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Serpentine style

Luxury European watchmakers look east for the Year of the Snake

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
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Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac - Year of the Snake.
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac - Year of the Snake.

On Wednesday, the Lunar New Year started with a hiss as the snake took over the dragon. Watchmakers join the celebrations by paying tribute to Chinese culture and depicting the sixth zodiac animal on special editions.

Auspicious colours and numbers as well as Chinese characters have been incorporated into Panerai's Luminor Perpetual Calendar PAM01688, limited to 100 pieces.

The day and date appear at 3 o'clock on the sun-brushed dial in burgundy, ablaze against the 44mm Panerai Goldtech case.

Other elements on the dial include 24H GMT hand and 24H sub dial at 9 o'clock along with small seconds and day-night indicator while month, year and leap year are shown through the sapphire crystal on the caseback.

Panerai developed an innovative function for changing the day, date, month and leap year with the crown. With an adjustment at the end of each century, the calendar function runs correctly until 2399.

Longines emphasises that we are now in the year 2025 through the number of pieces of its Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake housed in a 40mm stainless steel case.

The collaboration with Chinese artist Wu Jian'an salutes the serpent on the caseback. Wu revisited The Legend of the White Snake and reinterpreted the story of Stealing the Immortal Herb for his artistic expression.

The engraved Divine Snake Presents Treasure portrays the mystical creature clutching a Lingzhi mushroom in its mouth. Spiralling into concentric circles, its form evokes ripples that represent the passage of time and the continuity of life.

Panerai Luminor Perpetual Calendar PAM01688.

Panerai Luminor Perpetual Calendar PAM01688.

Serpentine style

Gilt hands and indexes along with the sunray gradient red domed dial further relate to the Chinese culture.

Vacheron Constantin honours its historic ties with China by unveiling a new Métiers d'Art cycle titled The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac, which will demonstrate advanced techniques and diverse craftsmanship over 12 years.

For the Year of the Snake, the maison highlights its mastery in engraving and enamelling on 25-piece limited editions in a 40mm pink gold or platinum case.

The hands-free timepieces are centred by a cobra unfurling its sinuous body atop a rock, with the texture and relief enhanced by the application of paint and patina. The background and flora are respectively enriched by gradient Grand Feu enamel and a flux-coated opaque enamel.

The trailing indications for the hours and minutes along with jumping indications for the day and date illustrate the brand's inventiveness for devising mechanisms with original displays via four discs visible through apertures around the dial periphery.

Master enamellers and engravers in Jaeger-LeCoultre's Métiers Rares atelier work on the made-to-order Reverso Tribute Enamel Snake in a flippable pink gold case.

The dial and caseback features matching glossy black Grand Feu enamel, with the latter adorned with a hand-engraved snake emerging from a wreath of golden clouds.

Notably, engraving on a coated surface is a challenge to avoid risk of damage to the enamel. The sense of volume and depth is further maximised by the modelled engraving technique.

Longines Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake.

Longines Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake.

The polished surfaces of the snake's body, the fine details of its hand-drawn scales and the contrasting sandblasted texture of the clouds catch and refract the light for an illusion of movement.

Breguet expresses its art of hand engraving and guilloché on the rose gold Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025 with a diameter of 40mm.

Thanks to a bas-relief technique, the dial is transformed into a miniature sculpture. While observing the work under a microscope, the artisan handles chisels and burins with extreme precision to engrave the previously-drawn motif.

The depth is enhanced by applying a contrasting black coating, followed by polishing and hand guilloché. A translucent miniature painting then elevates the foliage in various shades of green.

Going by the lucky number in Chinese culture, Breguet offers only eight pieces of this serpentine Classique.

Breguet Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025.

Breguet Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Snake.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Snake.

Serpentine style
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