The New CIGA Design Everest Summit Central Tourbillon

CIGA Design has carved out a distinct lane in contemporary Chinese watchmaking: bold industrial design, visible mechanics, and aggressive value. Founded by industrial designer Zhang Jianmin, the brand built early recognition with skeletonised mechanical pieces and unconventional case forms, then vaulted onto the global stage with the award-winning Blue Planet, cementing its credibility beyond the “budget” label. Since then, CIGA Design has treated accessibility and experimentation as parallel tracks: iterative improvements in case machining, surface finishing, and lume execution on the one hand; more ambitious mechanics on the other.

That step up in mechanics arrived in 2023 with the Central Tourbillon Mount Everest Homage, a 47mm statement piece that debuted the in-house, centrally mounted tourbillon calibre CD-05. It paired a rare central architecture with a 120-hour, four-barrel power system and an Everest-themed dial milled from base-camp rock. The new Everest Summit Central Tourbillon is the second act: the execution is cleaner, the ergonomics sharper, and the engineering uplift makes this feel less like a concept piece and more like a daily-wearable showcase of CIGA Design’s technical ambitions.

The Everest Summit Central Tourbillon uses a Grade-5 titanium case now measuring 45mm by 11.65mm. Surfaces alternate between brushing and polishing; tolerances are crisp around the bezel, and integrated short lugs to control on-wrist footprint. Practical details include sapphire crystals front and back, and 50m water resistance. The lower mass of titanium, combined with the reduced diameter versus the 2023 model, will certainly make the watch noticeably easier to wear daily.

The dial is made from Everest bedrock collected at the mountain’s foothills and then processed (cutting, CNC engraving, and laser shaping) to preserve natural texture while achieving consistent thickness and fit. A raised Everest relief is filled with Swiss Super-LumiNova C1 for low-light visibility. Time is indicated by ice-axe-shaped Super-LumiNova hands; the open profile keeps the central mechanism unobstructed. The display is hours and minutes only; the tourbillon’s one-minute rotation serves as a running indicator.

At the core is CIGA Design’s Calibre CD-05, a manual-wind central tourbillon. Four mainsprings supply energy for a 120-hour power reserve. Finishing is contemporary and functional (clean graining, uniform bevels), appropriate to the engineering-led presentation and price segment.

The watch is worn on a 22mm fluororubber strap with a pin buckle. Overall, the Everest Summit focuses on tangible upgrades: a smaller titanium case, improved night readability, and the same long-reserve central tourbillon, while retaining the Everest material story and the brand’s value-driven positioning. And at now USD 2,699, it is also much more friendly in terms of price, as the 2023 edition was just under 4K dollars…

For more information, visit cigadesign.com.

Sponsored post: This article is sponsored by CIGA Design. However, it reflects the writer’s opinion and has been written in accordance with MONOCHROME’s editorial policy.