The horse motif gallops into focus as the Year of the Horse arrives, inspiring a new wave of artistic, zodiac-themed timepieces. From spirited stallions to fiery red dials, these watches capture the energy, freedom, and speed of the year’s celestial icon.

Luxury watchmakers such as IWC, Blancpain, Harry Winston and more pull out all the stops with their own creative reinterpretations of the year’s horse zodiac. (Art: CNA/Chern Ling)

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Each year, luxury watchmakers from Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Blancpain, Jaeger-LeCoultre and more pull out all the stops with their own creative reinterpretations of the year’s Chinese zodiac. This year, as the Fire Horse takes the spotlight, the motif gallops into focus with designs that celebrate strength, freedom, speed and refined artistry.

Blancpain is marking the arrival of the Year of the Horse with its 15th interpretation of the traditional Chinese calendar. The 50-piece platinum limited edition model is a highly technical timepiece that unites the Chinese calendar, Gregorian date and moonphase. The watch is easily distinguished by a salmon-rose Grand Feu enamel dial, the first of its kind for Blancpain. It features applied white gold numerals and leaf-shaped hands. The blued serpentine hand indicates the Gregorian date.

The horse motif appears discreetly on a small aperture beneath the 12 o’clock marker. Turning the piece over reveals a sapphire caseback housing the automatic calibre 3638. A 22k gold winding rotor depicts a horse in full gallop treading upon a flying swallow – a poetic reference to Tianma, the Heavenly Horse of Chinese legend. The horse is accompanied by a natural ruby along with engraved Chinese characters for “horse” and “fire”, symbolising the element of the year 2026.

Created by founder Leon Breitling’s grandson Willy Breitling, the Top Time collection is well-loved for its 1960s retro-style, cushion-shape dial inspired by motorsport culture. Released in celebration of the Year of the Horse, the Top Time B01 Shadow Rider is a global limited series of 288 pieces.

A horse motif features within the small seconds display, while the tachymeter scale is inscribed with “Year of the Horse” between 12 and 2 o’clock. Enhancing its collectability, the caseback is specially engraved with “One of 288” and the same shadow rider’s head silhouette featured on the dial. The watch is powered by the COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 and is paired with a beige perforated leather racing calfskin strap that gives a nod to vintage driving gloves.

Fashion house Dior presents a distinctly feminine interpretation of the Year of the Horse with a special Grand Soir limited edition high timepiece. The scene on the dial is truly captivating – a rose-gold adorned horse gallops through a miniature landscape, navigating through a foliage of bushes and flowers delicately made of mother-of-pearl.

The pink gold bezel is set with 52 diamonds, with the steel crown engraved with the CD logo. The dial itself is set with gemstones such as amethysts, spessartites, yellow and blue sapphires, with the butterflies rendered in yellow gold and the flowers in pink and white gold. A limited edition of just 30 pieces, the watch is paired with a beige satin strap.

The American jeweller presents a tribute to the Fire Horse with the Chinese New Year Automatic 36mm from the Harry Winston Moments collection. Depicted in prosperous shades of red and gold, the three-dimensional scene on the dial features an energetic and triumphant galloping horse, brought to life with vibrant red lacquer.

The billowing clouds at the base of the dial are handcrafted using mother-of-pearl marquetry, a technique that involves the cutting and inserting of thin slivers of mother-of-pearl within the borders. The horse is depicted as galloping towards heavenly lights, represented by eight marquise-cut diamonds, which also mark the hours. An emerald cut diamond graces the dial at 6 o’clock as a nod to one of Harry Winston’s favourite gemstone cuts.

The round case is crafted in 18k rose gold, with a diameter of 36mm and height of 9.15mm. The crown is set with a gleaming white pearl at noon, and the two gold channels encircling the dial are set with 118 brilliant-cut diamonds. There are only eight pieces in the world.

The IWC Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse is a subtle nod to the Chinese zodiac animal. The burgundy dial, inspired by the auspicious red tones of Chinese New Year celebrations, is kept simple, keeping true to the characteristics of the Portugieser design. Golden hands, Roman numerals and appliques complement the burgundy hues of the watch, while a small date window is discreetly placed at 6 o’clock.

Flip over the watch to the sapphire caseback and you’ll find the IWC-manufactured 52011 calibre equipped with a rotor in the shape of a galloping horse. The timepiece is limited to 500 pieces and comes with a choice of two straps in black or burgundy alligator leather.

With its swivelling case, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso is one of the most iconic watches ever created – and its origins are closely tied to the world of horses. Designed in 1931, it was conceived as a solution for polo players who needed to protect their watch dials while playing on horseback.

The Reverso Tribute Enamel Horse is the fourth instalment in a series celebrating the Chinese Zodiac, following the tiger, dragon and snake of previous years. Flip the case to reveal a hand-engraved horse leaping from sand-blasted golden clouds, suspended against an opaque black Grand Feu enamel backdrop. Black rhodium accents applied to the mane, muzzle and hooves enhance the sculpture’s depth and lifelike presence. Powered by the manually wound Calibre 822 movement with a 42-hour power reserve, the watch is limited to just 10 pieces.

The Altiplano Zodiac Horse Edition is a 41 mm white-gold masterpiece from Piaget that celebrates the horse of the Chinese Zodiac through exceptional metiers d’art. Limited to just 18 pieces, it features a richly sculpted dial hand-engraved and set with baguette- and brilliant-cut diamonds, then brought to life with cloisonne and Grand Feu enamel in luminous shades of blue, grey and white by renowned enameller Anita Porchet.

A three-dimensional horse in full leap emerges from the dial like a living sculpture, while the diamond-set case and rose-cut crown add refined brilliance. Powering the watch is Piaget’s ultra-thin 830P hand-wound calibre, offering a 60-hour power reserve.

The Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Horse is a limited-edition timepiece of 250 pieces that celebrates the Year of the Horse with a fusion of Swiss craftsmanship and Chinese cultural artistry.

Anchored in the 39mm Glassbox case, its ember-red and champagne-gold dial evokes the fiery spirit of the Fire Horse, while the date at 9 o’clock features the Chinese character for horse as a nod to tradition. The watch also features 18k rose gold-plated hands and indexes and a finely brushed Beads-of-Rice bracelet. The in-house Calibre TH20-07 delivers an 80-hour power reserve. Meanwhile, the sapphire caseback features an embossed galloping horse that celebrates the racing spirit that defines the Carrera collection.

Vacheron Constantin celebrates the Year of the Horse with two new limited editions in its Metiers d’art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac collection. Available in 40 mm platinum or 18k 5N pink gold, each version is limited to 25 pieces. The watches feature a richly decorated dial brought to life through techniques such as engraving, miniature painting, and Grand Feu enamelling, with a three-dimensional horse as the central motif.

Beneath this exquisite artistry beats the Calibre 2460 G4, a self-winding movement that displays hours, minutes, day, and date through subtle apertures, leaving the dial’s intricate design uninterrupted. The 25-piece edition in the pink gold case is paired with a brown alligator leather strap, and the 25 pieces in platinum are complemented by a blue alligator strap.

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