Lunar New Year Watches: The Best for 2026

The Lunar New Year, for those who don’t celebrate, is the beginning of the lunisolar calendar, and it has been widely celebrated across Asia for over a millennium. In China, it is the most important holiday, and it is typically celebrated over the course of 15 days, and each year is represented by one of the twelve Zodiac animals. Notably, these animals sometimes vary, like how the Rabbit is replaced by the Cat in Vietnam’s Tet (their celebration of the Lunar New Year). Beyond these traditions in Asia, however, the Lunar New Year is also primarily celebrated by the Watch Industry. Don’t believe me? How many Christmas-themed watches have you seen from IWC and Longines compared to the dozen Lunar New Year watches from these century-old brands? 

Unlike Christmas or Hanukkah or Ramadan, the revolving door of Zodiac Animals - like this year’s Horse - allows watchmakers and designers to be more creative and go beyond kitsch when creating a watch to honor this annual event. Furthermore, the Zodiac Animals also have different elements. I, for one, am an Earth Tiger, while a relative of mine is a Water Tiger. The fact that we can incorporate elements creates a much richer tapestry for designers when planning ahead for their Lunar New Year watches.

As we encroach on the dawn of a new year from a lunar perspective, let’s see what watches we can add to our collection to join in on the fun. 

Vario Versa: Year of the Horse

My Vario Versa

Perhaps I’m biased, as this is my newest acquisition and I am a huge fan of this Singapore-based microbrand, but this is the perfect watch for the upcoming Lunar New Year. I know I should have saved this for the end of the article, but I simply couldn’t resist singing this watch’s praises. 

This watch is made in its award-winning Versa case, which allows users to literally flip the dial, and see a completely different watchface a la JLC Reverso at a fraction of the price. This edition features a red dial with flecks of gold like Maki-e and the Chinese character for horse right above the 6 o’clock mark. When you flip it, you will see a clean white enamel dial with numerals at 9, 6, and 3, and an easy-to-read minute-track. Powering this two-faced watch are two Swiss Ronda quartz movements, which is why you can set them on different timezones. 

Beyond just the Year of the Horse angle, I love that Vario made the decision to have the other watchface be a more classical design, which makes it more attractive of a watch even for people who might not want to wear a red-dial watch all the time. 

This limited edition Vario watch is available for 428 USD. 

Minim - MN01 Giu1 嬌

Once again, I must be biased, as I had the privilege of being one of the very first people to interview MINIM Founder Chloe just before her launch, but her new limited edition MN01 Giu1 is exactly what I meant when I wrote that the Lunar New Year is rife with inspiration. 

Featuring a gorgeous crimson dial and powered by a D1 Elabore grade Sellita movement and available at just a little over 1,000 GBP, I think this is truly one of the best watches you can buy right now. To complement the CNC guilloche red dial, you will see Chinese numerals which look as if they have been painted on a matte white backdrop. 

If you visit the website, you can learn about the inspiration for this watch, and why it embodies what a Lunar New Year watch should be. 

This limited edition watch (50 pieces only) is available for pre-order for 1,199 GBP, or even less if you use code CNY10 to get 10% off at checkout.

Farer Thorne Gold (World Timer)

I was talking with Bryan (Co-Founder of The Watch Brief) the other day about the difference between Farer and another well-known microbrand, and he said the following: “[Well-known brand] is a microbrand trying to be an independent, while Farer is a microbrand who loves being a microbrand.” 

Many microbrands run into a pitfall of leaning towards making homages of much more expensive and elusive watches, while others seem to be dedicated to making the craziest pieces to the detriment of the watch’s aesthetics. Farer has seemingly mastered their own design language, which never seems to stray, and they continue to consistently release beautiful watches with Swiss movements at prices that would shame independents and mainstream brands. The Farer - Thorne Gold is the new version of their world timer collection, which was released almost two years ago, to huge acclaim. 

I desperately wanted one, but it was sadly sold-out by the time I was ready to drop that kind of money on a microbrand watch. Fortunately, Bryan has that watch, and I am already scheming how to steal it from him. The Thorne Gold retains the same design, except everything is a shade of red, and contrasted with a PVD gold-coated stainless steel case. Although they didn’t claim any special connection to the Lunar New Year, the timing of its release (the end of January 2026), and the loud red design seems to be made for the Lunar New Year. 

With a Sellita SW331-2 Elabore movement and white Lumicast markers, The Farer - Thorne Gold World Timer screams luxury, despite the reasonable price of 1790 USD. 

Knis KN001-RD Sunray Red

This watch is simple - perhaps more simple than any of the other watches on this list. However, it’s also one of the easiest watches to wear, regardless of occasion. Knis is a microbrand based out of Kyoto, Japan, and I had the pleasure of reviewing this watch for them last year. It has a vibrant sunburst red (or Sunray Red, as they call it) dial, no date, steel baton markers, a flat sapphire crystal, and an exhibition caseback depicting a workhouse Miyota 8 series movement. 

Not to be cliche, but I think this watch’s strength is its simplicity, and the fact that it is a time-only three hander, and doesn’t bear any strong ties to the specific Lunar New Year. As someone who likes the Year of the Horse symbol on the Vario, I also understand why someone may tire of that over time. 

The watch comes with a jubilee-inspired bracelet and can be purchased for 250 EUR directly from the website, or even less if you subscribe to their newsletter to get a 5% off coupon. 

Wancher Kaguya Akane Tsukimi

Full disclosure - I work for this company. I am the Head of Affiliate Marketing for Wancher Watch, to be specific, but I also handle a lot of stuff in Wancher Pen. So, keep that in mind as I discuss the watch’s inclusion on this list. 

The Kaguya Akane Tsukimi is a moonphase homage watch with a red Raden (mother-of-pearl) dial, a gold moon disk, and if you are willing to pay a bit extra, an FKM Rubber Strap to complement the dial. Unlike a true moonphase movement, the Kaguya Akane Tsukimi’s moon disk does not actually follow the phases of the moon. Instead, it uses a modified 3 hander date movement from Hangzhou, where a moon disk replaces the 31-days date wheel. I think that the design of this watch is absolutely perfect for the Lunar New Year, especially because everything about it revolves around the moon (sorry Galileo and Copernicus!). 

It also happens to be one of the cheapest watches on this list at 370 USD, or you can sign up for the newsletter to get 10% off. 

Longines Master Collection - Year of the Horse

Speaking of a moonphase watch that’s perfect for the Lunar New Year, what about a Swiss one made specifically for the Year of the Horse? Longines has been one of the most underrated Swiss brands for over a decade now, but they continue to release great watches, regardless. 

The Year of the Horse features a sunburst red dial, gold baton hour markers, a grey chapter ring, and of course, an automatic Swiss-made moonphase movement. This one even has a 72 hour power reserve. To make matters even better, it has an exhibition caseback that showcases the golden rotor with a - you guessed it - a horse engraving. 

There is so much to love about this watch that my only critiques of it will seem like nitpicking, but it’s still valid. At 3,400 USD, this is the most expensive watch on this list, and although I think it packs a lot of value, I think it doesn’t really work outside of a Lunar New Year context. I just don’t see myself wearing a watch like this rather often, which is a problem I also have to a certain extent with the Farer World Timer. 

You can purchase this limited edition Longines for 3,400 USD. Keep in mind, there are only 2,026 pieces. 

Swatch - Riding the Clouds 

Is any list about watches complete without Swatch? Swatch has released this watch designed by guest artist Yu Wenjie, and it’s one of those watches that - even if I didn’t tell you what this watch was for - you probably could guess the inspiration. 

Would this be a watch that I would personally add to my collection? Honestly, no. I just think that the two horses - while majestic - splattered across the dial, and the matching strap is to my liking. However, I think it is a really nice novelty watch for someone out there, and that’s what matters.

You can purchase this quartz watch for 105 USD. 

Lunar New Year Watches: A Positive Trend

The New Year is often a day where people try to reset things, or make resolutions to change. The Lunar New Year, on the other hand, is a holiday that’s seemingly dedicated to eating and spending time with family. As someone who has celebrated the Lunar New Year for as long as I have celebrated Christmas, I have never felt pressure to do anything, or make changes.

Getting a watch for the sole purpose of celebrating the Lunar New Year would be a terrible idea, so don’t think of these watches I’ve discussed as recommendations for this holiday. Instead, think of it as a way to commemorate the past year, as well as a wish for the rest of the year to be even better than what came before. 

Or, get this watch simply because it looks cool. Either way, there’s no pressure. Let’s just eat, have fun, and look at watches, shall we?