Year of the Horse 2026: 11 horse-inspired watches from TAG Heuer, Hublot, Longines and more

Chinese New Year starts on 17th February 2026, and this year, it’s the Year of the Fire Horse. To celebrate this Chinese New Year, many watch manufacturers have launched special and limited edition timepieces inspired by the new animal for 2026.

In Chinese culture, the horse symbolises independence, speed and intelligence, while the whole year itself is expected to bring energy, quick decisions and travel. Compared to the past couple of years – the Year of the Dragon for 2024 and the Year of the Snake for 2025 – a horse is traditionally a bit tamer, but that definitely can’t be said for these watches.

As you’d expect, these Year of the Horse watches feature horses on the dial and casebacks, but as this year’s horse is associated with the fire element, there are also lots of red, orange and yellow colours. Chinese characters and symbols are also prominent on these watches, especially on date windows and moonphases.

I’ve rounded up the best 11 Year of the Horse watches you should know about in 2026, from TAG Heuer, Hublot, Longines, Blancpain and more.

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Horse

Based on its Carrera Chronograph design, TAG Heuer’s Year of the Horse timepiece celebrates Chinese New Year in a very subtle way. The dial of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year of the Horse is champagne gold and red, with the red displayed on the date window, chronograph and seconds hand.

The main horse-inspired accent is via the date window. As the horse is the seventh position of the Chinese zodiac, the number seven has been replaced ‘马’, the Chinese character for horse. When it’s the seventh of every month, you’ll get to see the character.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Horse Frosted Carbon

Crafted from carbon, the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Horse Frosted Carbon is inspired by the Dragon-Horse. The black dial features a 3N gold-plated brass horse which is three dimensional to add more angles and movement to the watch. The mane of the horse looks like flames and is overlaid with skeletonised hours and minutes hands.

Powered by the HUB1710 movement, this watch has a 50 hour power reserve and sits in a 42mm tonneau matte black carbon case. The case is fixed with screws, and has a subtle smoke pattern to link to the ‘fire’ aspect of the Fire Horse.

Longines Master Collection Year of The Horse Edition

Like the TAG Heuer timepiece, the Longines Master Collection Year of The Horse Edition has lots of hidden details that you might not have noticed by a glance. In collaboration with China’s Peon Art Museum, the watch has a gold gilt rotor that features Peon Xu’s Galloping Horse painting – it actually gallops as the rotor spins.

The dial of the Longines Master Collection Year of The Horse Edition has a black-red gradient, gold hands and hour markers, and a moonphase complication at the six o’clock position. It’s also limited to just 2,026 pieces to mark the year 2026.

Louis Moinet Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse

Known for its puzzle dials, the Louis Moinet Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse is a bold 3D watch that puts the Fire Horse front and centre. The dial features a black horse’s head which is surrounded by red, orange and yellow flames. The horse is made from puzzle pieces, and the watch has a sapphire dome so you can see it at all angles.

Measuring 40.7mm, the Louis Moinet Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse has an 18K red gold case and skeletonised hours and minutes hands. A tourbillon sits at six o’clock and has a prominent crown on the right side.

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold "Year of the Horse"

The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold "Year of the Horse" marks the sixth consecutive year that Arnold & Son has released a limited edition Chinese New Year watch. This timepiece is based on its Perpetual Moon design, with a black aventurine dial, moonphase, mother-of-pearl moon and star constellations.

The horse on the Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Red Gold "Year of the Horse" is made from 18K red gold and looks as if it’s galloping off the dial. A second moonphase display can be seen on the caseback, so wearers can follow the lunar cycle to complete preciseness.

Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel – Year of the Horse 2026

The Year of the Horse version of the Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel is the first time the brand has introduced a salmon coloured Grand Feu enamel dial. Around the outside of the dial are numbers for the days of the month, and silver Roman numerals depict the hour markers.

The dial features three subdials with Chinese characters, a moonphase, Chinese date and month, double-hour, zodiac signs and more. A small window sits at 12 o’clock and if you look closely, you can see a horse. All of this sits inside a 45.2mm platinum case – it’s insanely impressive.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Year of the Horse

A real masterpiece, the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Year of the Horse sits in a 40mm platinum case and showcases a bold 18K gold dial with a miniature enamel. A hand engraved horse leaps over a rock and sits atop a blue sky with floral details on the left side.

There are no hour markers or hands on this watch. Instead, there are four windows that display tone-one-tone discs that indicate the hour, minutes, days and date. The top windows are shown in blue while the bottom ones are green as they sit on top of the floral background.

Oris Year of the Horse Limited Edition

Another bold red watch, the Oris Year of the Horse Limited Edition is all about luck. The fiery red of the dial features black and red on the two subdials, while gold is used on the hour markers and hands, and lighter pink makes up other accents, including dates, days and weeks of the year that runs around the outside.

The non-linear power reserve indicator which sits at three o’clock shows a galloping horse when it’s full and a resting horse when empty. The watch has a 10-day power reserve, and other nice features, like a date window is at nine and a day window at 12.

IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse

Inspired by Chinese New Year celebrations, the dial of the IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse is displayed in burgundy and has gold accents on the dial and caseback. Inside its stainless steel case are a small seconds display, power reserve display, hour indexes, hour and minutes hands, and a date window.

In the power reserve display sits a gold horse but it's the caseback that really shows off the horse design. Powered by the IWC 52011 calibre movement, the watch has a gold-plated rotor that's shaped like a galloping horse.

Dior Grand Soir Year of the Horse

Like the Vacheron Constantin watch, the Dior Grand Soir Year of the Horse is a similar timepiece which is all about the decoration rather than the timekeeping. The dial of the watch is made from mother-of-pearl, gold and gemstones, with a Toile de Jouy motif.

The colours and gems display two horses walking through a floral garden. It’s extremely detailed, and very pretty. The watch also features pink gold on the hour and minute hands, and the bezel which is set with 52 diamonds. The case is steel and measures 36mm so it’s suited to smaller wrists.

Swatch Riding the Clouds

Made in collaboration with Yu Wenjie, the Swatch Riding the Clouds watch has a colourful, bold print that covers the dial, bezel, case and strap. Two galloping horses – one white and red and one black – overlap the dial and case and run on top of a background of flames and clouds.

The Swatch Riding the Clouds features gold on the hour, minute and seconds hands, and on its small crown on the right side of the case. This watch also happens to be the cheapest on the list at just £86.