Five timepieces that reveal the spectacle of the Lunar New Year
The Year of Dragon only comes around once every 12 years. In Chinese tradition, the revered celestial creature remains an icon of life and immortality. With it comes an abundance of luck, wisdom, and strength, inspiring the world’s greatest Maisons to partake in the Wood Dragon tradition. Here, Boulevard looks into some recent limited-edition watches that typify the Lunar New Year spirit.
Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon Dragon 5345 and Classique Dragon 7145
Breguet decided to release two outstanding timepieces just in time for the 2024 Chinese New Year. The first, the Classique Double Tourbillon Dragon 5345, features a dragon twirling between two tourbillons. The hand-engraved gold dragon is fastened by two barrel bridges, elevated by pearls. This honors the Eastern legend that the pearl possesses the sacred essence that gives the dragon its power.
Especially showcased here is the rhodium-plated gold rotating plate, which is hand-guilloché with a fan motif. Below the mainplate, the gold bridge also offers an anthracite galvanic treatment and guilloché-work with a Clous de Paris hobnail motif. The detail of the Roman numerals and minutes track, on the other hand, is accentuated by the laser-engraved sapphire hour-circle. Even the dragon’s shape and colour can even be personalised as desired.
The second special release is the Classique Dragon 7145, a new creation meant to exercise Grand Feu enamelling. It’s an age-old technique somewhat lost to time. This method leads to a distinct texture, where a palette of colours augment subtle nuances. Right on the dial is the dragon entirely hand-engraved rose gold applique. It’s coupled with a pristine minutes track and clouds done in a wonderful golden power-pink hue. Breguet’s signature open-tipped hands, of course, bridges it all together.
Housed in a 40-millimetre rose gold case (the thinnest in the brand’s collection), the calibre 502.3 adds a certain vividness to the mechanism. All these are only emphasised by the hand-guilloché gold oscillating weight with a circular barleycorn emblem. Easy to admire through the sapphire crystal caseback.
Blancpain Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar
It was in 2012 that Blancpain first introduced the Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar watch. For this year’s edition, the watchmaker pays tribute to the legend of the Jade Emperor. This grand complication champions a dragon engraved on the red gold winding rotor, adorned by a red ruby and a Chinese character engraving of the words ‘dragon’ and ‘wood’. Even the presentation of the Zodiac animal symbols are given new portraits, too.
The movement itself was said to have been developed for five years, encompassing 464 individual parts across six layers. Meanwhile, the dial is rendered in full fired grand feu enamel, with its green color harmonizing with the 45-millimetre red gold case. Four dedicated hands, as well as windows for the Zodiac and for the leap month, are meant to capture the mysticism of the Chinese calendar.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon
Designed with Chinese contemporary artist Chen Fenwan’s paper-cutting expertise, Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon is a timepiece the metaphorises the ‘Art of Fusion’ synonymous with the Wood Dragon. It incorporates familiar Hublot aesthetic codes all the while leave room for oriental and traditional Chinese motifs. This is evidenced by the natural fibres that form the soul and spirit of paper.
Layers of multi-level dial construction define a beautiful dragon silhouette, from the hands and cogs down to the screws. Complementing the bezel is a component rare for Hublot: a fine rubber strap with a marquetry design. Look closely and one sees each of the dragon’s scales coloured, nano-vulcanised, and integrated seamlessly.
IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Chronograph Year of the Dragon
Boasting a 41-millimetre stainless steel case, the limited-edition IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Chronograph charms with its burgundy dial and gold-plated hands and appliques. The timepiece is powered by the world-famous IWC-manufactured 69355 calibre, as well.
This is a robust and precise mechanical chronograph movement in a classic columnwheel design made in the IWC Schaffhausen tradition. More impressive is the movement seen through the transparent sapphire case back, revealing arguably the watch’s most notable highlight: the gold-plated rotor of the automatic winding system that takes the form of a dragon. Punctuating all this is the ‘2024 YEAR OF THE DRAGON’ engraving on the case back ring, as well as the beautiful butterfly clasp.
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