Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Exploring Chinese Watchmaking, with the Peacock Divine Ultra-Thin Tourbillon (Incl. Video)
Let's forget preconceptions and see if this Chinese tourbillon can pass the test.
Chinese watchmaking is often frowned upon at best, but things have changed in the past few years. More often than not, we categorise Chinese watches as entry-level (to remain polite) or counterfeits. No need to say, this is very simplistic. But we have decided to forget our prejudices and to make up our minds by taking a look at a watch that has more to it than just its origin. To prove our point and to understand how mainstream Chinese watchmaking has evolved, we’ll be taking a look at (deep breath in) the Peacock Divine Craft Hand-Made Micro-Engraved Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Limited Edition. And if the brand surely has to work on its naming conventions, this article and video are there to show that China should be seen from a different angle now.
Background
As a company, Peacock has been around for almost three-quarters of a century, but is perhaps little known in the Western markets. Peacock Watches started out within the Andong Metal Products Factory in the hands of seven brothers who delved into mechanical watchmaking on their free time. While watchmaking was a very small industry in China at the time, the dream of creating their own watches seemed beyond reach. Without the machines, tools and knowledge found in Europe at the time, it was challenging to say the least. However, the seven brothers persevered and by 1957 had produced their first watch, bearing the name Qianjin, meaning “to move forward.”
The name Peacock first appeared in the mid-1970s and led the way for brand transformation. Not long after the company produced its first fully in-house-made watch, including the hairspring and so on. By 1979, it had produced its one-millionth watch, and by the mid-1980s, production had reached 3.8 million watches… annually. Now, the Peacock Watch Company in Dandong, China, has become one of the largest movement manufacturers in the world. And if you want a peek inside the manufacture, Atelier Wen has released a video that shows the scale of the production facilities here.
Today, the world is embracing Chinese mechanical watchmaking more and more, through efforts such as Atelier Wen, Qian GuoBiao, Qin Gan, Lyn YongHua and others. Indie watchmaker Fam Al Hut even made it to the finals of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, and was awarded at the GPHG 2025, proving that Chinese watchmaking is now crossing borders and gaining international recognition. But let’s now look at the Peacock Divine Tourbillon and make up our minds.
The Peacock Divine Tourbillon in the metal
The design of the Peacock Divine Tourbillon is quite classical, with several stand-out elements to give it a bit of personality. Starting with the case, this is machined from 904L stainless steel, which is harder and has a whiter shine than conventional 315L stainless steel. Size-wise, we’re looking at something very wearable; 39.5mm in diameter and 8.9mm in height. On top, there’s a concave bezel visually reducing its size a touch further, with a sapphire crystal covering the dial and another crystal covering the movement. The finishing is quite pleasant, with contrasting brushed and polished segments, a decently sized flat crown and sharp, faceted lugs that turn inward a touch. It’s nothing spectacular, but far from lacklustre and forgettable either.
Moving to the dial, this is where the Peacock Divine Tourbillon reveals its craftsmanship. Available in four colours, we’ve had the refreshingly light Glacial Green edition at hand. Next to that, there’s a soft Petaline Pink, an icy Skybound Blue and a deep Obsidian Blue edition available as well.
The textured effect is achieved by a traditional process called micro chasing, where an artisan uses a hammer and blade-like tool to strike radial grooves into the dial blank. The result of the more than 1,000 individually struck lines is rather appealing. It brings contrast and motion to the dial, as each groove captures and reflects the light differently. The dial is then fitted with applied markers all around, except where it makes way for the tourbillon escapement that comes through. The central hands are partially openworked and have a raised tip to provide further depth to the time-telling experience.
The tourbillon movement
Inside, we find Peacock’s in-house produced Calibre PAX9610A. This movement measures only 3.5mm in height and is wound by hand. The mainplate and bridges are finished with classical codes, including perlage and circular Côtes de Geneve, and even what appears to be sharp inner angles, a finishing technique usually reserved for high-end, artisanal movements. There are also various types of brushing on the gears and wheels, as well as bevelled edges.
And then there’s the tourbillon escapement. Mounted only on the reverse side, it is thus a flying tourbillon. The sharp tip, fitted with a diamond, acts like a running seconds indicator, although the aperture holds no scale for it. It has a Gyromax balance and a fine-adjustable inertia system for precise regulation. To me, it lacks a bit of the punch of European counterparts, but it’s all nicely done, it must be said. Sure, there’s ample room of improvements if we’re critical, yet it’s a far cry from the type of watchmaking coming out of China a decade ago.
Thoughts, availability & price
It’s really remarkable how far Chinese watchmaking has come. We’ve seen it with quite a lot of artisanal, independent watchmakers, and we’ve seen it from larger watchmaking companies such as Peacock. The company has certainly found a coherent, attractive style with this Divine Tourbillon, and delivers quite a bit of watch for its asking price.
Limited to 108 pieces, the price for the Peacock Divine Craft Hand-Made Micro-Engraved Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Limited Edition (and yes, that is too long for a name) is USD 4,899. And to be honest, it’s quite impressive. Sure, it can’t yet measure itself against high-end tourbillon watches from Switzerland, as those are most often finished to a much higher degree and cost a lot more. But on this level, from European brands? There’s simply little competition, and this watch can easily stand straight next to entry-level tourbillon watches (often priced above 10k euros) from the old continent.
For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
