An octopus sculpted from glass, a wolf that marks the full moon and a frog whose eyes tell the time. Discover how watchmakers are bringing the animal kingdom to life in unexpected ways.
The animal kingdom comes to life on the wrist through intricate craftsmanship, imaginative designs and unconventional ways of telling the time. (Photos: Courtesy of respective brands; Art: CNA/Chern Ling)
The animal kingdom comes to life on the wrist through intricate craftsmanship, imaginative designs and unconventional ways of telling the time. (Photos: Courtesy of respective brands; Art: CNA/Chern Ling)
A panther sculpted in gold, an octopus fashioned from glass or a wolf that marks the full moon: the animal kingdom offers watchmakers a wide scope for creativity. Some capture the texture of fur or feathers through intricate artisanal techniques, while others make eyes, tails and mouths part of a fun time display. Familiar and mythical creatures alike come to life on these watches, giving you more to look at than the time.
Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom
Feathers, paper and wood become unlikely dial materials in Vacheron Constantin’s six Tribute to the Animal Kingdom concept watches. Created through its One of Not Many Crafts Programme, the series brings together six artisans from outside traditional watchmaking to apply their skills to a miniature canvas.
Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom Feathersnake and Glassoctopus. (Photo: Vacheron Constantin)
On Feathersnake, Julien Vermeulen creates a blue-green serpent from more than 200 tiny pieces cut from seven lophophore feathers. An eye in gold and enamel completes the creature. Glass artist Simone Crestani’s Glassoctopus suspends a transparent, hand-sculpted glass octopus above a dark-blue, hand-guilloche gold dial, its curling tentacles suggesting movement underwater.
Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom Oraygami and Tigerbroidery. (Photo: Vacheron Constantin)
For Oraygami, Anya Midori uses micro-origami to arrange six folded manta rays at different heights on brass stems beneath a crystal with a moire effect. Embroidery artist Laura Baverstock’s Tigerbroidery uses yellow and white gold threads to form a prowling tiger, with ceramic-coated copper wires defining its stripes amid silk-embroidered vegetation.
Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom Papercroc and Woodenwings. (Photo: Vacheron Constantin)
Paper artist Marianne Guely’s all-white Papercroc resembles a scene carved from ice. She embosses, cuts and layers cotton paper to form a crocodile and foliage, creating relief and subtle shadows. On Woodenwings, wood marquetry artist Anna Le Corno combines three-dimensional marquetry and hand-carving to create a falcon from 12 wood species. Individually assembled wing feathers rise above the dial, making the bird appear poised for flight.
Housed in 42mm gold cases, all six watches are powered by the self-winding calibre 2460 G4, which has a 40-hour power reserve. Hours, minutes, day and date appear through four apertures around the dial’s edge, keeping the animal portraits unobstructed by conventional hands.
Patek Philippe Reference 5738/50G-039 “Crouching Lion”
Patek Philippe Reference 5738/50G-039 “Crouching Lion”. (Photo: Patek Philippe)
A lion carved in stone becomes a study in light and shadow on this Golden Ellipse, one of the Rare Handcrafts timepieces presented at Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan in 2026. The dial depicts Pasquale Ricca’s 1866 Crouching Lion sculpture, which stands in Naples’ Piazza dei Martiri. Here, the Swiss watchmaker gives it a different backdrop, placing it before the sweeping colonnade of the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola in Piazza del Plebiscito.
The scene is rendered in grisaille enamel au blanc de Limoges. Working over opaque black enamel, the artisan uses a tiny brush and needle to build up white enamel, creating monochrome gradations that capture the lion’s muscular form, cracks in the stone and surrounding architecture. Each dial requires 19 to 20 firings at temperatures between 755 and 780 degrees Celsius.
Limited to six pieces, the watch houses the ultra-thin, self-winding calibre 240 in a white gold case measuring 34.5mm by 39.5mm and just 6.58mm thick. Its proportions follow the golden ratio, while fine white gold hands and a shiny black alligator strap complete the composition.
Tiffany & Co Toucan Paradise Bird Watch. (Photo: Tiffany & Co)
A toucan with a turquoise beak and pink sapphire eye takes its place on Tiffany & Co.’s latest jewellery watch. Perched on a 2.5-carat purple chalcedony cabochon, the bird recalls the house’s Bird on a Rock brooch. Here, it is given a tropical setting inspired by the Blue Book 2026: Hidden Garden high jewellery collection.
Sculpted in yellow gold, the toucan is set with 69 stones, including blue sapphires, tsavorites and white and yellow diamonds. Creating it took 32 hours, while the foliage beneath required more than 80 hours of enamelling. Three coats of hand-painted leaves sit over four layers of opaque blue enamel.
There is a clever detail beneath the bird’s perch: an opening in the dial aligns with a window in the caseback, allowing light to pass through the chalcedony and accentuate its colour and depth. The 36mm white gold case is snow-set with 425 diamonds of varying sizes, leaving little metal visible. Powered by a Swiss quartz movement and fitted with a navy-blue alligator strap, the watch is limited to 10 pieces.
Jaquet Droz Luo River Automaton. (Photo: Jaquet Droz)
A mythical fish swims through a mother-of-pearl river on this one-of-a-kind timepiece by Jaquet Droz, its body and tail moving as it circles the dial. Known as the Kun in Chinese mythology, it shares the scene with gold water lilies and a winged chariot drawn by water dragons.
The watch grew out of a collaboration with Wang Limin, a master of quejinxiu, a traditional Chinese embroidery technique that uses gold thread, peacock feathers and silk. Inspired by a painted scroll featuring a poem composed in AD 222, its imagery explores eternal love and the passage of time. Wang also handcrafted the strap and presentation case, extending her contribution beyond the scene on the dial.
At the centre are red gold hands that tell the time on a pale imperial jade dial. Around it, an animated ring completes a rotation every 30 seconds, carrying the swimming fish. A gemstone-set water lily adds another surprise, changing from purple sapphire to blue sapphire to emerald at 10-second intervals. Activated by a pusher at 3 o’clock, the animation runs for up to four minutes.
Housed in a 43mm red gold case measuring 16.96mm thick, the watch is powered by the self-winding calibre 2653 AT2, which delivers a 68-hour power reserve. A separately hand-wound automaton mechanism brings the river scene to life.
Cartier Panthere Jewellery Watch. (Photo: Cartier)
Cartier’s emblematic panther, with eyes of tsavorite garnet and a nose of onyx, is sculpted in gold on this medallion-shaped jewellery watch from the Into the Wild collection. Created at the Maison des Metiers d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the Panthere Jewellery Watch draws inspiration from the ancient art of cameo carving to give the feline’s portrait depth and expression.
Three crafts come together here: sculpture, gem-setting and lacquering. The panther is modelled in yellow gold, while the gem-setter removes metal to give the stones greater prominence. Diamonds cover the bezel and four lugs, framing an onyx dial that echoes the animal’s black nose.
Its stylised spots are rendered in black lacquer, inspired by vintage Cartier pieces. Against the gold, these dark markings sharpen the feline’s features, while the tsavorite eyes lend it an intent gaze. Powered by a quartz movement, the watch features a yellow gold case measuring 38.9mm by 25.6mm and 9.7mm thick, paired with a leather strap.
Hermes Arceau Cavalier en Formes. (Photo: Hermes)
An engraved yellow gold horse takes centre stage on the Hermes Arceau Cavalier en Formes, surrounded by blue circles, squares and finely engraved leaves. Hidden within the geometric arrangement is the suggestion of a rider, reconstructed in cubist-style shapes by Italian artist Gianpaolo Pagni.
Originally created for a silk scarf, the design began with an equestrian lithograph from the Emile Hermes collection. Pagni retained the horse but replaced its rider with abstract motifs. Transferring the image to a watch involves miniature painting on both sides of a sapphire layer set onto the dial. Combined with engraving and a gold applique, the overlapping elements give the scene depth while allowing light to pass through.
A tourbillon adds movement beneath the horse at 6 o’clock. Its carriage echoes the double-H motif found in the historic lift at Hermes’ flagship boutique in Paris. The hand-wound H1924 movement also incorporates a minute repeater, which chimes the time on demand, and has a 90-hour power reserve. The six-piece limited edition pairs a 43mm white gold case with a deep-blue alligator strap crafted in Hermes’ workshops.
Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons
From top: Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons in red, polished stainless steel and blue. (Photo: Hublot)
Jeff Koons’ iconic Balloon Dog has found a new home on the wrist. Working with Hublot, the American artist has reworked the Classic Fusion to echo the rounded forms and reflective surfaces of his famous canine sculpture. The effect extends well beyond a dog on the dial. The 42mm case, bezel, sapphire crystal and even the exposed screw heads have been given domed contours, making the watch appear inflated. A rubber tail protrudes from the case between 10 and 11 o’clock, while the crown resembles a balloon’s inflation valve. Look closely at the seconds hand and you will see that a miniature Balloon Dog forms its counterweight.
Three versions offer different takes on Koons’ mirrored finishes: polished stainless steel or anodised aluminium in saturated red or blue. Padded metallic straps continue the illusion of air-filled volume, while Koons’ signature sits at 6 o’clock. Each edition is limited to 200 pieces and houses the self-winding HUB1710 movement, which has a 50-hour power reserve and a date window at 3 o’clock.
Seiko Power Design Project Collection 2: The Panda Chronograph HHK001 and HHK002
Seiko Power Design Project Collection 2 - The Panda Chronograph HHK001 and HHK002. (Photo: Seiko)
Watch enthusiasts have long called white chronograph dials with black subdials “pandas”. Seiko designer Kiyotaka Sakai decided to take the nickname literally. His Panda Chronograph features droopy eye-shaped subdials and a textured dial that recalls the animal’s fur. Rounded ears double as chronograph pushers, while a small, three-dimensional tail appears on the caseback. Even the tachymeter is renamed the Sasameter after sasa, the Japanese word for bamboo. Its scale measures speeds up to 30km/h, a nod to a panda’s theoretical maximum running speed.
The black-and-white model HHK001 is joined by the pink HHK002, inspired by a newborn panda. Both were developed from a concept shown at Seiko’s Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition in 2024, part of an initiative that gives its designers room to experiment beyond their everyday work. Inside the 43mm stainless steel case is the quartz calibre 8T61. Leather straps with suede-like sections continue the furry theme. The watches are limited to 3,000 pieces in black and white and 2,000 in pink.
Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin Unfrogettable