According to one Chinese legend, the pig took a nap during a race among animals, for a slot in the 12-year cycle. Nevertheless, it managed to secure a seat as the last animal sign on the Chinese zodiac.
The strong-willed and chubby creature has been reimagined through various artisanal techniques in limited editions to mark the Year of the Pig.
A hands-free dial serves as a canvas for Vacheron Constantin's craftsmen to execute decorative art for the new watch under the Métier d'Art: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac series.
The hour, minute, day and date are indicated on apertures on the dial, centred by a hand-engraved pig, surrounded by a foliage motif based on Chinese iconography. The semi-embedded pattern stands out from the gold base, with the depth making it seem like a floating motif.
Grand Feu enamelling, by applying successive layers of enamel and firing between 800 and 900C, further enhances the beauty of the dial.
The ancestral sparsello technique is used to decorate the cover of Panerai Luminor Sealand.
Only 12 each of the platinum or pink gold model, housed in a 40mm case, have been produced to tempt collectors of the Métier D'Arts series and those born under the sign of the Pig.
Panerai has been creating special editions since the Year of the Ox in 2009, with each zodiac animal appearing on the cover of the 44mm stainless steel Luminor Sealand.
Italian master engravers employ the ancient technique of sparsello, named after a special tool, to decorate the cover.
Grooves are first etched into the steel before they are inlaid with gold threads in multiple parallel layers. The threads are then beaten until completely filling in the grooves that together outline the pig and an auspicious floral motif.
Opening the engraved lid reveals a grey dial, with the date and a small seconds dial at 3 and 9 o'clock. The special edition in 88 pieces is available only at Panerai boutiques.
Chopard also created 88 pieces of rose gold L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Pig. The zodiac sign is represented by a golden pig with a protruding stomach, symbolising abundance and joviality, trotting in a forest.
This colourful interpretation was created by Minori Koizumi, a master of Urushi -- an ancestral Japanese art of lacquerware.
The varnish comes from the sap of the Urushi, or lacquer tree, which is harvested for a small amount of its resin only once a year. It takes three to five years for the resin to be ready for a treatment that turns it into a highly resistant, honey-textured lacquer.
On this 39.5mm rose gold model, the pig is illustrated with a cheerful face, to signify a year of successful exertions and merriment.
