Year of the Snake: Here’s How 6 Watchmakers are Celebrating this Iconic Motif
For many brands, the Lunar New Year is an annual opportunity to get playful while honoring a new season.
We’re nearly a month into 2025, but the new year celebrations aren’t over yet. It’s the official start of the Lunar New Year. While 2024 marked the Year of the Dragon, this year commemorates a different reptile as we usher in the Year of the Snake. Today kicks off two weeks of feasts and festivals, coinciding with the first New Moon of the year and signaling a season of wisdom, wealth, agility, and intelligence.
The snake has long been an iconic motif in watchmaking, and we’re seeing a number of brands lean into this opportunity to reinterpret the serpent in their designs. We’ve already highlighted a few makers who have presented exceptional Year of the Snake watches, from Oris’ unexpected ProPilot X Year of the Snake Limited Edition to Dior’s ultra-feminine Grand Soir Year of the Snake.
That is why, today, we are looking at six more Chinese Zodiac-inspired timepieces that play with the emblematic animal.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake
Since 2016, Hublot has used the Spirit of Big Bang as the foundation of its Chinese New Year special editions. This year, the brand has used the entire canvas – from the dial to the bezel to the strap – to showcase elements of the snake in a strikingly subtle and sophisticated way that still stays true to the bold nature of every facet of the Big Bang line.
Moreover, the Spirit of Big Bang’s signature openworked dial houses an intricately engraved, lifelike, three-dimensional gold snake curling around the calibre HUB4700 movement as if slithering through the chronograph counters. The motif extends to the bezel of the black ceramic case and black rubber strap, both of which are adorned with a snakeskin pattern.
The Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake is a limited edition of only 88 pieces priced at $35,100 each. For more information, head over to Hublot’s website.
IWC Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 Year of the Snake
For its Year of the Snake watch, IWC takes a subtle approach packed with details celebrating the occasion of the new year. The brand uses its refined Portofino model as the base and gives it a rich burgundy dial as a nod to the fiery red hues of the Chinese New Year. In addition, the 37mm model features a moon phase complication tucked at 12 o’clock in honor of the Lunar New Year.
Flip the watch over, and you’ll find the real magic of the design is visible via the exhibition caseback. Here, IWC has created a stunning and artfully crafted serpent-shaped oscillating mass. The window revealing the IWC-manufactured 32800 calibre is framed by engravings of “Year of the Snake,” the 2025 calendar year, and the number within the limited edition run.
The Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 Year of the Snake is available in a series of 500 pieces, and each is priced at just $9,700. To learn more, check out IWC’s website.
Breguet Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025
Next, Breguet has gone all-out for its interpretation of the Year of the Snake timepiece as the brand ushers in its own milestone year: its monumental 250th anniversary. The Maison has rendered the iconic serpent front and center on the dial, showcasing an array of techniques that make this watch a true work of art.
Using a combination of guilloche, hand-engraving, and hand-painting, Breguet’s skilled artisans have rendered the snake in boldly textured black and white, giving it depth and movement. The serpent is offset by deep green foliage, giving the dial a welcome pop of color, which extends to the green leather strap.
The Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025 features a modern 40mm 18-karat rose gold case housing the 502.3 automatic movement, which offers a 45-hour power reserve. This special edition is produced in an extremely limited run of just eight numbered pieces with a price of $76,800. Visit Breguet’s website for more information.
Parmigiani Fleurier Chinese Calendar Tonda PF Xiali
For the occasion of the Lunar New Year, Parmigiani Fleurier offers the next evolution of its Chinese Calendar watch.
The brand first released the model in stainless steel in 2023, but Parmigiani is no stranger to complex calendar watches. After all, the Maison made the world’s first Hijri Perpetual Calendar, or Islamic Calendar, in a wristwatch back in 2019.
With the success of its calendar complications, Parmigiani offers its latest take on the Chinese calendar complication with an all-new rose gold interpretation featuring the same imperial red dial showcasing the intricate functionality displayed across four registers and around the periphery as the stainless steel version.
At 12 o’clock, you have the name of the year, the zodiac animal, and the natural element – for instance, this year is wood for the Year of the Snake. At 3 o’clock, you have the day number indication and if the month is long (30 days) or short (29 days). At six o’clock, there’s a moon phase indication, and lastly, at 9 o’clock, the intercalary months. In addition, the outer ring features 24 solar terms.
The limited edition Tonda PF Xiali Chinese Calendar retails for $104,300, and you can learn more on Parmigiani’s website.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Snake
As expected, Jaeger-LeCoultre has also designed a stunning work of art for its Year of the Snake tribute. Using the iconic canvas of the Reverso, the Maison combines hand engraving and Grand Feu enamel to create a truly beautiful interpretation of the serpent motif.
The Reverso Tribute Enamel Snake marks the third in a series paying homage to the Chinese Zodiac following the years of the Tiger and Dragon. On the dial side, you get a classic Reverso featuring a sleek and perfectly executed coat of Grand Feu enamel.
Turning the watch case to its reverse side reveals a striking, hand-engraved snake emerging from a wreath of golden clouds all atop complementary black Grand Feu enamel. The full package houses the manually wound calibre 822 movement.
The new limited edition Reverso Tribute Enamel Snake is made only to order. For more information, head over to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s website.
Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025
The Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 from Blancpain brings together many of the best elements of each of the Year of the Snake watches.
In 2012, Blancpain notched a world first with the initial debut of a model combining a complex Chinese calendar with the Gregorian date and moon phases.
This achievement was made possible thanks to the calibre 3638, which features a whopping 464 components to power each of the functions. Yet, the model is surprisingly user-friendly thanks to its under-lug correctors – another world first patented by Blancpain in 2005.
Thirteen years later, the Maison reprises this intricate design within a 45.2mm platinum case framing a green Grand Feu enamel dial. The celebration of the Lunar New Year continues on the reverse of the timepiece with an image of a snake engraved on the 22-karat white gold rotor.
The Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 is priced at $87,800 and limited to just 50 pieces. To learn more, check out Blancpain’s website.
Happy Lunar New Year!