Answering The Call Of The Wild, With 6 Animal- & Nature-Inspired Watches

The roar of the King of the Jungle, the venomous bite of a snake, the trembling of the earth underneath horse’s hooves… Nature can be an impressive thing and a divine source of inspiration. To such an extent even, that it finds a way to manifest itself on our wrists, in the form of a discerning mechanical watch of course! With that in mind, we take a look at watches that “answer the call of the wild” in the most creative ways imaginable!

Hublot Spirit of big bang tourbillon x sorai

Partnering with SORAI, the Save Our Rhinos Africa & India organisation, Hublot has taken it upon itself to raise awareness and funds for the dire situation the population of rhinos is facing. Adopting a Rhin-grey look, the Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon x SORAI comes in a 42mm by 13.25mm tonneau-shaped grey ceramic case with black details. The fully openworked movement is regulated by a tourbillon escapement and tells time on an offset dial for the hours and minutes, plus a power reserve display. Two straps come with it, one in grey textile and one in rubber with a camouflage pattern. Limited to 30 pieces, it retails for EUR 115,000.

For more information, please visit Hublot.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 13.25mm – grey ceramic tonneau case, blasted & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – grey off-centred hour & minute ring – power reserve subdial – HUB6020, manufacture movement – manual winding – openworked construction – 183 components – 21,600vph – 115h power reserve – tourbillon escapement – grey fabric strap & black rubber strap with camouflage pattern – limited to 30 pieces – EUR 115,000 

mb&f x Bulgari serpenti

The Serpenti is Bulgari’s serpent-shaped wrist-strangeling icon, but it’s reimagined in the most creative way possible in this collaboration with MB&F. The result is extravagant, with a case shaped like a snake’s head, fangs and all. The slanted crystals mimic the eyes, with two revolving semi-cylinders for the hours and minutes. In between, the suspended escapement is the “brain” of the Serpenti. The biomorphic design looks poised to strike, so be warned! Worn on coloured rubber straps, the MB&F x Bulgari Serpenti comes in titanium, black PVD-coated steel or rose gold. The price ranges from EUR 140,000 to EUR 161,000 depending on the material.

For more information, please visit MBandF.com or Bulgari.com.

Quick Facts – 53mm x 39mm x 18mm – grade 5 titanium, black DLC-coated steel or 18k rose gold case – 5 sapphire crystals – dual crowns – rotating domes for hours & minutes – suspended escapement – bespoke MB&F movement, manually wound – 310 components – 25,200vph – 45h power reserve – blue, black or green rubber strap with Velcro closing – limited to 33 pieces each – EUR 140,000 (titanium & black PVD-coated steel) or EUR 161,000 (18k rose gold)

Girard-Perregaux la Esmeralda Tourbillon “A secret” Eternity edition

The spectacular Girard-Perregaux La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition treads to a different rhythm, an equestrian rhythm. Two of the three iconically shaped bridges feature a hand-carved horse figurine, with more galloping steeds to be found on the hinged caseback. This is paired with a leaf motif on the outside of the bezel and lugs, with honey-coloured enamel in the caseband to match the dial. This tribute to the 1889 La Esmeralda pocket watch is one of the brand’s most detailed interpretations of it, limited to just 18 pieces all supplied with light brown and black leather straps. The price is an eye-watering EUR 472,000.

For more information, please visit Girard-Perregaux.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 15.1mm – rose gold case, hand-engraved & enamelled – hinged engraved & enamelled caseback – sapphire crystal front & back – hand-guilloché Grand Feu enamel dial – three bridges with engraved horses – central hours & minutes – tourbillon escapement with running seconds – calibre GP19600-2083, in-house – manual winding – 21,600vph – 50h power reserve – light brown calfskin leather strap – limited to 18 pieces – EUR 472,000

Zenith defy extreme jungle

Zenith truly treks deep in the wilderness with this one, the aptly named Defy Extreme Jungle! The edgy high-performance chronograph comes with a Tiger Eye stone 12-sided bezel and matching chronograph pusher guards. The nature theme continues in the striped rings surrounding the subdials, and a Jungle Green tinted sapphire crystal main dial. Strapped to a green integrated rubber strap, this one definitely roars the loudest! And being a Defy Extreme, it packs the Calibre El Primero 9004, with dual regulating organs for the running time and chronograph mechanisms. Limited to 50 pieces, this one retails for EUR 28,000.

For more information, please visit Zenith-Watches.com.

Quick Facts – 45mm x 15.4mm – titanium case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – Tiger Eye 12-sided bezel & pusher guards – 200m water-resistant – openworked dial with green-tinted sapphire crystal – tiger stripe subdial rings – markers & hands with beige SLN – Calibre El Primero 9004, in-house automatic chronograph – dual regulating organs – 36,000 & 360,000vph frequencies – 50h power reserve – green rubber strap or titanium bracelet – limited to 50 pieces – EUR 28,000

vacheron constantin les cabinotiers metiers d’art tribute to explorer naturalists

Vacheron Constantin has long been devoted to upholding traditional craftsmanship, exemplified in the brand’s Metiers d’Art collection. Although presented in 2023, the Tribute To Explorer Naturalists is a quartet of watches dedicated to explorations made by the HMS Beagle. Each dial sails to a specific location; Cape Verde, the Straits of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, and Cape the Good Hope. The natural beauty of these locations is captured in the intricately crafted dials, with a wandering hours display to tell time. Limited to 10 pieces per version (and probably sold out), the watches cost EUR 203,000 each.

For more information, please visit Vacheron-Constantin.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 11.68mm – white or pink gold case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – 18k white gold two-level dials with Grand Feu miniature enamel paintings and hand-sculpted gold elements – Calibre 1120 AT, automatic – 205 components – 19,800vph – 36 jewels – 40h power reserve – dragging hours and minutes display – alligator leather strap with gold half Maltese cross-shaped folding buckle – limited series of ten pieces each – Vacheron Boutique exclusive – EUR 203,000

Grand Seiko Evolution 9 atera valley slga025

On a more sensible but no less impressive level, Grand Seiko and its nature-inspired dials can’t be left out. The brand has made it a habit to create unique colours and textures dedicated to the wonders of nature surrounding the Shizokuishi, Shinsu and Micro-Artist studios. One of the most recent watches is the SLGA025 Atera Valley, which captures the beauty of a valley and river near the Shinsu Watch Studio, the birthplace of Spring Drive watches. The deep turquoise colour and scratched texture really pop against the high-tensity titanium case and bracelet. It’s part of the permanent collection and retails for EUR 11,100.

For more information, please visit Grand-Seiko.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 11.8mm – high-tensity titanium case, brushed & Zaratsu-polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – dark turquoise dial with scratched texture – faceted markers & hands – Calibre 9RA2, Spring Drive automatic – 120h power reserve – ±0.5 seconds accuracy per day – hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve – 3-link high-tensity titanium bracelet with folding clasp – part of the permanent collection – EUR 11,100