It’s a bumper crop of Year of the Dragon watches this year! Here’s our pick of six of our favorites. And with Chinese New Year just a week away, it’s not too late to get a watch to ring in the Forest Dragon!
We pick our six favorite watches from the Year of the Dragon
The Dragon zodiac is perhaps the most iconic of the traditional Chinese characters, as the dragon signifies all things good. It represents majesty, power and wealth. And often a symbol of the Imperial Emperor – the Son of Heaven.
And traditionally, watch companies, particularly for the very important Chinese market, have released new watches with a Chinese zodiac theme. This Year of the Dragon is no exception. And from the multitude of options available, here are our six favorites.
Chopard LUC XP Urushi Year of the Dragon
This is the tenth year that Chopard has presented an Urushi watch to the observer of the Chinese zodiac. Every time, executed in artistic careers Style made in the workshops of the century-old company Yamada Heiando by master artist Minori Koizumi.
The dragon looks particularly vibrant, holding a blue bead in traditional Chinese fashion over a black background decorated with sparkles representing the stars. The entire watch is made from ethically sourced gold. And the movement is Chopard’s magnificent LUC 96.17-L. Limited to 88 pieces, the watch retails at SGD 39.3,000.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna Rose Gold Year of the Dragon
Based on their now iconic 3D moon – the Magna Luna, the new release for the Year of the Dragon, features an energetic-looking dragon on the dial, sculpted from rose gold and engraved by hand. The dragon seems to have his attention captured by the three-dimensional sphere showing the phases of the moon. The spherical moon here represents both the moon from which the cycles of the Chinese lunar calendar are derived and the pearl of wisdom, which is inextricably linked to the dragon.
The movement is the A&S1021 caliber, which was developed, produced, assembled and adjusted entirely in the factory. This hand-wound caliber was designed around the lunar globe. Available in two variants – each with eight pieces produced, featuring a large moon in rose gold (5N) and pietersite or onyx, both priced at SGD 122.5,000.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Dragon
Another according to your own custom. The JLC Reverso Tribute Enamel Dragon follows in the footsteps of other Chinese New Year Reversos from recent years. And in the same way with a big fire black enamel so that the dial looks completely conventional from the front. But turn the case around and this big fire Black enamel forms the background on which engravers create a dragon surrounded by clouds. Here the engraving is done by hand by master engravers.
Otherwise the watch is a standard Reverse Tribute big fire Enamel dial. The same hand-wound movement – the in-house made Cal. 822 is used. And as a Métiers Rare piece, it is only available by special order for 100,000 euros.
Swatch Year of the Dragon Collection.
Next we turn to the cheerful Swatch for their homage to the Year of the Dragon. An inexpensive watch, like all Swatch offerings, so a watch for everyone, so to speak. And Swatch has released not just one, but five dragon-themed watches.
Our choice is the Dragon in Gold, which is based on the Slim Line range. The design is a gold-tone watch reminiscent of the maki-e techniques of Japanese artisans. Of course, the watch is by no means Urushi. After all, it’s a Swatch and quite cheap. Priced at SGD275, it is the most expensive in the range, which starts at SGD122.
Bell & Ross Artline BR 05 Dragon
The new Bell & Ross BR 05 Dragon is the first on this list to break the trend of only having a new dragon-themed dial. Here BR has chosen the Artline series, in which the dragon is finely engraved not only as a motif on the dial, but also on the bracelet. The treatment of the dark ink in the recesses of the engraved pattern gives it a bold, neillo Effective style of play between black and silver. It has an imposing presence on the wrist. Perhaps in tune with the dragon’s aura.
Apart from the engraving and the hands, which are actually the dragon’s whiskers, the watch is a standard BR 05 automatic watch with the BR CAL.301 movement.
It may be a shame that the engraving is done by laser rather than traditional hand engraving, but that would certainly increase the cost of the watch significantly. As it stands, we think it’s a reasonable artistic premium over the standard BR 05 of around SGD 4,000, coming in at just over SGD 11,000.
IWC Portuguese Chronograph Year of the Dragon
And finally and certainly not least, the offer from IWC. Another watch where the dragon is not depicted on the dial. In fact, with the new Portugieser Chronograph Year of the Dragon, the dragon theme is nowhere to be seen on the front of the watch. It’s just a Portugieser chronograph with a bright burgundy dial. However, if you turn the watch over, the dragon motif is revealed on the engraving of the gold-plated rotor on the back of the case. This is the only reference to the dragon. A bit subtle, you might say… except for the burgundy color theme.
Priced at SGD 14.5,000, the Portugieser Chronograph continues the tradition of this Chinese zodiac style that IWC has used for several years: in 2023 there was the automatic Portugieser as a Rabbit watch and in 2022 there was the Pilot’s Chronograph as a Tiger watch. Both only had the animal motif engraved on the rotor.
Final thoughts
So there it is! Our favorite six. What would be yours? Tell us in the comments.
