Chinese New Year: The luxury watches paying tribute to the Year of the Snake

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.

Related: Hublot releases limited edition watch with Arturo FuenteJaquet 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.Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake 

Since 2016, Hublot has celebrated each Chinese New Year with an artfully rendered special edition of the Spirit of Big Bang. This year is no different as the brand releases the Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake limited edition watch. The watch, which is limited to 88 pieces, is an ornate rendition of the snake that extends from the dial to the case — and even the strap. The open dial reveals the inner workings of the chronograph movement, which is inhabited by a golden snake. The gold-plated snake is crafted with lifelike details, carefully positioned as if slithering around the chronograph’s three counters. Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold “Year of the Snake”

Dedicated to the Chinese calendar, Arnold & Son has released a new iteration of its Perpetual Moon collection with the Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold “Year of the Snake” watch. The dial of the timepiece centres on an undulating snake. It faces the observer, wrapped around the branch of a Ginkgo biloba tree, which is known to offer innumerable benefits. The snake, which is presented in a nocturnal setting, is delicately hand-engraved into a block of 18-carat rose gold and set against a blue aventurine glass dial. The large, mother of pearl moon, also rendered realistically with its shadows, is overlaid with Super-LumiNova.

Related: Oris launches ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition watchOris 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.Perrelet Turbine Snake

For the Chinese New Year, Perrelet has created the Turbine Snake, dedicated to the Year of the Wood Snake. The Turbine Snake, crafted in a 41mm case in black DLC-treated grade 2 titanium, features a red lacquered sub-dial — the colour of luck and protection — and is decorated with golden auspicious ideograms for well-being and prosperity. Above it is the figure of the snake in stamped and gilded metal that stands out with a 3D effect: its erected head rises high above the twisted coils of its body, covered with two types of scales. The image of the snake is made visible by the rotating turbine. Made up of 12 black anodised aluminium blades, it is activated with just the slightest movement of the wearer’s wrist. The faster the blades move, the more the figure of the reptile is revealed in all its expressiveness.Louis Vuitton Escale ‘Snakes Jungle’ Cabinet of Wonders Watch

Louis Vuitton’s Escale ‘Snakes Jungle’ Cabinet of Wonders watch from its métiers d’art collection is the perfect addition to our Year of the Snake roundup. The bamboo forest featured is a composition of wood, parchment and straw, carefully hand-assembled using marquetry techniques in order to depict all 14 shades of green required by the design. A total of 367 individual pieces comprise this intricate puzzle. For the serpent, three techniques were combined in its final incarnation: micro-sculpture, engraving and champlevé enamelling. To give the serpent three-dimensional depth and the semblance of motion, the coils of its white-gold body were sculpted according to the rules of perspective. Its scales were hollowed out, then decorated with engraved v-strokes and monogram flowers. A spray of bamboo leaves frame the upper right corner of the dial, enclosing the GLV monogram in the forest’s embrace.

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