Horology Planet Exhibition Series — 16
In October 2026, Beijing becomes a meeting point for Chinese imperial aesthetics, traditional craftsmanship, and contemporary design. Held at the National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing), the “Forbidden City Divine Craft” Chinese Imperial Aesthetics & Contemporary Creation Exhibition and the “Horology Planet” International Creative Exhibition bring together a range of creative works that explore the connections between Eastern cultural heritage and modern craftsmanship.
The exhibition is about more than the objects on display. It also asks how traditional art forms can continue to evolve, finding new relevance through modern materials, innovative design, and precision engineering. From decorative techniques rooted in imperial workshops to the intricacies of independent watchmaking, the works on show offer different perspectives on how the past can inform the present.
As part of this exhibition series, Horology Planet takes a closer look at the participating watch brands and the ideas behind their creations.
Peacock Watch: Seven Craftsmen, One Enduring Vision
Peacock's story began long before the brand acquired its familiar name. Historical records trace Dandong's watchmaking roots to the late Qing dynasty, when local workshops and watch retailers helped establish the city's connection with the international watch trade. By the early twentieth century, Dandong had developed a small but active watch industry, laying the groundwork for the manufacturing tradition that followed.
The defining chapter arrived in the 1950s, when seven technicians at the Andong Metal Products Factory shared an ambitious dream: to make their own watches. Working with limited equipment, they improvised tools, refined their techniques, and learned through repeated experimentation. In 1957, they succeeded in producing their first watch, named Qianjin, meaning “Move Forward.” The following year, the Andong Watch Factory was established, bringing their achievement into serial production.
The business continued to evolve through successive generations of watchmakers. The Hongqi (Red Flag) watch became an important milestone, and in 1973 its unified movement watch was renamed Kongque, or Peacock. The new name marked a defining moment in the brand's identity.
Over the following decades, Peacock expanded its manufacturing capabilities and developed a reputation for both production scale and technical ambition. Today, its work encompasses sophisticated tourbillon movements, contemporary case architecture, and traditional hand-finishing techniques.
What connects these different chapters is a belief that progress begins with mastery of the craft. Whether developing complex mechanical movements or engraving intricate patterns by hand, Peacock brings together industrial experience and the patience of individual artisans. Its contemporary collections reflect this dual heritage: a distinctly Chinese watchmaking identity shaped by mechanical exploration, artistic discipline, and a continuing desire to move forward.
Divine Craft — Where Traditional Metal Art Meets Mechanical Precision
Peacock's Divine Craft Tourbillon explores how traditional Chinese metalworking can become part of contemporary haute horlogerie. At its center is a hand-worked dial created by Zhao Yi, a contemporary jewelry artist and professor at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. Rather than relying on printed decoration, the dial uses micro-chasing to transform a small metal surface into a landscape of intricate lines, shifting textures, and reflected light.
Working across a dial approximately 30 mm in diameter, Zhao Yi uses three specially made chasing tools to create more than 1,000 individually struck lines. The pattern moves from broader, more open textures toward increasingly fine and dense details, giving the surface a sense of depth and movement. The process demands exceptional control over the angle and force of every strike: a small deviation can disrupt the entire composition. Developed over approximately six months, the dial retains subtle traces of the human hand, making its texture inseparable from the process of its creation.
This approach reflects the exhibition's wider interest in traditional craftsmanship as a living practice rather than a preserved relic. The dial does not simply carry a cultural reference; it embodies the time, discipline, and manual skill required to create it.
Beneath this artistic surface lies Peacock's in-house ultra-thin tourbillon movement, measuring just 3.5 mm thick. The movement features hand-finished perlage, Geneva stripes, carefully polished bevels, and distinctive decorative details around the tourbillon. Its architecture combines technical refinement with visual transparency, allowing the mechanical components to become part of the watch's aesthetic expression.
The 904L stainless steel case continues this balance between precision and restraint. At 8.9 mm thick, its layered “Wrapped Vision” architecture uses contrasting brushed and polished surfaces to create depth without unnecessary bulk. The result is a watch that brings traditional metal artistry and contemporary mechanical engineering into close dialogue.
With its sculpted dial, ultra-thin tourbillon, and carefully finished case, Divine Craft represents Peacock's vision of modern Chinese watchmaking: one in which technical sophistication and the irreplaceable character of human craftsmanship coexist.
Key Specifications
- Movement: Peacock PAX9610A ultra-thin tourbillon
- Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
- Power Reserve: 68 hours
- Jewels: 24
- Case Material: 904L stainless steel
- Case Diameter: 39.5 mm / 38 mm visual profile
- Case Thickness: 8.9 mm
- Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Caseback: Transparent
- Strap: Fine-grain leather
- Water Resistance: 5 ATM
Black Hole — The Geometry of Gravity
Inspired by the mysterious structure of black holes, Peacock's Black Hole Central Tourbillon translates the invisible forces of the universe into a striking mechanical composition. The watch received a Gold Award at the 2023 MUSE Design Awards and recognition at the 2024 German iF Design Awards, reflecting its distinctive approach to contemporary horological design.
The central tourbillon forms the focal point of the dial, while concentric titanium discs display the hours and minutes around it. Instead of conventional hands, two triangular markers indicate the time against the rotating discs. Blue luminous material identifies the hours, while green marks the minutes, creating a contrasting display that remains legible in low-light conditions.
The dial's defining feature is its hand-crafted curved guilloché, known as the “Gravitational Weave.” Inspired by the distortion of spacetime around a black hole, the pattern consists of 240 interlocking V-shaped grooves, with 120 advancing clockwise and 120 counterclockwise. Six engraving passes per groove produce a total of 1,440 precision cuts.
Unlike conventional flat guilloché, this technique requires each line to be engraved across a curved, three-dimensional surface. As the dial rises and falls beneath the tool, the artisan must continuously adjust the cutting angle and pressure by hand. A single mistake can permanently damage the surface. The finished pattern creates a visual sense of space converging toward the center, while changing reflections reveal the depth of the engraving.
Inside, Peacock's self-developed PAX9611A central free-sprung tourbillon movement combines 196 components within a 35.6 mm movement architecture. Four barrels connected in series provide a substantial 120-hour power reserve, while the central vortex-shaped bridge echoes the gravitational imagery of the dial. The movement is designed not only for mechanical performance but also to make its complexity visible.
A Grade 5 titanium case, domed sapphire crystal, and flame-blued titanium inner ring complete the design. The blue-violet coloration of the inner ring is produced through controlled oxidation at approximately 550–600°C, giving each finished surface its own character.
Black Hole is an ambitious interpretation of time as a cosmic phenomenon. Through curved hand engraving, unconventional time display, and central tourbillon engineering, Peacock turns an abstract scientific idea into a wearable work of mechanical art.
Key Specifications
- Movement: Peacock PAX9611A central tourbillon
- Movement Type: Manual-winding
- Power Reserve: 120 hours
- Frequency: 21,600 vibrations per hour
- Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
- Case Diameter: 43.5 mm
- Case Thickness: 11.9 mm
- Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Buckle: Grade 5 titanium
- Strap: Fluororubber in black or silicone in white
- Water Resistance: 5 ATM
Plumage Gaze — The Art of Light in Motion
The Peacock Plumage Gaze returns to the essential functions of a traditional mechanical watch—hours, minutes, and seconds—while placing hand-made guilloché at the center of its design. Inspired by the shimmering feathers of a peacock's open plumage, the dial transforms a familiar natural image into a precise geometric pattern that changes with the light.
The dial is engraved by hand using a custom-built, manually operated engraving engine developed by master engraver Wei Sheng. With a background in applied physics and more than two decades of experience in hand-made guilloché, Wei brings scientific precision and artistic intuition to a demanding decorative craft.
The signature pattern combines three lines of diamond-shaped geometry inspired by the structure of peacock feathers. Its 6.6° engraving angle creates larger, deeper forms than more conventional 4° or 5° patterns, making the alignment of every intersection particularly challenging. On a dial measuring approximately 28.8 mm, the artisan executes more than 3,000 individual cuts. Each line must maintain consistent depth and direction; even a microscopic deviation can compromise the pattern.
The result is a surface that appears almost alive. As the wrist moves, light travels across the intersecting lines, alternately revealing and concealing the dial's depth. The texture is neither printed nor stamped. It is carved directly into the metal, giving the watch its distinctive interplay of geometry, light, and shadow.
The integrated case and bracelet are crafted from 904L stainless steel, with a sculpted case featuring 56 precisely aligned facets. Brushed surfaces alternate with mirror-polished edges, creating a controlled rhythm of reflections. Six signature “Peacock Eye” screws reinforce the case's visual identity, while the integrated bracelet continues its architectural lines across the wrist.
At the heart of the watch is the automatic PAX6912 movement, operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 38-hour power reserve. Its finishing includes Geneva stripes, perlage, polished bevels, and a gold-toned rotor, bringing further attention to the craftsmanship beneath the dial.
Available in colors inspired by traditional Chinese palettes, including Shu (soft coral), Ji (clear post-rain blue), and Imperial Purple, Plumage Gaze combines restrained proportions with a richly textured surface. At 38.5 mm in diameter and 9.4 mm thick, it offers a balanced profile suited to everyday wear.
More than an exercise in decoration, Plumage Gaze demonstrates how traditional hand engraving can shape the identity of a contemporary mechanical watch. It captures the fleeting beauty of a peacock's plumage in a lasting metal surface, where every cut reflects the patience and precision of its maker.
Key Specifications
- Movement: Peacock PAX6912 automatic
- Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Case Material: 904L stainless steel
- Case Diameter: 38.5 mm
- Case Thickness: 9.4 mm
- Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Caseback: Solid
- Bracelet: Integrated 904L stainless steel
- Water Resistance: 10 ATM
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Exhibition Guide
- Exhibition Name: “Forbidden City Divine Craft” Chinese Imperial Aesthetics & Contemporary Creation Exhibition, and the “Horology Planet” International Creative Exhibition
- Opening Date: October 23, 2026
- Exhibition Dates: October 23, 2026 – December 16, 2026
- Venue: 3rd Floor Art Space, Building D7, National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing), No. 3 Jinhang East Road, Shunyi District, Beijing
- Organizer: National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing)
- Academic Support: Research Group on Qing Dynasty Court Craftsmanship Inheritance Examples, The Palace Museum; Watchina
- Executive Curator: Horology Planet
