FeatureThe Blooming Trend Of Nature-Inspired Watches

The allure of vibrant flowers and lush greenery has rarely escaped anyone… There’s something innately calming and soothing about nature that gravitates everyone towards it. Similarly, the sight of a regal animal roaming freely in its natural habitat leaves the spectator with a humbling feeling. Since time immemorial, these elements of nature have inspired artists throughout history to create some of their best works. From poets and painters to architects and musicians, nature has played a pivotal role in almost every aspect of creative expression, with watchmaking being no exception. The earliest timekeeping device known to humankind is a sundial, which was used as early as 3500 BC. It indicated the time of the day by the position of the shadow cast by an object—a vertical stick or pillar—after being exposed to the Sun. Since then, many watchmakers have welcomed nature into their creations to birth marvellous pieces.

At the recently concluded Watches and Wonders 2024 in Geneva, several brands such as Grand Seiko, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels launched their novelties inspired by nature. The Japanese watchmaker, Grand Seiko introduced three new limited-edition timepieces inspired by fascinating landscapes of the country. The two 38.6mm manually-wound dress watches in the Evolution 9 Collection—the ‘Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours’ in titanium and the ‘Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Limited Edition’ (80 pieces) in 18-karat rose gold—are inspired by the white birch tree forests found in Shizukuishi, Japan. Whereas the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon in the Masterpiece Collection—a combination of a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism, as one unit on a single axis—uses light and shadow to evoke daybreak on the dial. And, the Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition in the Sport Collection, takes inspiration from the Shinshu sunrise reflecting off the Hotaka landscape—displaying the wonders of nature splendidly!

The ‘Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Limited Edition’ (80 pieces) in 18-karat rose gold is inspired by the white birch tree forests found in Shizukuishi, Japan

The Calibre 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition in the Sport Collection takes inspiration from the Shinshu sunrise reflecting off the Hotaka landscape

The Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon in the Masterpiece Collection uses light and shadow to evoke daybreak on the dial

Featured here is the ‘Manual-winding Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours’ watch in a titanium case

01

At the same event, the French luxury maison, Cartier introduced the Animal Jewelry Watch, a high-jewellery line inspired by animals such as zebra, crocodile, tiger, and panther. One of their striking timepieces features an imaginary creature—a blend of zebra and crocodile—surrounding the fully-paved lozenge-shaped dial. While their other editions flaunt either a panther, a crocodile or a tiger—fully embellished with diamonds and other precious stones—perched on the case of the watch. Another example is of the French jewellery brand, Van Cleef & Arpels that launched two watches exemplifying nature: the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été, and the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté, under their theme—Enchanted Nature.

In the past, luxury brands such as Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Chopard, Jaquet Droz, Richard Mille, Piaget, and Vacheron Constantin, among others, have also come up with their own iterations of floral- and faunal-inspired watches, thus making a strong case for the ever-growing segment. Let’s take a look.

Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye Shop the Collection

The Watches Inspired By Flowers

This year, the Swiss luxury brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre added three new limited-edition (10 pieces each) watches to their Reverso One Precious Flowers line. Featuring two exotic flowers, birds of paradise and hibiscus, these watches combine the skills of gold-leaf paillonnage, enamelling, and gem-setting effortlessly, making the art come alive. The colourful tropical patterns on the casebacks and case sides surround the mother-of-pearl dials beautifully. Furthermore, the grain-set diamonds embellish the gadroons and lugs, and a reverse-set diamond elevates the winding crown for a high-jewelled look. These watches are powered by the in-house manual-winding calibre 846, with a power reserve of 38 hours.

This year, the Swiss luxury brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre added three new limited-edition (10 pieces each) watches to their Reverso One Precious Flowers line

The watches feature two exotic flowers—birds of paradise and hibiscus

The models combine the skills of gold-leaf paillonnage, enamelling, and gem-setting effortlessly, making the art come alive

01

Another good example of a line featuring floral motifs is the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31mm, launched at the Watches & Wonders 2022. Out of the three distinct models, the first is crafted with two-tone Everose gold and Oystersteel materials featuring a silver floral-motif dial, while the second has an olive-green dial encased in an 18-karat yellow-gold case. The third model, on the other hand, features an azzurro-blue dial in a white Rolesor case with a fluted bezel. The features that are common in all are the presence of a diamond-set dial, a date window at three o’clock, and an Oyster bracelet. These watches are run by the automatic Rolex caliber 2236, offering a power reserve of 55 hours.

Certain brands have also come up with nature-inspired lines featuring interesting animal patterns on their dials such as Graham and Carl F. Bucherer. Let’s get to know more about them.

An independent watch brand, Graham launched two new limited-edition (100 pieces each) models last year inspired by jungle beasts—tiger and bear. Featured here is the Graham Chronofighter Vintage Noseart (Bear) with a bear on its dial, ‘disrupting’ the conventional positions of hour markers

The Watches Inspired by Animals

An independent watch brand, Graham launched two new limited-edition (100 pieces each) models last year inspired by jungle beasts—tiger and bear. Called the Graham Chronofighter Vintage Noseart (Tiger) and the Vintage Noseart (Bear), the models feature either a tiger and a cub, or a bear on the dials, ‘disrupting’ the conventional positions of hour markers. While the Vintage Noseart (Bear) features a day-date aperture at nine o’clock and a chronograph (30-minute counter) sub-dial at six o’clock, the Vintage Noseart (Tiger) features a small seconds function along with the features mentioned above. Also, the watches are equipped with a trigger on the left side, for the protection of the crown (inspired by the World War II-era bomber watches). The 44mm Vintage Noseart (Bear) and the Vintage Noseart (Tiger) timepieces are run by the automatic calibre G1745 and G1747, respectively, offering a power reserve of 48 hours.

The Vintage Noseart (Tiger) watch features a day-date aperture at nine o’clock and a chronograph (30-minute counter) sub-dial at six o’clock, along with a small seconds function

Also, the Swiss-brand, Carl F. Bucherer released a sustainable diver’s watch, the Patravi ScubaTec Black Manta Special Edition in 2022, featuring a silhouette of two manta rays on their black dial. For this model, they collaborated with the Manta Trust (a UK-based charity with an aim to conserve the oceans and the habitat of manta rays) to donate a part of their proceeds to the charity. Its 44.6mm DLC-coated titanium case with a rotating bezel houses the in-house automatic calibre CFB 1950.1, with a power reserve of 38 hours. It also features an automatic helium valve to withstand the water pressure at 500m, and a rubber strap made with recycled PET textile layer.

The Swiss-brand, Carl F. Bucherer released a sustainable diver’s watch, the Patravi ScubaTec Black Manta Special Edition in 2022, featuring a silhouette of two manta rays on their black dial

₹8,04,384

Check Our Selling Price

Its 44.6mm DLC-coated titanium case with a rotating bezel houses the in-house automatic calibre CFB 1950.1, with a power reserve of 38 hours

₹8,04,384

Check Our Selling Price

It also features an automatic helium valve to withstand the water pressure at 500m, and a rubber strap made with recycled PET textile layer

₹8,04,384

Check Our Selling Price

01

Other than these examples, some of the iconic collections that are named after animals are Serpenti (an Italian word for snakes) by the Italian casa, Bulgari, and the Cat’s Eye by the Swiss brand, Girard-Perregaux. While the first model of the Serpenti collection was launched in 1948 by the founder, Sotirio Georgis Bulgari, by incorporating the complex tubogas technique, it rose to fame in the 1960s when actor Elizabeth Taylor wore it on the sets of the film, Cleopatra (1963) at Cinecittà Studios, Rome. The Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye collection, on the other hand, was launched in 2004 as a women’s line, taking inspiration from the oval eyes of the cat.

Bulgari Serpenti Shop the Collection

The trend to take inspiration from nature for the creation of unique timepieces will never be out of the ark. In fact, the segment might only grow bigger in coming years, with an aim to bring the freshness and enormity of flora and fauna to wearers’ wrists.