In Mandarin, the phrase 马上 (mǎ shàng) translates literally as “on horseback,” but its common meaning is “immediately” or “without delay.” It’s a concept of swiftness and forward momentum. For its Year of the Horse timepiece, CIGA Design has built an entire watch around this clever piece of wordplay. The design embodies that feeling of instant progress and unstoppable movement, creating a narrative woven directly into the mechanical and aesthetic choices. It is a watch about the philosophy of action.
The central tourbillon is the engine of this idea, its constant rotation a visual metaphor for momentum that the wearer sees with every glance at the wrist. The dial’s concentric grooved rings radiate outward from this spinning core, amplifying the sense of energy in every direction. A 24K gilded horse at six o’clock connects the concept directly to its zodiac inspiration, rendered small and precise, more like a seal than a decoration. CIGA Design, the first Chinese watchmaker to win the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, has a track record of treating mechanics as design language, and this is the clearest expression of that philosophy yet. The cultural reference and the engineering are telling the same story, which is rarer in theme watches than it should be.
Designer: CIGA Design
Putting a tourbillon front and center is a serious power move. Most watchmakers tuck it away at the six o’clock position, but CIGA’s in-house CD-12-SI caliber was clearly designed for the spotlight. The entire visual architecture of the watch is built to serve this mechanism. It runs at a modern 28,800 vibrations per hour, which gives the balance wheel a smooth, fluid sweep. A 38-hour power reserve is perfectly serviceable for a manual-wind piece, meaning you get to have that tactile interaction with it daily. It’s the kind of engineering that invites you to look closer, to appreciate the complexity instead of just accepting that it works.
The case material, Grade 5 titanium, is a choice that speaks volumes. At 45.5mm, this watch could have been a heavy, unwieldy piece of metal in steel, but titanium makes it surprisingly light and comfortable on the wrist. The black DLC coating gives it a tough, scratch-resistant finish that feels both modern and understated. Those concentric grooves on the dial are the most impressive part of the case work. They give the flat black dial a sense of depth and texture that plays with light in interesting ways. It’s a very architectural approach that prevents the watch from feeling boring, which is a real risk with monochrome designs.
You solve the problem of telling time without cluttering the main event with a pair of floating diamonds for hands. It’s a brilliant, minimalist solution. Legibility might take a slight hit in certain lighting, but it’s a worthy trade-off for maintaining an unobstructed view of the tourbillon. The strap is shell cordovan, a fantastic, non-porous leather known for its durability and rich patina over time. Pairing it with a hidden butterfly clasp was the right call, preserving a clean, unbroken line around the wrist. These details show a design team that was thinking about the complete ownership experience, not just the initial wow factor.
The $2,699 price fundamentally challenges the idea that an in-house tourbillon must cost as much as a mid-size sedan. This watch appeals directly to the enthusiast buying the complication itself, not the logo on the dial. The 199-piece production run feels like a calculated appeal to a very specific customer who values the engineering over the emblem. With this move, CIGA methodically builds its credibility on accessible complexity and a design language that is unmistakably its own. They are carving out a space by delivering serious horology without the traditional five-figure barrier to entry.
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