As the Lunar New Year approaches, luxury brands are returning to the Chinese zodiac despite uneven demand and subdued consumer sentiment in Asia.
With the Year of the Horse beginning on February 17, watchmakers and jewellers are once again creating tribute pieces not just as a decorative cue, but as a strategic marker of cultural alignment and market intent.
The horse, the seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, is associated with prosperity, good fortune, strength, and courage. In imperial history and ancient warfare alike, horses were indispensable companions, emblematic of loyalty and fearless determination.
Swiss watchmakers have long recognised the horse’s emotional and cultural power. As part of its ongoing dialogue with Chinese culture through the Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac collection, Vacheron Constantin introduced two 25-piece limited editions dedicated to the Year of the Horse. Each watch combines hand engraving and miniature painting, underscoring the maison’s commitment to decorative craftsmanship.
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac watch
Similarly, Richemont-stablemate Jaeger-LeCoultre marks the 2026 Lunar New Year with the Reverso Tribute Enamel Horse, a 10-piece limited edition created in the Métiers Rares atelier. The original Reverso was conceived in 1931 for polo players seeking to protect their watch dials during play, with its swivelling case born directly from the equestrian field.
Another brand with a structural reliance on equestrian imagery is Hermès. When Thierry Hermès established his workshop in Paris in 1837, his first clients were horses, not humans. He crafted harnesses and saddles of exceptional quality, laying the foundation for a house in which equestrian codes would become enduring design pillars.
That lineage translated into jewellery. In 1927, Hermès introduced its first jewel, the Filet de Selle bracelet, which drew directly on the forms of bridles and bits. Today, galloping horse heads, harnesses, and reins continue to surface across collections. Creative director Pierre Hardy’s Galop line distils these origins into sculptural forms, transforming functional elements into objects of refined energy.
Hermès Galop ring in rose gold set with diamonds
Beyond heritage houses, the horse also plays a role in shaping the design language of contemporary jewellery brands, where personal experience informs creative direction. Brazilian jeweller Graziela Kaufman, who unveiled an equestrian collection at the annual Couture fair in Las Vegas, drew inspiration from years spent riding. Developed in collaboration with her trainer, Kaufman “wanted to create pieces with movement — as majestic, realistic, and powerful as a horse”. Ten per cent of proceeds support horse rescue initiatives.
Lionheart, the New York-based brand, similarly places the horse at the centre of its design language, particularly in the Legacy collection. Creative director and founder Joy Haugaard, who grew up around horses, says equestrian jewellery often initiates personal conversations with collectors. “It becomes a dialogue about legacy, protection and honouring something meaningful, rather than simply purchasing a piece of jewellery,” she says. “Many clients arrive with their own histories — riding, rescue or emotional connection — and the jewellery serves as a vessel for those narratives.” Sales from the Legacy collection support horse rescue efforts in upstate New York, where Haugaard personally volunteers.
Lionheart diamond pin and pendant
For Los Angeles-based designer Brooke Gregson, the motif evokes mornings spent watching racehorses trained by her father. The jeweller, who also maintains a showroom in London, recalls being struck by the contrast between “the power and fragility of the horse”. Her equestrian pieces are centred on carved boulder opal horse heads, selected for their long association with strength. “You can see the power of the horse in the eyes and the texture of its silky hair in the stone,” she says, a physicality she extends through engraved gold motifs inspired by western saddles and cowboy boots, alongside gemstones that reinforce the energy of the form. “With my California West Coast spirit, I see the beauty of the equestrian motif and how it culturally symbolises the same freedom those from the West were seeking,” she says.
Brooke Gregson carved boulder opal necklace with emerald and diamonds
Claudia Kronfeld’s interpretation is deliberately pared back. Her pieces, under her Claudia Mae brand, draw inspiration from childhood weekends spent on her grandparents’ farm in Pennsylvania. “The equestrian world is often seen as polished and elevated, but my own experience with horses was much more relaxed and personal,” says the West Palm Beach-based designer. Each horse silhouette begins as a hand-cut form at the bench, refined over weeks to balance movement and softness, then accented with coloured gemstones to introduce warmth.
It becomes a dialogue about legacy, protection and honouring something meaningful, rather than simply buying jewellery
Joy Haugaard, Lionheart
That sense of childhood devotion also appeals to Heavenly Vices founder Samantha Jackson, who remembers birthdays spent around ponies and riding centres. Including horses in her jewellery feels like a full-circle moment for the New Orleans-born, Atlanta-based designer. More broadly, she sees equestrian imagery as reflecting the personal skills riders develop, “including overcoming fear, perseverance, relationship building, vulnerability, and empathy”.
For Palm Beach-based designer Karina Brez, the horse is the foundation of her entire brand. “Every collection begins with equestrian inspiration,” she says, “I approach it as a study in form, balance, and function rather than literal imagery.” In collections such as Bit of LUV and Huggable Hooves, the bit and the hoof are interpreted into essential lines and proportions in 18-carat gold, with diamonds used sparingly to mark points of tension or connection. Many pieces are engineered to move naturally on the body, reflecting the controlled dynamism of the horse itself.
These varied bejewelled expressions reveal why the horse continues to captivate, as a symbol of movement, freedom, and continuity — qualities that resonate as a new lunar year begins.
