Unique central 24-hour second time zone
Fully integrated movement
Elements of surprise

by Elizabeth Doerr

恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 (Gōngxǐ fācái)

It now appears to have become a real tradition for watchmakers to observe Chinese New Year by creating timepieces adorned with the appropriate sign of the Chinese zodiac to ring in the new year. In many cases, these brands use rare, artistic techniques to pay tribute to the eastern calendar.

The monkey is the ninth sign of the 12-year zodiac cycle. According to Chinese astrology, monkeys are quick-witted and innovative, but also mischievous.

The sign’s lucky colors are white, gold, and blue – all colors featured in some way on these interesting timepieces except that last one we present below.

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute 35 mm Monkey (left) and Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Monkey

Jaquet Droz has authentic historical ties to China, which is why it makes good sense for the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based brand to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Monkey

It does so with four new models limited to just 28 pieces each, whose dials and winding rotors have been inspired by the legend of Sun Wukong, more commonly known as the Monkey King.

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey

For more information, please visit www.jaquet-droz.com/petite-heure-minute-monkey.

Quick Facts Petite Heure Minute 35 mm Monkey
Case: 39 x 12.23 mm, 18-karat red gold set with 232 diamonds (1.22 ct)
Movement: automatic Caliber 2653.P with balance spring and pallet fork in silicon; 22-karat red gold rotor with exquisitely engraved monkey; 68-hour power reserve via double spring barrels
Dial: ivory-colored grand feu enamel with miniature painting
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 28 pieces
Price: $37,100

Quick Facts Petite Heure Minute Monkey
Case: 35 x 10.8 mm, 18-karat red gold
Movement: automatic Caliber 2653.P with balance spring and pallet fork in silicon; 22-karat red gold rotor with exquisitely engraved monkey; 68-hour power reserve via double spring barrels
Dial: ivory-colored grand feu enamel with miniature painting
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 28 pieces
Price: $30,200

Quick Facts Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey
Case: 41 x 13.77 mm, 18-karat red gold
Movement: automatic Caliber 2653.Si with balance spring and pallet fork in silicon; 18-karat red gold rotor with exquisitely engraved 22-karat gold monkey and onyx appliqué; 68-hour power reserve via double spring barrels
Dial: 18-karat red gold with black lacquer and hand-engraved white mother-of-pearl, hand-engraved red gold monkey in relief, onyx hour and minute subdials
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 28 pieces
Price: $68,300

Quick Facts Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey
Case: 41 x 13.77 mm, 18-karat white gold with 272 diamonds (1.05 ct)
Movement: automatic Caliber 2653.Si with balance spring and pallet fork in silicon; 18-karat red gold rotor with exquisitely engraved 22-karat gold monkey and onyx appliqué; 68-hour power reserve via double spring barrels
Dial: 18-karat white gold with black lacquer and hand-engraved black mother-of-pearl, hand-engraved white gold monkey in relief, onyx hour and minute subdials
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 28 pieces
Price: $77,700

Ulysse Nardin Classico Monkey

Ulysse Nardin has chosen champlevé enamel in which to create its own version of the horological Chinese zodiac sign.

Ulysse Nardin Classico Monkey

The Classico Monkey, powered by C.O.S.C.-certified automatic Caliber UN-815, features yet another masterpiece in the art of enameling by Ulysse Nardin’s own dial maker Donzé Cadrans: a playful-looking pink gold monkey that appears to be swinging down off a black banana tree or palm frond.

Ulysse Nardin Classico Monkey

Ulysse Nardin Classico Monkey

For more information, please visit www.ulysse-nardin.com/Year_of_the_Monkey.

Quick Facts Ulysse Nardin Classico Monkey
Case: 40 mm, 18-karat pink gold
Movement: automatic Caliber UN-815, C.O.S.C. certified
Dial: champlevé enamel
Functions: hours, minutes, sweep seconds
Limitation: 88 pieces
Price: $39,800

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey

Vacheron Constantin has paid tribute to the new Chinese zodiacal year for quite a while now. Called Legend of the Chinese Zodiac, the theme of this extremely artistic annually appearing watch is based on the Chinese art of paper cutting called jianzhi.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey in pink gold

The dial backdrop comprises a leaf motif stemming from Chinese iconography and is engraved into the gold using a bas-relief technique. It makes for a lovely background for the exquisitely detailed monkey placed right in the center of the dial.

Sculpting the intricately detailed monkey of the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey

After being engraved, grand feu enamel is added to the dials for color.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey in pink gold and platinum

The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac is also a calendar in the truest sense of the word: the four windows on the dial respectively show the current hours, minutes, day, and date. It is powered by automatic Caliber 2460 G4. This limited edition is only sold through Vacheron Constantin’s own boutiques.

For more information, please visit www.vacheron-constantin.com/metiers-d-art/metiersdart-legend-of-the-chinese-zodiac-2016-year-of-the-monkey.

Quick Facts Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey
Case: 40 x 12.74 mm, 18-karat pink gold or platinum
Movement: automatic Caliber 2460 G4, Seal of Geneva
Dial: 18-karat gold, hand-engraved, grand feu enamel, relief-engraved 5N red gold monkey
Functions: hours, minutes; weekday, date (all shown in windows)
Limitation: 12 pieces of each variation
Price: $124,000 (platinum) and $102,000 (pink gold)

Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Monsieur Bovet

Bovet introduces one unique timepiece in celebration of the Chinese New Year, which makes sense as this brand, too, shares an authentic history in the eastern kingdom: “bovet” is even the Chinese word for watch!

Monkey-themed Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Monsieur Bovet

An exquisitely painted realistic enamel monkey poses against the backdrop of a mother-of-pearl dial, a work of art that required months of devoted work.

Additionally, the sparkling diamond-set white gold case reverses to display the movement. And, being an Amadeo, it is also privy to the patented convertible system allowing it to be enjoyed as a table clock, pocket watch, or reversible wrist timepiece. And you don’t need any tools to accomplish the transformation.

For more information, please visit www.bovet.com/amadeo-fleurier-complications-monsieur-bovet.

Quick Facts Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Monsieur Bovet
Case: 43 x 12.35 mm, 18-karat white gold and diamond-set, reversible
Movement: manually wound Caliber Virtuoso II with double co-axial seconds and dual display of hours and minutes (not evidenced here)
Dial: hand-painted miniature enamel on mother-of-pearl
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: $136,000

Chopard L.U.C. XP Urushi Year of the Monkey

This special edition of the beautifully understated L.U.C. XP features an incredibly artistic rendition of a hand-painted monkey swinging from tree branches in rare urushi lacquer. The type of urushi utilized here is called maki-e, which sees the lacquered coating sprinkled with a metal powder – in this case gold – to accentuate the outlines of the depicted figures.

Chopard L.U.C. XP Urushi Year of the Monkey

It goes without saying that there are only a few artisans in the entire world who master this technique. The in-house horsepower hidden below the decorative dial is automatic L.U.C. Caliber 96.17-L featuring a technically demanding micro rotor to wind the twin spring barrels ensuring 65 hours of power reserve.

Chopard L.U.C. XP Urushi Year of the Monkey

For more information, please visit www.chopard.com/l-u-c-xp-urushi.

Quick Facts Chopard L.U.C. XP Urushi Year of the Monkey
Case: 39.5 mm, pink gold
Movement: automatic Caliber L.U.C. 96.17-L with micro rotor; 65-hour power reserve via twin spring barrels
Dial: hand-painted urushi maki-e lacquer
Functions: hours, minutes
Price: $24,290

Piaget Altiplano Singe

Since 2012, Piaget has released an Art & Excellence cloisonné enamel timepiece to celebrate the arrival of Chinese New Year.

Piaget Altiplano Singe

Whimsical and elegant, the enamel dial painted by none other than Anita Porchet that is encircled by 78 sparkling diamonds depicts a monkey offering a peach, symbolizing good fortune. The Altiplano Singe is only available at Piaget boutiques.

For more information, please visit www.piaget.com/watches/altiplano.

Quick Facts Piaget Altiplano Singe
Case: 38 mm, white gold set with 78 diamonds (approx. 0.7 ct)
Movement: manually wound Piaget Caliber 430P
Dial: grand feu cloisonné enamel
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 38 pieces
Price: $61,000

Harry Winston Premier Monkey Automatic 36 mm

Harry Winston Premier Monkey Automatic 36 mm

This tiny monkey, whose tail deftly suspends from a glittering emerald-cut diamond at 12 o’clock, was created just for the ladies: the pink mother-of-pearl dial with 24-karat gold flecks enchant the senses as much as the 18-karat gold monkey inspired by the above-mentioned art of jianzhi.

Harry Winston Premier Monkey Automatic 36 mm

For more information, please visit www.harrywinston.com/premier-monkey-automatic-36mm.

Quick Facts Harry Winston Premier Monkey Automatic 36 mm
Case: 36 mm, pink gold set with 75 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.47 ct)
Movement: automatic Caliber HW2008
Dial: pink mother-of-pearl dial with 24-karat gold flecks and one emerald-cut diamond (0.09 ct)
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 8 pieces
Price: $48,500

Perrelet Turbine Monkey

Perrelet makes use of its unique rotor on the dial to create an interesting effect: when the functionless rotor spins quickly, it reveals a pattern on the background visible through the slats of the propeller-like blades at high speed.

Perrelet Turbine Monkey

In this case, the pattern is a red monkey placed at 6 o’clock, eminently visible against the backdrop of the stealth-black watch.

For more information, please visit www.perrelet.com/turbine-monkey.

Quick Facts Perrelet Turbine Monkey
Case: 44 x 13 mm, stainless steel coated with black PVD
Movement: automatic Caliber P-331
Dial: black with red monkey and 12 rotor blades that spin quickly
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: 100 pieces
Price: $6,650