The Year of the Dragon – the watchmakers' dream
Maybe you have heard it already? This year is the year of the dragon according to the Chinese astrological calendar. The dragon is the mythological figure that carries with it qualities such as strength and health into the new year.
Text: Andreas Johansson
You may have already heard? This year is the year of the dragon according to the Chinese astrological calendar. The dragon is the mythological figure that carries qualities such as strength and health into the new year. The Chinese calendar is an ancient and many-sided story, let us not delve into it but simply note that the world's watch manufacturers have taken notice of the year of the dragon and several of them have dedicated watches in honour of the new Chinese year. How come? Mainly two things, firstly the dragon is a considerably more fun animal to work into your design than for example a pig (which incidentally is also part of Chinese astrology), secondly several of the manufacturers naturally take the opportunity to flirt with the so attractive Chinese market. So let us now take a look at some of this year's "dragon releases".
Casio G-Shock MT-G Golden Dragon
At 51.9 mm x 50.9 mm x 12.1 mm, Casio's tribute to the year of the dragon is a real "beast". Despite its size it weighs only 111 grams. The watch, which is also a smartwatch, has black and golden dragon scales on the case, sapphire crystal and a solar cell battery. The watch has G-shock's customary functions such as GMT, date, chronograph, alarm, phone finder and more. The watch lists between 11000 – 15000 kr.
Blancpain Traditional Chinese Calendar
During the beginning of 2024 Blancpain took the opportunity to update its Villret collection with a new Traditional Chinese Calendar. A really impressive watch in terms of complications with a Chinese annual calendar, moon phase and Gregorian date. The case, which is 45 mm, has a case in red gold with a green dial and the case back has been adorned with a dragon. The movement has a full seven days of reserve and the watch is limited to 50 examples.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel 'Dragon'
JLC does not want to be outdone during 2024 and releases a dragon version of its Reverso. The watch, which comes in black and rose gold, is part of JLC's "Zodiac sign series" and is a masterly piece of craftsmanship. JLC states that it takes roughly 80 hours to engrave the enamel case. The hand-engraved dragon has impressive details and it looks as if it is coming out of the case.
IWC Portugieser Chronograph Year of the Dragon
IWC's dragon version is part of their Portugieser Chronograph series. The watch comes in wine red and the case is in steel. The dragon detail in the watch is cool, we find it on the back where it forms the rotor in the automatic movement. The watch has sapphire crystal and 46 hours of reserve and is limited to 1000 examples. Cost 113 000 kr.
Hamilton Ventura Dragon
The brand Hamilton has released a dragon version in its Ventura series ahead of this year. The watch comes in a few different versions and models, but what they have in common is that the dragon's face is visible in a skeletonised dial and the accompanying rubber strap is meant to imitate dragon scales. The watch is equipped with an H-10-S movement and has 80 hours of reserve, as well as Super-LumiNova.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery – Dragon
Over the years Vacheron Constantin has released several watches with a dragon theme. For 2024 they released yet another one. Varcheron points out on the website that they have had a long trading tradition with China and the watch is a tribute to the country. The dial is green and consists of enamel in which an imperial dragon is engraved. The case consists of white gold and 146 diamond stones and the crown too is adorned with a diamond. The watch is 40mm wide and 8.9 mm in height and comes with a green alligator strap.
Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Dragon
This dragon watch is limited to 99 examples and comes from the brand Bell & Ross. The watch consists of polished steel and has a laser-engraved design of a dragon which gives the watch a very special character, in colour it looks black and white. The watch also has Bell & Ross's square case and the watch therefore looks very unique. If you want to stand out during the dragon year then this could be a watch for you. The watch lists at 8200 euro.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Dragon
Like the IWC mentioned above, TAG Heuer has made a watch in red with a dragon adorning the back ahead of 2024. The watch is a chronograph and the dial comes in red and silver and in the centre of the dial there is also a Chinese character for dragon. The watch is part of TAG Heuer's Carrera series and is limited to 300 examples. The watch has an automatic movement with a power reserve of 80 hours.
Swatch Year of the Dragon Collection
The cheapest dragon watches on this list you will find from Swatch. From a thousand-note and up you will find five different dragons in various colourful colours. The playful watches have different themes and hand on heart, if I were to buy a dragon watch this year it would probably be from this collection.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon
Hublot pulls out all the stops ahead of the dragon year 2024 and releases an exciting titanium watch that comes in pink, blue, white and grey. The calibre (HUB 1710) is automatic and has a power reserve of 50 hours. The watch's design was developed together with the artist Chen Fen Wan and is limited to 88 pieces.
