The limited edition Luminor Sealand – 44mm (PAM00859) utilises an ancient Italian engraving technique on its cover (Photo: Officine Panerai)
If this Lunar New Year is set to be a momentous one for you, any of these stunners will surely be an apt way to commemorate the occasion.
Officine Panerai
A series of watches from Officine Panerai, inspired by ancient Chinese astrological tradition, have been enhanced by a new creation, dedicated to the Year of The Pig. The limited edition Luminor Sealand – 44mm (PAM00859) utilises an ancient Italian engraving technique on its cover, in a style inspired by traditional Chinese iconography and surrounded by typical floral decoration chosen for its auspicious significance.
Harry Winston
Harry Winston honours the Year of the Pig in full, festive flair with the re-creation of a luxurious rose-gold Premier Automatic 36mm timepiece. Brought to life with precious pearl marquetry, the design elements, including a pig motif, magnolia flowers and vivid red background, pay tribute to some of China’s richest cultural traditions.
Vacheron Constantin
China’s paper-cutting technique, jianzhi, a popular art echoed in Swiss culture through the famous Scherenschnitte, is given exclusive attention through artistic approach, highlighted in Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art. The legend of the Chinese zodiac has been given a fresh interpretation in both pink gold and platinum. In order to retain the purity of the dial, the time is told through four angled apertures.
Chopard
Chopard has called upon the ancestral Japanese lacquer art of urushi to create a timepiece to mark the start of the Year of the Pig. Regarded as generous, perspicacious and fun-loving, this symbolic animal lends its cheerful face to an exceptionally refined creation driven by the ultra-thin L.U.C calibre 96.17-L.
Jaquet Droz
Jaquet Droz’s craftsmen applied a more natural approach to the Petite Heure Minute Pig watch with a miniature painting depicting a scene of a young pig roaming freely in a rich, golden wheat field. This striking ladies’ watch is available in two versions — a gem-set 35mm model or a larger 39mm one with a miniature Roman numeral dial.
Piaget
Within the diameter of a diamond-studded white gold bezel, Piaget’s enamelling expert Anita Porchet plays with light and shade on the dial of the Altiplano to create delicate nuances like the pig’s smiling expression and its shiny coat. A leather strap and a bejewelled bezel complete this deeply feminine-inspired watch.
Blancpain
Blancpain’s Traditional Chinese Calendar is a watchmaking masterpiece combining the fundamental principles of the age-old lunisolar calendar with the date according to the Gregorian calendar. This year, the manufacturer unveiled a new limited edition of this complication featuring a pig engraved on the back of its 45mm platinum case.
This article first appeared on Feb 4, 2019 in The Edge Malaysia.
