Folks, it's Chinese New Year season, and with that comes the annual release of watches centred around a specific animal. This year, horses get a go at it. We particularly love this period because every major watchmaker gets to showcase their interpretation of a horse watch. It's as if the industry has turned into something of an unspoken competition—everyone handed the same prompt. In this context, comparison for once seems justifiable. No more apples to oranges, just horses against horses.
There isn’t a Maison with more horse-themed watches in their catalogue than Hermès. The choices here are aplenty, but we’re going with the Arceau Libre comme Pégase. The piece isn’t ostentatious, celebratory or warm—there’s not even a depiction of a horse. Instead, a Pegasus (the divine winged horse from Greek mythology) sculpted in anthracite agate takes centre stage. Through the craft of glyptic engraving—an art form with roots tracing back to ancient Greece—the subtle shades of grey, blue, and green in the agate stone reveals itself through the three-dimensional figure.
Layer, volume and nuance all live on this deceptively simple dial. Its softness invites melancholia, yet you also get a sense of mysticism that flirts on the edge of the divine. The horse appears calm with its wings outstretched, seemingly about to take flight. There is no urgency or vitality, no misgivings nor bravado—just a self-assuredness that draws you in.
Also, the watch feels adjacent to a Mazzy Star song for reasons I can’t explain. Do what you will with that information.
The Arceau Libre comme Pégase is limited to just 24 pieces worldwide.
It's the Year of the Horse (of course, of course) but leave it to G-SHOCK to draw from mythology to create something that feels kinetic. Taking the lore of the thousand-li steed—a winged stallion capable of covering 1,000 li (roughly 500km) in a single day—the symbology of the beast seems apt for a watch to promote forward momentum.
This Lunar New Year edition is built on the familiar architecture of the slim-looking GBM2100. On the dial is the horse, its mane finely engraved and seemingly in motion and it spills outward onto a gold-coloured ion-plated bezel. Gold-coloured indexes (with a red tip) mark the hours; underneath on the caseback, you'll see the full-form illustration of the mythic equine graces the case back. The timepiece comes equipped with Smartphone Link functionality, allowing for seamless connectivity, alongside Tough Solar charging to ensure the watch keeps running long after the fireworks have faded.
The GBM-2100CX Year of the Horse Edition retails for SGD333 and is available at all G-Shock outlets.
As the snake slithers away, the horse trots behind. Arnold & Son’s Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold “Year of the Horse” sets the scene: within the depths of night, a horse rears on its hind legs, a silhouette frozen in time. The horse is captured mid-rise, poised to venture forward—as if ready to gallop and leave a trail of sparks in its wake. Overhead, the moon and stars are physically manifested through a moon-phase display and the constellations of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major.
The flow of the mane, the ripple of muscle—each detail is painstakingly hand-carved from 18-carat red gold appliqué to capture the grandeur of the new year. In the dark, this sentiment deepens. Flecks of red and yellow Super-LumiNova embrace the horse, while the mother-of-pearl noon glistens among the stars. The imagery is unmistakable; it’s the Year of the Horse, and Arnold & Son isn’t shy about it.
The Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold “Year of the Horse” is limited to just 8 pieces worldwide.
Vacheron Constantin is a brand that doesn’t use art as a gimmick—it gives art the respect it deserves, and the Métiers D'art The Legend Of The Chinese Zodiac - Year of the Horse is a testimony to that. Through the matrimony of relief engraving, micro-painting and grand feu enamelling, a stunning imagery is created.
A horse sculpted from 18K white/pink gold is seen leaping over a bed of rocks daringly, contrasted against an enamel background that fades into a soft gradient, darkening at the edges. The valiant spirit of the horse is softened by the delicate strokes of flora blooming at its rear. And because the horse itself is fully three-dimensional, shadows fall naturally beneath each crevice, outlining the horse with a maturity that overlaps with classicism.
By omitting the traditional hands and markers, the piece compels you to devote full attention to the horse. Time is told through four apertures that detail hours, minutes, the day, and the date. On the wrist, the brand’s motif becomes clear. Each time you tilt your arm to read the windows, they form a deconstructed Maltese cross—subtle, but unmistakably Vacheron.
The Métiers D'art The Legend Of The Chinese Zodiac - Year of the Horse is limited to just 25 pieces worldwide.
We often hear of openworked dials in horology—but may I interest you in an openworked horse? Patek Phillipe’s rendition of a horse-themed watch uses the Calatrava Minute Repeater as its canvas. Through uniting the techniques of chamfering, chasing and modelling entirely by hand, a side portrait of a horse made from white gold is formed.
The openwork frame takes its cues from Chunar horses, an Indian sculpture that carves out the body of the horse, leaving only a decorative husk behind. The same concept applies here—the 2-dimensional horse is intricately cut and shaped before gently fixed onto the dial. Beneath it, the dial features a granulated finish under a slightly graduated varnish, creating depth without competing for attention. Beyond the dial, the motif continues. The horse’s braided mane stretches from bezel to prong buckle, hand-engraved into white gold. The contrast of shine against mahogany, satin against chocolate, gives the watch a richness that feels almost tactile.
Interestingly, the horse emerges from 7 and 8 o’clock, numbers used in Chinese culture to imply good fortune due to similar pronunciations. 7 is considered to be lucky for relationships and life force, while 8, of course, symbolises wealth and prosperity.
The Minute Repeater 5278/500G-001 'Horse' is limited to just 20 pieces worldwide.
A list of horse-themed watches wouldn’t be complete without the brand whose most emblematic collection was literally born among horses: the Reverso. Conceived on the polo fields of British India, the Reverso was created to combat the issue of players’ wristwatches shattering mid-game. By having a dial that swivelled at will, it protected the watch face against the rigours of the match.
Jaeger-LeCoultre doubles down on that equestrian heritage with the Reverso Tribute Enamel “Xu Beihong”, which transposes Chinese ink-wash horse paintings onto the back of the case. Across three references, the Maison honours the late artist’s work by creating miniature reproductions of horses Xu drew onto three references. Requiring no less than 80 hours of meticulous brushwork for each enamel-painted caseback, you get a delicate balance between east and west. On the front, it’s all business and polish. Reverse it, and you’ll find qualities of air and featheriness, echoing the negative space and breath of Chinese landscape paintings.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Enamel “Xu Beihong” is limited to just 10 pieces for each reference worldwide.
This one’s a dizzy. Immediately, it’s the portrait of the horse caught mid-gallop that steals the eye. Blue, grey, and white grand feu enamel, disguised as brushstrokes, collaborate to create a play of shadow and light, resulting in a horse that appears almost mercurial. It emerges from a stream of white torrents lined with undulating lines of brilliant-cut diamonds, lending the scene an undeniable air of elegance. Set all this against the backdrop of a starry night sky, and the end product is something completely otherworldly. It’s something we can only interpret as a glimpse into the celestial—an illustration of the Pegasus constellation.
The enamelling, by the way, is done entirely by hand by Swiss enameller Anita Porchet. Recognised by many as one of Switzerland’s best enamellers, she brings her soft and imaginative touch to each of the 18 dials in the Altiplano Zodiac Horse Edition series.
The Altiplano Zodiac Horse Edition is limited to just 18 pieces worldwide.
Perhaps the most subtle in appearance on this list, this one still feels perfectly aligned with TAG Heuer’s long-standing relationship with horses. The brand has always channelled equestrian energy through the horsepower of the racetrack, and the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Fire Horse is a gentle reinterpretation of that lineage.
Set against a warm, golden champagne dial, it’s the red accents that hit first—most notably on the 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock and the date window at 9. Inside a gold frame, the 7th day of each month is replaced with the Chinese character for horse. And in case there was any doubt, a galloping horse is embossed on the sapphire caseback for good measure.
The Carrera Year of the Fire Horse Chronograph is limited to 250 pieces worldwide.
