12 luxury timepieces celebrating the Year of the Dragon: from Tag Heuer’s Carrera Chronograph and Breitling’s Chronomat B01 42, to Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

Jan 30 , 2024

Hamilton, Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger LeCoultre all featured the dragon on their watches for Chinese New Year. Photos: Hamilton, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger LeCoultre

As the Year of the Rabbit draws to a close, we’re anticipating the bold Year of the Wood Dragon as we count down to Lunar New Year in February. And what better way to celebrate last year’s success and look forward to this year’s victories than with a quality timepiece on the wrist?

Here are our 12 favourite watches celebrating the Year of the Dragon to shop for this festive season.

1. Arnold & Son Luna Magna red gold Year of the Dragon

Arnold & Son’s Luna Magna red gold Year of the Dragon features opulent dragon motifs, reminiscent of high-end Chinese restaurants. Photo: Arnold & Son

Kicking off the list is British watchmaker Arnold & Son, who is giving us two stunning pieces to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, featuring two different types of moonphase alongside meticulously crafted dragon motifs.

The Luna Magna is our favourite by a slight margin, coming in black onyx and blue pietersite with 3D hand-engraved dragon motif and 3D moonphase. The other dragon piece, Perpetual Moon Year of the Dragon, is black and blue aventurine, and features a more traditional moonphase enlarged to dominate the top half of the dial.

2. Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Dragon

Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Dragon evokes imagery of tattooed dragons. Photo: Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross pays tribute to the dragon with a piece featuring laser engraving – even on the integrated bracelet. Equipped with the BR-CAL 321 automatic movement that boasts a 54-hour power reserve, the piece is tough and built to accompany you on all occasions – from formal events to casual, sporty outings.

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3. Bovet Recital 26 Chapter Two Golden Dragon

Swiss watchmaker Bovet’s Recital 26 Chapter Two Golden Dragon uses rubies to emulate the dragon’s eyes. Photo: Bovet

Inspired by the Chinese idiom “paint the dragon, dot the eyes” – referring to putting the finishing touches on an already excellent piece of work – per its website, Bovet impresses once again with a hand-engraved, jewel set dragon motif alongside a 3D, asymmetrical dial design and world timer complication. The eyes of the dragon, fittingly, are “dotted” with rubies.

4. Breitling Chronomat B01 42 Year of the Dragon

Breitling’s Chronomat B01 42 Year of the Dragon is more subtle in its use of the dragon motif. Photo: Breitling

Swiss watchmaker Breitling has gone slightly more subtle with its Lunar New Year celebrations, offering a simple and sleek Chronomat B01 42. Featuring an auspicious burgundy dial, the watch shows the dragon hovering at the 9 o’clock subdial in a nice touch that doesn’t interfere with the piece’s legibility.

5. Chopard L. U. C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon

Chopard’s L. U. C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon boasts the Japanese urushi technique of lacquer painting. Photo: Chopard

Chopard has done it again, this year giving us its annual L. U. C XP Urushi piece for the Year of the Dragon. The watch features a beautiful golden dragon on the dial using the unique Japanese urushi technique of lacquer painting in the maker’s signature lucent steel. The limited edition run is for an auspicious 88 pieces, each taking master artist Minori Koizumi at least 20 hours to paint.

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6. Hamilton Ventura Elvis80 Skeleton Dragon

Hamilton’s Ventura Elvis80 Skeleton Dragon is certainly a refreshing design. Photo: Hamilton

Swatch group’s Hamilton, known primarily for its American heritage and field watches, makes Swiss pieces that won’t leave affordable collectors out in the cold this Lunar New Year. Famous for its connection to Elvis Presley, Hamilton chose the triangular and extremely 1970s-inspired Ventura as the canvas for a dragon skeleton dial design in gold with green eyes, and in black PVD with red eyes.

7. Harry Winston Chinese New Year

Harry Winston’s Chinese New Year timepiece employs lots of pearls and diamonds. Photo: Harry Winston

Taking the more dazzling approach, Harry Winston gives us a red, gold, diamond and pearl piece commemorating the Year of the Dragon. Encased in rose gold with diamonds all along the bezel, the watch shows a red dragon dancing among mother-of-pearl clouds.

8. Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Dragon

The sleek and understated Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Dragon employs a less flashy approach. Photo: Jaeger LeCoultre

Jaeger LeCoultre took its classic time-only Reverso and engraved a dragon on the reverse, Grand Feu enamel side of the piece. If you’re more concerned with aesthetics than timekeeping, this is the piece to wear for a truly auspicious Year of the Dragon.

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9. L’Epée 1839 The Dragon

Clockmaker L’Epée 1839 crafted The Dragon for the upcoming year. Photo: L’Epée

GPHG 2023 Clocks winner L’Epée 1839 joins in on the fun with a piece simply titled “The Dragon”. Two of the hand-engraved and finished red mythical beasts guard the in-house vertical movement. The Dragon is a limited edition run of 88 pieces per colour, with gold, red and palladium versions.

10. Longines Heritage Flagship Moonphase Year of the Dragon

Longines’ Heritage Flagship Year of the Dragon discreetly features the mythical animal on the piece’s caseback. Photo: Longines

Longines also brings together auspicious red and gold, moonphase and dragon motif in the elegant silhouette of its Heritage Flagship case and design. The Fume red dial contrasts well with the striking gold dauphin hands, while the dragon is tucked discreetly away, engraved on the piece’s caseback.

11. Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Dragon

Tag Heuer’s Carrera Chronograph Year of the Dragon contains a calligraphic engraving on the dial. Photo: Tag Heuer

In a fantastic follow-up to the raging success of Tag Heuer’s Carrera models last year, the LVMH maison (whose previous CEO Frédéric Arnault now heads up watches for the entire conglomerate) gives us a Carrera bi-compax chronograph in steel and rose gold with red accents on the indices and both subdials. The dragon is present in a calligraphic engraving on the watch’s dial, as well as on the stunning exhibition caseback.

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12. Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese zodiac – Year of the Dragon

Vacheron Constantin’s annual Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese zodiac features the dragon. Photo: Vacheron Constantin

This Swiss high horology maison deftly executes its annual Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese zodiac piece this year with four windows at 2, 5, 7 and 10 o’clock to show time, day and date, while not distracting from the meticulous engraved dragon in the centre of both platinum and pink gold versions of the piece.

Lunar New Year

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and luxury watchmakers have jumped on the bandwagon with fierce dragon-inspired timepieces, from meticulously crafted masterpieces to more subtle designs
Jaeger LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute shows the mythical animal engraved on its reverse while Chopard employed the Japanese urushi technique of lacquer painting together with lucent steel