Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Black Ceramic Rabbit,
Chinese New Year begins today, and a plethora of watches are being introduced to mark the widely celebrated occasion. Each combines solid watchmaking with an aesthetic that conveys 2023’s Year of the Rabbit in all its splendor.
Here are a few timepieces to whet your appetite.
Hublot
Hublot collaborated with Chinese artist Wen Na to create a unique artwork for the dial of the Spirit of Big Bang Black Ceramic Rabbit. In keeping with Hublot’s Art of Fusion mantra, traditional Chinese culture is here melded with contemporary haute horlogerie. Wen visualized 12 double hours from the “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches,” the most important counting system in the Chinese calendar, combined with traditional elements of the Lunar New Year. Look closely and you’ll see lanterns, firecrackers and lions dancing in the artwork, celebrating Chinese New Year in a uniquely colorful way.
Arnold & Son
The Perpetual Moon “Year of the Rabbit” timepiece features a hand-engraved golden rabbit on the dial against a backdrop of black aventurine. The animal is depicted next to a pagoda, with waterfalls and a large mother-of-pearl moon completing the tableau. The windows of the pagoda are hand painted with luminescent material, as are other details of the exquisite dial, adding a particular intrigue to the watch in low light.
The moon phase display (Caliber A&S1512 ) is so precise that it will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating from the actual lunar cycle by one day. The movement was entirely developed, produced, decorated, assembled, adjusted, and finished at the Arnold & Son’s manufacture located in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Chopard
Chopard is introducing not one, but two luxury timepieces dedicated to the Year of the Rabbit. The L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Rabbit is a limited edition of 88 pieces. The 39.5 mm-diameter case in ethical 18-carat rose gold frames an urushi lacquer dial portraying the rabbit and the moon. The dial is further decorated with urushi lacquer, gold powder and mother-of-pearl inlays, actualized by a Japanese artisan drawing on centuries of expertise. The watch is powered by the L.U.C 96.17-L in-house movement, with a 65-hour power reserve.
The iconic Happy Sport is clad in a lovely shade of red to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Its 33mm case comprises stainless steel and ethical 18-karat rose gold, and five diamonds traverse the mother-of-pearl dial adorned with a rabbit. The Happy Sport Year of the Rabbit is fitted with the Chopard 09.01-C movement with 42 hours of power reserve.
Harry Winston
The scene captured on the beaded mother-of-pearl dial of the Premier Chinese New Year Automatic 36mm jewelry watch depicts a rabbit gathering wildflowers. Its silhouette is delineated in 18-karat rose gold, and its figure is embellished with diamonds. The tail and sparkling eye are set with brilliant-cut diamonds, while four marquise-cut diamonds suggest a bow around the animal’s neck.
The arc of the moon on the offset hours and minutes indication comprises small, stylized rabbit heads drawn with brilliant-cut diamonds and pink gold; a large emerald-cut diamond is at noon. The rose gold case is set with 57 brilliant-cut diamonds, while the dial is set with an additional 20 diamonds.
The see-through caseback of the watch reveals the Swiss-made mechanical automatic movement HW2014, equipped with a flat silicon balance spring and offering 68 hours of power reserve.
IWC
The see-through caseback of the Portugieser Automatic 40 “Chinese New Year” features a gold-plated rotor decorated with the likeness of a rabbit, and the perimeter of the caseback is engraved “2023 YEAR OF THE RABBIT.” At its center is a view of the IWC Caliber 82200, with a frequency 28,800 VPH (4 Hz) and 60 hours of power reserve.
This 40.4mm stainless steel timepiece provides another reference to the Chinese New Year in its coloration. While bright red is most often associated with Chinese New Year, IWC chose a more subtle burgundy for the dial. Its spare design has central hours and minutes, gold-plated leaf-shaped hands, and gold-plated applied Arabic numerals.
