Vacheron Constantin unveils two Year of the Goat watches for 2027

Vacheron Constantin has unveiled two watches to welcome the Year of the Goat, which begins with the Lunar New Year in February 2027. The goat is the eighth animal of the twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle, and the maison's two new pieces mark its arrival in pink gold or platinum.

Each case material is limited to 25 pieces, priced only on request. The cases measure 40mm across and 12.72mm thick, in 18k pink gold or platinum, worn on alligator leather straps with matching pink gold or platinum folding clasps.

The dial centers on a realistic, three-dimensional goat standing proudly on a rock and surveying the landscape. A master engraver hand-sculpts both the goat and its rocky perch in white or pink gold, then uses relief engraving to pick out fine details like the horns and the fur.

How the dial is made

The landscape behind the animal is built from multi-coloured Grand Feu enamel, with a subtle gradient and miniature-painted enamel rendering the foliage. The enamel goes on in successive layers, laid with a fine brush, and each layer is then fired in a kiln.

That firing is a two-week process, repeated until the colors and depth of tone are right, and the four apertures are painted to match the dial's colors. Vacheron Constantin has kept ties with China since 1846, when it shipped 33 pairs of watches to Canton.

Those early links grew into commissions from Chinese dignitaries. Some of the bespoke watches were sold in pairs and decorated with engraving, enamel and precious stones. Since 2012 the maison has continued the tradition by marking each Chinese zodiac year with Métiers d'Art watches, of which these two are the latest.

The watch pairs that heritage with a hands-free display: no hands sweep the dial. Instead four apertures run everything, and the in-house automatic calibre 2460 G4 keeps the time, leaving the full dial free for the engraved and enamelled goat.

Inside calibre 2460 G4

Calibre 2460 G4 shows trailing hours and minutes through the two apertures at 11 and 2 o'clock, while the days of the week and the date jump into view through the two lower openings. Visible through the caseback, the movement carries an openworked 22k yellow gold rotor.

That rotor is decorated with a polished Maltese Cross, and the calibre offers a 40-hour power reserve at a 4Hz frequency. The Hallmark of Geneva is engraved on one of the bridges, attesting to the movement's technical values and the quality of its finishing.

In Chinese culture the goat has long stood for strength and quiet resilience, alongside gentleness, loyalty and good fortune. Vacheron Constantin plays that symbolism into the composition: a calm animal on high ground, rendered in precious metal and fired enamel.

Vacheron Constantin belongs to the classic holy trinity of haute horlogerie alongside Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, a summit we recognize in our ranking of the best luxury watch brands. These Métiers d'Art releases carry that lineage into a distinct craft line.

We rank watchmakers on four lasting measures: heritage, in-house movement-making, value retention and design language. The calibre 2460 G4 is in-house, and the two-week enamelling process is the kind of hand-finishing those measures reward.

The zodiac series has now run since 2012, and it belongs to the artistic-craft corner of our coverage of watches jewelry, where a dial becomes a small painted and sculpted landscape rather than a printed index.

The maison gives no price for either reference and asks interested collectors to inquire directly. Further information is on vacheronconstantin.com, and the platinum and pink gold editions are each held to the same 25-piece run.

Pink gold and platinum are the only two case options, and the folding clasps on the alligator straps follow the case metal. The goat itself is cut in white or pink gold, so the metalwork on the dial changes with each version.