16 animal-inspired luxury watches from Cartier, Hermes, Patek Philippe and more

When it comes to haute horlogerie, going wild is anything but reckless. Panthers prowl across mother-of-pearl landscapes, zebras play against fiery spessartite gradients and serpents coil in diamond brilliance not as simple motifs, but awe-inspiring feats of craftsmanship that can take hundreds of hours to perfect. From Cartier's lacquered big cat to Hermes' wood-marquetry pup portrait and Vacheron Constantin's micro-sculpted mythological beasts from Greek lore, these 16 remarkable timepieces show that when inspiration comes from the animal kingdom, the result is anything but tame.

Canine cuties: Hermes Arceau Jour de Casting

Hermes brings whimsy and exquisite artisanship together in the new Arceau Jour de Casting watches, three extraordinary metiers d’art creations – artisanal dial crafts such as marquetry, enamel and engraving – that transform the beloved Arceau model into a charming canine portrait gallery.

Each pup comes to life through a different artisanal discipline. Executed in meticulous wood marquetry, Orson, the black-and-white pup, is assembled from eight species of wood, with painted details that create depth and expression. Amy, with her colourful spectacles, is rendered through deft hand-engraving and miniature painting, with her vibrant palette built up through successive firings. Meanwhile, Taco dazzles in miniature and cloisonne enamel, where gold wires outline his features and multiple enamel layers give his laughing expression remarkable dimension.

All three dials are framed by a 38mm white gold case set with 71 diamonds, and topped with a crown accented by a rose-cut diamond. Paired with Swift calfskin straps colour-matched to each model’s palette, and powered by the self-winding Hermes H1912 movement, the watches are offered in an exclusive run of 12 or 24 pieces, depending on the model.

Wild sophistication: Patek Philippe Gondolo Serata “Zebra” Ref. 4962/200R

Patek Philippe channels Art Deco sensuality with a daring, contemporary twist in the Gondolo Serata “Zebra” Ref. 4962/200R. Equal parts jewellery and timepiece, its 28.6mm x 40.85mm rose gold case curves elegantly around the wrist and is set with 94 brilliant-cut spessartites in a double gradient that shifts from deep cognac to vivid tangerine, amplifying the watch’s signature “waisted” silhouette.

Its dramatic centrepiece is the dial: a sapphire crystal engraved and black-varnished on both sides to recreate bold zebra stripes with striking depth and contrast. Black metallisation and white varnish on the underside heighten the three-dimensional effect, while applied Breguet numerals and rose gold leaf-shaped hands keep the display refined and legible. A satin-finished white calfskin strap softens the graphic intensity, while the quartz Caliber E15 keeps the profile sleek.

Big cat energy: Cartier Ronde Louis Cartier Panthere Metiers d'Art

Cartier’s emblematic panther takes centre stage in the exquisite Ronde Louis Cartier Panthere Metiers d’Art, a 36mm masterpiece crafted in yellow gold. Its dial is a work of sculptural poetry: a panther carved in black-lacquered mother-of-pearl emerges in striking relief against a canvas of white mother-of-pearl, with a gradient lacquer that shifts from black to luminous yellow.

The magnificent big cat’s radiant surroundings are created through an intricate gold-leaf technique employed at Cartier’s La Maison des Metiers d’Art. Gold pillars are first welded onto the lacquered dial to establish three levels, before ultra-thin gold leaves are applied by hand. Each leaf is individually folded to catch and reflect the light, producing a shimmering, three-dimensional tableau.

Details elevate the creation further, including a beaded crown set with an inverted emerald, a pear-shaped emerald for the panther’s eye, apple-shaped gold hands and a black alligator strap. Powered by the slim 430 MC manual-winding calibre, the watch is a tribute to Cartier’s artistry and its most iconic feline.

Desert dream: Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Platinum – Camels Oriental Magic

Jaquet Droz transforms personal passion into haute artistry with the Petite Heure Minute Platinum – Camels Oriental Magic, a one-of-a-kind timepiece created for an esteemed collector who’s known for owning some of the Arab world’s most prized white dromedaries.

His vision of a nocturnal desert scene becomes the soul of this 41mm masterpiece – the first Petite Heure Minute by Jaquet Droz crafted in platinum. The dial unfolds as a serene play of light and shadow: a pitch-black onyx hour dial with white gold hands sits beneath a starry aventurine sky, where a hemispherical gold moon – engraved in alternating polished and grained textures – is anchored invisibly through an aventurine disc just 0.55mm thin. Below, a white gold base is engraved with desert lavender, a bloom native to the Arabian Peninsula, while a traveller’s tent is micro-painted with a single-bristle brush. The tableau is complete with benches and even a crackling fire.

In the foreground, two camels – the owner’s prized animals – are portrayed with lifelike precision, their stance and character honed through countless sketches. Driving the watch is the calibre 2653 SI, an automatic movement with a 68-hour power reserve and a specially created oscillating weight featuring aventurine, two applied stars and a camel motif.

Equine elegance: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Xu Beihong’ trilogy of timepieces

Ahead of the Year of the Horse in 2026, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils three Reverso Tribute Enamel watches, each honouring influential Chinese artist Xu Beihong, whose bold ink paintings helped define modern Chinese art in the early 20th century. Presented in white gold, the trilogy transforms the Reverso’s iconic swivelling case into a refined canvas, where Xu’s dynamic brushwork is reinterpreted through the rare discipline of grand feu enamel miniature painting.

Reproducing Xu’s monumental paintings – each originally spanning more than a metre – onto a surface just 2 sq cm in size demands extraordinary precision. Each artwork requires about 80 hours of enamel work, with pigments layered and fired repeatedly to capture the subtle gradations, movement and emotional intensity of the artist’s horses. On the dial side, grand feu enamel is applied over hand-guilloche patterns. Each enamel colour complements the background shades of the original art – hues frequently used in Chinese landscape painting for their symbolic resonance.

‘The Running Horse’ features a lone, galloping steed paired with an Evergreen Pine Green sunray-guilloche dial, while ‘Two Horses’ captures a dynamic black-and-white duo evoking harmony and duality against a Distant Mountain Blue barley-grain dial. Both artworks draw on Xu’s 1942 masterpiece Running Together (Six Horses) – an homage to the Six Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum, which are 7th-century stone reliefs honouring the warhorses of emperor Taizong of Tang. The third model, ‘The Standing Horse’, is based on the 1939 painting of the same name. The portrait of quiet strength and nobility is complemented by a Crimson Dawn Orange herringbone-guilloche dial. Each 10-piece limited edition is powered by the manual-winding Calibre 822, underscoring the maison’s dedication to its Metiers Rares craftsmanship..

Aquatic radiance: Chopard Happy Fish

Chopard’s beloved Happy Fish returns in a luminous new guise, bringing a splash of oceanic joy to the signature Happy Sport collection. Crafted in Lucent Steel with ethical rose gold accents, the 250-piece limited edition frames a textured, turquoise-tinted mother-of-pearl dial that shimmers like sunlit tropical waters. Three signature dancing diamonds move freely across the scene, alongside a rose gold fish set with diamonds and finished with an onyx eye. A matte turquoise grained calfskin strap, secured by a Lucent Steel buckle, completes the fresh 36mm watch, owered by a quartz movement, while a special “Happy Sport” engraving on the caseback honours the line’s heritage.

Amphibian twist: Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin Unfrogettable

Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin reunite with their latest delightful oddity: the Unfrogettable. This collaboration turns Louis Erard’s regulator into a wide-eyed amphibian, its pupils spinning to track the hours and seconds on a horizontal display, while an arrow-shaped minutes hand cuts across the dial in a playful nod to fairy tales.

The fully reworked 40mm titanium case is more compact, and crowned – literally – with a royal-inspired crown at 12 o’clock. Two colourways, dark green and dark purple, bring the grained dial, lacquered nostrils and dual-tone minute track to life. Powered by the automatic Sellita SW266-1 regulator movement with a 38-hour power reserve, the watch is finished with a black strap in Himeji Kurozan “black diamond” leather, a material once used for samurai armour. Limited to 178 pieces per reference, the Unfrogettable is playful on the surface yet backed by serious watchmaking substance.

Sinuous brilliance: Bulgari Polychroma Serpenti Aeterna

Within Bulgari’s Polychroma universe, the Serpenti Aeterna High-Jewelry Watch stands out as a distilled, ultra-modern vision of the house’s emblematic serpent. Instead of its hallmark Tubogas coils, the snake is evoked through a sleek, sculptural white-gold bangle that curves around the wrist in one fluid line, symbolising transformation and rebirth.

Gem-setting takes centre stage here. The bangle and case are fully paved with brilliant-cut diamonds and either emeralds or sapphires, with each coloured stone carefully graded to create a seamless chromatic flow. A diamond-set dial, framed by the serpent’s head, is punctuated by coloured hands that mirror the surrounding gems. The timepiece houses a quartz movement to preserve the purity, comfort and jewellery-first character of the design.

Mythical magic: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers The Labours of Heracles

To mark its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin unveils a quartet of Les Cabinotiers masterpieces devoted to the demigod Heracles – or Hercules – and his 12 Labours. The series brings four of those legendary feats to life: the Nemean Lion, Lernaean Hydra, Stymphalian Birds and Cretan Bull – a must for Greek mythology aficionados.

Each single-piece edition is a miniature work of art in white gold, combining grand feu enamel, miniature painting and micro-sculpture on a two-level dial. The lower section is engraved with a 17th-century map of Greece, complete with a tiny gold cabochon denoting the location of each exploit. Above, an enamel landscape sets the scene for a hand-sculpted white-gold Heracles battling his foe – from the impenetrable hide of the Nemean Lion to the writhing Hydra and razor-beaked Stymphalian Birds. Each figure demands around 40 hours of engraving, resulting in astonishingly lifelike depth and movement.

Housed in a 40mm white gold case, the ultra-thin Calibre 1120 AT replaces traditional hands with satellite wandering hours that sweep across a fixed minute track, freeing the dial as a pure storytelling canvas.