Harry Winston is celebrating the Chinese New Year with a symbolic new timepiece within its Premier collection in 18-karat rose gold, featuring a delicate enamel rooster design.

Painted entirely by hand, the Premier Rooster Automatic 36mm marks the second time the house has used the refined art of grand feu enamel on a dial.

The majestic rooster depicted on the dial is the work of a professional enameller, whose steady hand has captured the rooster’s wonderful feathers and his gallant stance in vivid detail. To achieve this level of precision, the artist uses a fine sablehair brush to paint the scene directly on the gold base plate, under a microscope. For enamel to be considered grand feu, it has to be fired at temperatures of at least 800 deg C to ensure that the enamel has bonded to the gold disc and that the colours have obtained the desired hue and intensity. Once it has cooled, the enameller can resume painting the next layer until the work is completed.

Alchemy in its purest form, grand feu enamel requires great skill and too many seconds in the kiln can cause bubbles and even cracks in the paint. The reward, however, is a work of art that will maintain the vibrancy and brilliance of its colours for centuries.

A symbol of confidence, fidelity and courage, the rooster is the tenth of the twelve animals represented in the Chinese zodiac, and the Year of the Rooster starts January 28.

In Chinese mythology, the rooster embodies the masculine forces of yang. To balance and harmonize the male yang, beautiful white magnolia flowers, which symbolize the feminine energy of yin, surround the rooster. Limited to just eight watches, the Premier Rooster Automatic 36mm honours yet another deeply rooted Chinese tradition – the number eight is considered to be the luckiest and most auspicious of numbers. 

In addition to the rich Oriental symbolism on the dial, the watch has all the markings of a classic Harry Winston timepiece. The dazzling emerald-cut diamond crowning the dial celebrates Harry Winston’s love for emerald cut stones. The name Harry Winston has been hand-painted, just to the left of the rooster’s brilliant red comb. Additionally, the rooster’s deep blue feathers allude to his passion for blue diamonds.

The Premier was the first timepiece collection launched by the House of Harry Winston in 1989 and was designed to capture emblematic codes of the New York jewellery brand. The diamond-set lugs, at either end of the round 36mm case, emulate the famous arched stone entrance to Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue flagship salon. Diamonds have always had a starring role in the Premier collection and the 18-karat rose gold case of the new watch sparkles with the light of 57 brilliant-cut diamonds, as does the rose gold ardillon buckle on the black satin strap set, which is set with a further 17 brilliant-cut diamonds. 

The signature attention to detail that characterizes all Harry Winston creations is maintained all the way to the Swiss-made automatic movement equipped with a silicon balance spring to ensure superlative precision. Decorated with circular Côtes de Genève, the movement can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back.