Search

CIGA Design’s Minimalist, Mechanical, and Mystical Eye of Horus Wristwatch

12.15.23 | By
CIGA Design’s Minimalist, Mechanical, and Mystical Eye of Horus Wristwatch

CIGA Design may not yet have the brand recognition on the horological landscape as other established luxury tier watchmakers, but the industry and those passionate about timepieces certainly took note after the relative upstart took home a Grand Prix prize at the “the Oscars of watchmaking” with their 46-millimeter titanium Blue Planet automatic wristwatch.

Side by side photos of Naoto Fukasawa's J Zen Michael Young's MY CIGA Design mechanical wristwatches.

Naoto Fukasawa’s J Zen to the left and Michael Young’s MY watch are two other CIGA Design collaborative creations.

Founded by Zhang Jianmin and guided by Bauhaus design principles to bring good design to Gen Z fashionistas on a global scale, CIGA Design have taken a foothold as an interesting upstart in the realm of timepieces. They’ve accelerated their presence by partnering with numerous designers of note over the last several years, co-creating signature mechanical watches that include Naoto Fukasawa’s stunningly spoked J Zen, Michael Young’s namesake timepiece the MY, and the 2021 iF Design Award winning Black Hole by Paul Cohen.

Two black and silver CIGA Design Eye of Horus mechanical wristwatches in a dramatically lit and shadowed stone backdrop.

Pencil sketches of the CIGA Design Eye of Horus mechanical wristwatch from various angles.

Their latest watch, the Eye of Horus from X Series is more bare bones in the designer name association department, but showcases CIGA Design’s intricate eye for details and precise self-winding engineering at an attainable price.

Detail of the mechanical gears and complications of the rose gold CIGA Design Eye of Horus mechanical wristwatch

In spite of the complex transparent design, the back-to-front skeleton-style automatic mechanical watch keeps the design unfussy in the hours, minutes, and seconds complications department. Instead, the watchmaker’s newest creation centers around the Eye of Horus, iconography representative of ancient Egyptian mythology’s belief of energy, power, healing, and luck.

Black and gold CIGA Design Eye of Horus mechanical wristwatch from front overhead view with soft white glow behind it.

CIGA Design Eye of Horus mechanical wristwatch's hours and minutes hand alongside "eye" centerpiece glowing green

Operating as the second hand, the triangular motif turns and glows with a luminous green at night.

Housed within a lightweight bioceramic case, the watch invites admiration of its movement with a 360-degree view of the watch’s inner mechanics. Newbies to the horological collection game will benefit from the watch’s self-winding movement, subtracting the responsibility to regularly manual wind the watch.

Arm in green jacket wearing the Eye of Horus wristwatch with blurred outdoor background

Black and gold CIGA Design Eye of Horus mechanical wristwatch from front overhead view with soft white glow behind it.

An obsidian crown is a small additional touch tying together the ancient Egyptian themed motif. Only the watch’s noticeably flaccid silicone strap comes up a bit short, but it’s easily replaced with something more befitting of the original design.

The CIGA Design Eye of Horus is being offered in Black, Rose Gold, and Silver, available via Indiegogo for $199 before retailing for $270 in February 2024.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.