The Coolest, Wildest New Watches That Watch Guys Can't Stop Talking About
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This year, the confluence of the Chinese zodiac and the five elements—metal, earth, air, water, and fire—has given us the Wood Dragon, symbolizing growth and progress as well as wisdom and good fortune.
Each year, top-end watch brands tend to release a special edition, realized with a high degree of artistry and savoir-faire, surrounding the current year of the Chinese zodiac—with this year being no different. But while pigs, rats, and chickens are cool and all, there’s something about a dragon that takes on a decidedly more badass aspect. Hence the watches we have below, which constitute this month’s roundup of high-end, “watch guy” fare. (See here and here for previous entries.)
From simpler, time-only fare to a flying tourbillon, these three entries represent the tireless effort of master craftsmen and expert watchmakers, toiling away to building stunning little works of miniaturized art. (We’ve also got a non-dragon watch in there, if you’re after something a little more restrained.)
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon
A limited edition of 88 pieces, the Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon ($29,500) is eye-catching in a distinctly Hublot—read: maximalist—sort of way, but the brand’s collaboration with Chinese artist Chen Fenwan has resulted in a simply gorgeous dial and a unique strap, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. The dragon itself, which graces the dial in wild shades of purple, blue, and gray, is composed of layers of hands, H-shaped screws, and wheels—the sort of horological equivalent of a paper cut-out sculpture created by the artist as a basis for the watch’s design. The strap, meanwhile, is made using a rubber marquetry motif reminiscent of a dragon’s scales, and takes eight hours of handwork to realize. While not nearly as complicated as the aforementioned Ulysse Nardin, it’s an equally compelling watch for entirely different reasons.
Ulysse Nardin Blast Tourbillon Dragon
While Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne (deservedly) receive the lion’s share of the attention with respect to complicated watchmaking, there are indeed other maisons contributing to the high-end watch space with jaw-dropping timepieces. Take the new Blast Tourbillon Dragon from Ulysse Nardin ($100,600): A gravity-defying tourbillon is difficult enough to engineer, but combine it with UN’s futuristic, angular case and dial—and slap a hand-sculpted, rose gold dragon on there!—and the resulting watch truly becomes a piece of wearable art. Boasting several impressive attributes, it has a skeleton tourbillon movement, created in-house and featuring a three-day power reserve, plus and a flying tourbillon visible at six o’clock. Housed in a combination of gold and DLC titanium case, the Blast Tourbillon Dragon is classic Swiss savoir-faire at its finest.
Longines Master Collection GMT
Alright—some non-dragon action for all y’all! Longines may be familiar to many these days as the mid-tier option within the Swatch Group lineup, but the brand has a long and storied history of making watches in precious metals. To wit: The new Master Collection GMT ($14,750) sees an automatic movement crafted for the brand by sister company ETA—the Calibre L844.5, for those counting—housed in a 40mm yellow or rose gold case. Produced in a run of just 500 pieces per metal, this is one of the dressier GMTs out there, with a frosted silver dial featuring applied, gold Roman indices, an outer 24-hour track in printed black Arabic indices, a gold feuille handset, and a date window above 6 o’clock. While it features an independently adjustable 24-hour hand, rather than a quick-adjust local hour hand, the Master Collection GMT can still be used by the frequent traveler with relative ease. (Who knows—maybe this is finally the excuse to get a dressier travel watch into your rotation?)
Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon
Perhaps the most elegant of our dragon-themed roundup is the L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon by Chopard (EUR 30,100). Housed in a 39.5mm 18K rose gold case measuring just 6.8mm tall, it features a beautiful dial decorated with Urushi lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlays, and gold powder. Hand-crafted by Japanese master craftsman Minori Koizumi, each dial—of 88, a lucky number in Chinese culture—requires 20 hours of hand-work and features a gold dragon clutching a pearl, a symbol of wisdom. The in-house movement powering the watch is no less impressive: Visible via sapphire caseback, the Chopard L.U.C 96.17-L is wound via a 22K gold micro-rotor and features dual barrels and bridges adorned with the Côtes de Genève motif. Paired to a hand-sewn, black alligator strap, it’s proof positive of Chopard’s ever-increasing prowess in the haute horlogerie space.
Originally Appeared on GQ
