Compared with the Year of the Rabbit, the Year of the Dragon starts fairly late in 2024 on February 2024. As the annual tradition goes, a whole swath of watchmakers have released celebratory watches to coincide with the next cycle of the Chinese zodiac. What that means is a whole host of timepieces dedicated to and depicting dragons.
Dragons symbolise success, fortune and growth, which frankly we could all do with after the past few years. Historically the mythological creature has been associated with Chinese emperors, featuring on the first Chinese national flag during the Qing dynasty, making it a spiritual and cultural figure. Let’s take a look at the best Year of the Dragon watches.
Arnold & Son Luna Magna and Perpetual Moon Year of the Dragon, CHF 79,600 (approx. £73,363)
Arnold & Son have spoiled us with a pair of watches for the Chinese New Year. The Perpetual Moon is the model they typically release in celebration of the occasion, having released themed versions of this watch with the signature animal of the moment on them previously. The 2024 edition depicts a rose gold dragon sculpture flying above some delicate trees in an aventurine glass sky in blue or black, beneath a mother-of-pearl moon.
Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon Year of the Dragon, CHF 57,000 (approx. £52,534)
The second watch they’ve released for the Year of the Dragon is based on their Luna Magna model. Just like the Perpetual Moon model it prominently features a golden dragon snaking its way across the dial, although this time the night sky is represented by dark, onyx or pietersite. I particularly love the way the dragon is surrounding the moon, clutching at it with its claws like the prized treasure in its hoard.
More details at Arnold & Son.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery – Dragon, Price on Request
In recent years Vacheron have always celebrated Chinese New Year with their Metiers d’Art collection. However, while I still expect them to release one eventually, the first watch they’ve released in honour of the dragon is the piece unique Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery – Dragon. As opposed to a golden sculpture, it features a grisaille enamel depiction of the Chinese imperial dragon, which is stunning.
Grisaille is a technique whereby the picture is built up by multiple layers of white enamel on a dark base, typically coated with a final layer of clear enamel to give it a sheen. In a departure from tradition, Vacheron Constantin have used a translucent green final layer to give the entire piece that characteristic green tinge. It’s powered by Calibre 1120 with 40-hour power reserve and thickness of just 2.4mm.
More details at Vacheron Constantin.
Hamilton Ventura Dragon, £1,885
In a world of Khaki Fields and Navy Frogmen, the Ventura is an odd beast in Hamilton’s stable. A triangular timepiece that’s far more artistic and conceptual than their normal tool watch fare. It was the first electric watch and a favourite of Elvis. It also starred in Men in Black as part of their uniform. It’s these aspects that make it perfect for a special edition in celebration of dragons. It features an openworked dial in the shape of a dragon’s face, with burning red eyes that match the red seconds hand.
It’s avante garde in the extreme, reimagining how we perceive skeletonised displays and using the negative space that’s created to shape the image and fill the space of the triangular dial. It’s a smart bit of design. However, I personally feel the intensity of the dragon’s face leaves it a little cartoonish – trying too hard to be cool like a child’s fantasy. Although perhaps that’s a bit of jealousy on my part because I was born in the Year of the Tiger and I wish that year had some cooler watches.
More details at Hamilton.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Dragon, €100,000 (approx. £86,800)
Jaeger-LeCoultre have taken the concept of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon literally by hiding the dragon that features on the Reverso Tribute Enamel Dragon on the reverse side of the piece. If you do reverse the dial to reveal the dragon, you’ll find that it’s one of the more subtle designs featured in this article. An incredibly smooth, black, Grand Feu enamel base forms an intense, pure background for the golden dragon, which appears to emerge from the inky depths surrounded by golden clouds.
The same enamel forms the basis for the primary dial, equipped with hour and minute hands as well as the corresponding scales in Art Deco style. The movement inside is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822, a manual wind piece with a 42-hour power reserve. I like the fact this watch is manual because it feels like a daily ritual to wind it, feeding into the symbolism of the zodiac.
More details at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon, CHF 26,600 (approx. £24,516)
Chopard typically create a L.U.C XP Urushi to coincide with every Lunar New Year and 2024 is no different. These watches are usually one of the highlights but with the Year of the Dragon edition, I find there to be a glaring issue. Specifically, the Chopard logo below 12 o’clock completely interrupts and obscures part of the dragon’s head and neck. If it was just part of the body I wouldn’t find a problem with it, but come on, not covering the main subject’s head is design 101.
Looking beyond that, it is an incredibly cool rendition of the imperial dragon, created in traditional Urushi lacquer and produced for Chopard by a famous Japanese artisan, Minori Koizumi. This watch also goes further by incorporation a mother-of-pearl disc that the dragon is holding. As with previous years, the watch itself is a 39.5mm offering in gold with the L.U.C 96.17-L micro-rotor movement.
More details at Chopard.
Casio G-Shock MT-G Golden Dragon, $1,050 (approx. £829)
Casio bring their own style to the Year of the Dragon with the G-Shock MT-G Golden Dragon MTG-B3000CXD-9AER. Just like the dragon it’s inspired by, the watch is something of a monster, measuring 51.9mm x 50.9mm x 12.1mm in proportion. Fortunately, that immense size creates a lot of surface area upon which Casio can create the intricate dragon scale pattern which decorates the entire case and dial of the piece.
The case is actually made of two parts. There’s the stainless steel outer portion, ion coated with a golden colour to give a bright lustre and a dark black inner carbon core for superb durability. Durability is always key to the G-Shock range and the Golden Dragon is no different with 200m water resistance as well as high shock, centrifugal force and vibration resistance.
More details at Casio.
Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Dragon, £19,650
Interestingly Tag Heuer are one of the first watches we’ve looked at that has taken the approach of highlighting the colour red for their Year of the Dragon watch. Red is a colour associated with happiness in Chinese symbology, synergising well with the dragon’s own meaning of fortune and growth. In previous years a lot more watchmakers have focussed on red above the zodiac animal, I just suppose a dragon is so evocative that designers are preferring to tackle that concept instead.
The Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Dragon features red chronograph counters on either a steel or rose gold case. Plus, there is a dragon present on the watch, it’s just been relegated to the caseback rather than taking pride of place on the dial.
More details at Tag Heuer.
Corum Bubble 47 Dragon and Dragon Eye, CHF 6,900 (approx. £6,358)
Corum are known for their experimental designs that focus on equal parts style and technology with the Golden Bridge and recent Tourbillon Concept. The Bubble 47 is different in that it’s entirely aesthetic focussed, making it the ideal canvas for a watch celebrating the Year of the Dragon. They’ve opted to create two designs, the Bubble 47 Dragon and Bubble 47 Dragon Eye.
The Dragon edition is similar in style to other watches presented here with a golden dragon emerging from a black dial. The Drago Eye is more unique in that it zooms in to present, well, a dragon’s eye. A deep red orb with a piercing black pupil surrounded by lidded scales made from gold. Both models are presented in black PVD steel cases with 47mm diameters, housing the CO 082 automatic movement.
More details at Corum.
Oracle Time