Three Year of the Rooster watches worth crowing about
A very un-Panerai Panerai, a Chopard that is more artwork than timepiece and a playful Swatch – which one will you choose?
Happy belated Year of the Chicken’s Husband! As a cock myself (stop sniggering at the back), I’m hoping that 2017 will bring me good fortune. Last year was riddled with disasters, from impaling myself on a wine glass to appearing on French television effectively calling all Russian football hooligans lightweights and lots of misadventures in between. A quick google of the prospects for roosters, however, does not make good reading – in a word, I’m screwed.
Anyway, moving away from my upcoming travails, let’s get to the business of talking about rooster watches. Yes, it’s a thing, and big business. The watch industry is never slow to jump on a gimmick and the Chinese zodiac is no exception. There are literally dozens of awful examples out there but a handful, I have to admit, are not only excellent watches but really nail the whole mark-the-occasion thing.
First up is the latest in the zodiac series from Panerai, the Luminor 1950 Sealand Year of the Rooster. The Italian watchmaker has been on the zodiac thing for a long time and it takes the whole business seriously, creating watches that are very un-Panerai. Immediately you will notice the fold-over cover that has been painstakingly hand-engraved with a handsome rooster in what Panerai says is the “traditional Chinese style” but I’m pretty sure poultry looks the same everywhere. Under the cover is a classic Panerai, with the typical Luminor face that rests on a large 44mm steel case. Inside, there’s a P.9000 movement that pumps out an impressive 72 hours of power. Features are kept simple with only a small seconds dial and a date indicator.