snake is a highly respected symbol of intelligence and charm, often seen as a figure of elegance and mystery.
And to mark this special occasion, luxury watch brands across the globe have released limited edition watches to pay tribute to the Year of the Snake. So if you’re looking to find the perfect luxury gift for someone celebrating the Chinese New Year, we have rounded up some of the best haute horology designs for you to choose from.
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Jaquet Droz Ophidian Hour
Jaquet Droz has not created an homage to the snake in 12 years, but that has changed now thanks to the launch of the brand’s new limited edition Jaquet Droz Ophidian Hour. Jacquet Droz has unveiled two iterations for their tribute to the Year of the Snake: one with a mother of pearl dial and one on a Sonora Sunrise mineral dial. These watches also feature a first for the luxury brand: they don’t contain a single hand. Instead, the watch contains the solid gold curved body of a serpent enamelled in graduated colours where the hours are indicated by the head of the snake and the minutes by its tail.
This is punctuated by a motif designed by John Howe, the creator of artwork for the Lord of the Rings novels. The pieces are 41 mm in diameter and made from red gold, with hours and minutes shown by dragging discs. The animal’s long body is reminiscent of the calligraphy for the Chinese character for happiness. It is sculpted from five blocks of solid white gold. The watches come bearing a green rubber strap. The sapphire back reveals a glimpse of the red gold oscillating weight that features a mother of pearl or Sonora Sunrise insert decorated with a Ruyi motif, driving a movement with a silicon balance spring with 68 hour power reserve.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Snake’
In honour of the Chinese New Year, Jaeger-LeCoultre is releasing the Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Snake’ watch. Made to order and only in limited numbers, this is the third watch in a series of watches paying tribute to the Chinese Zodiac — the brand’s previous iterations were tiger and dragon. Turning the watch case to its reverse side reveals a hand-engraved snake emerging from a wreath of golden clouds, set against a background of glossy black Grand Feu enamel. The polished surfaces of the snake’s body, the fine details of its scales — which are hand-drawn with black rhodium — and the contrasting sandblasted texture of the clouds catch and refract the light to enhance the illusion of movement. The dial of the Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Snake’ features the same glossy black Grand Feu enamel as the case-back.
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Oris ProPilot X Year of the Snake Limited Edition
For the Year of the Snake, Oris is releasing the ProPilot X Year of the Snake Limited Edition, an 88-piece edition based on its ProPilot X Calibre 115 and inspired by the spirit and colourways of the Chinese zodiac animal. In the Chinese zodiac, there are five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water — and this year, it’s wood, which is represented by the colour cyan. In keeping with this, the sinewy, snake-like structure of this watch’s skeletonised dial is finished in cyan to complement the muted tones of the watch’s brushed titanium case and bracelet. Inside it is Calibre 115, Oris’s in-house-developed hand-wound movement that offers a 10-day power reserve and a patented non-linear power reserve indicator, here elevated by a golden hand that takes the form of a snake’s tongue. The case back is finished with special engravings signifying the Year of the Snake.
Breguet Classique 7145 Lunar New Year
Breguet is releasing a limited edition watch for the Chinese New Year. The Breguet Classique 7145 Lunar New Year watch is limited to just eight pieces, and features an 18k rose gold case and sapphire caseback. The dial is in gold, engine-turned and engraved by hand, representing the Chinese zodiac sign of the Snake. The outlines are performed by hand by the engraver, as well as the head of the snake and the foliage. This work is then highlighted in black for enhanced contrast. The body of the snake and the different parts of the background are engine-turned by hand. The foliage is decorated with a green lacquer for a touch of color. The watch comes with an alligator strap and is water resistant up to 30m.
Dior Grand Soir Year of the Snake
Each year, the Dior Grand Soir collection explores a sign from the lunar calendar through a unique piece embodying the brand’s creativity and savoir-faire. This year, to celebrate the Year of the Snake, the brand has released the Dior Grand Soir Year of the Snake watch featuring a rose gold-adorned snake placed in a miniature Toile de Jouy landscape, making its way through a foliage of mother of pearl and gold leaves. This environment is punctuated with rose gold butterflies, echoing the scales of the gliding snake. This watch is limited to just 15 pieces.