The Celadon Haute Horlogerie Century Cloissoné Collection — Displaying Brilliant Levels Of Chinese Craftsmanship

As a watch writer, I sometimes run into something truly special and different from everything else. It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, I know immediately. When we received the timepieces from the Chinese high-horology brand Celadon, I had that feeling as soon as I unwrapped them. After seeing the dials, it was apparent that incredible amounts of time and skill went into creating them. But upon turning the watches around, I got the next surprise. Gloriously displayed through the case backs are the brand’s CH1 and CH5 movements, created and finished by AHCI master watchmaker Lin Yong Hua exclusively for Celadon Haute Horlogerie. As you will understand, I was intrigued to learn more about the Celadon HH Century Cloissoné collection.

Celadon is not necessarily a new brand, as it has existed since 2012. Currently, the brand has two product lines. The first is the Celadon Haute Horlogerie line, which features high-end handmade watches, like the ones in this review. The extravagant timepieces are a perfect display of traditional craftsmanship. The second product line is the Maison Celadon line, which contains less extravagant everyday watches. However, these watches still greatly represent Chinese culture in all their understated elegance. We had a chance to learn more about some of the amazing timepieces in the Haute Horlogerie line.

The story of Celadon and its founder

Celadon was founded by Benjamin Chee, who was born in Singapore of Fujian ancestry. After his studies in London, where he developed a deep love for vintage watches and antique clocks, he settled down in Shanghai to learn more about his roots and the land of his ancestors. That’s where he got to know many highly skilled but unknown artists who create amazing artisanal products using traditional skills and techniques. As these artisans have slowly become a dying breed, he decided to support their traditions.

At first, his support meant that Chee had bespoke watches made for himself. But as he posted them online, his friends started taking notice and expressing their interest in owning some. That’s when the idea arose to start a business and sell the watches online. Over a decade later, that has turned into three brands that have made a name for themselves in the watch world. It all started with Celadon in 2012 to put the spotlight on traditional Chinese craftsmanship. The second brand Chee created is Milléchron, which celebrates the elegance of classical watchmaking. Lastly, there is BCHH, which collaborates with high-end European watch/clockmakers for exceptional timepieces. It led to a GPHG nomination for the BCHH Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” that Chee created with Andersen Genève.

The story of the Celadon Haute Horlogerie Century

But back to Celadon, more specifically, Celadon Haute Horlogerie. With this special line, Chee wanted to raise the prestige and reputation of Chinese watchmaking. Over the past decade, we have seen more and more Chinese brands follow that principle but not often in the way Chee does it with Celadon HH. While brands like Behrens and Atelier Wen focus more on contemporary watchmaking, Celadon is all about traditional craftsmanship deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

Additionally, with Celadon HH, you can choose from many standard options for your timepiece, but you can take it one step further and have the brand create a bespoke watch for you. The canvas for all this is the Century model. We had a few variations of the Century time-only model in our offices. All feature the same 42mm × 47.4mm stainless steel case with an 11.5mm profile and a 22mm lug spacing. This classically shaped “moon case” is beautifully finished by hand. In the design and the mix of brushed and polished parts are many references to traditional Chinese culture and architecture that make it more than just a simple canvas for the dial and the movement.

Producing the Century Cloisonné dials

The Century case is combined with several unique cloisonné enamel dials. This technique of enameling dates back 600 years in Chinese history and is tied to many historical artifacts and events. Creating these dials involves 45 steps. It starts with laying the image out on a solid silver base and deciding the individual enamel colors. Next, gold wires are laid by hand with tweezers to form the final image. After that, each dial is enameled and fired 25 times in a specialized oven reaching 900° Celsius.

To give you an idea of the dedication required, just laying out the image with gold wire takes an artisan up to 50 hours. On top of that, there is the risk of the dial cracking at any time during firing in the oven. Therefore, only 10% of the dials are finished successfully. But as you will understand, the result is unique. No two dials are the same due to their artisanal creation process. 

Century Cloisonné dial options

Currently, there are 10 cloisonné enamel dial designs to choose from. We had the Duo of Swallows and Double Dragons in the office. Additionally, we receive the Century Jump Hour with the Double Phoenix dial, which is also one of the 10 available options. But we will review that one in a separate article. We picked two extra examples from the 10 to give you an idea of the detailed work that Celadon HH offers. The Mandarin Duck dial, pictured above, represents the Tang Dynasty, which first used the mandarin duck as a symbol for eternal love.

Another example is the Duo of Peacocks dial, “which depicts a peacock and peahen luxuriating amidst verdant blooming peonies.” Just look at the incredible level of detail and the beautiful colors. It truly is a work of art. Traditionally, the peacock embodies magnificence, power, and beauty in Chinese culture. And as you can see, the signature peacock-tail hour and minute hands fit the design perfectly.

The Double Dragons dial is reminiscent of Delft Blue

While those two dials are amazing to see, I connected more to the two dials we had in for review. One of the reasons is that I adore Delft Blue. This blue and white tin-glazed earthenware is all around the Netherlands. While I like and respect the traditional form of Delftware, the modern reinterpretations are my favorite. I enjoy multiple modern Delft Blue pieces as small art pieces in my house.

So you will understand that I immediately liked the Double Dragons dial created in blue and white Ming Dynasty colors. While the name tells you the basics, that is not the full story because the level of detail on these dials is incredible.

The Double Dragon features two of the famous mythical creatures fighting each other over a fiery pearl, which represents the Moon. On top of that, they take up most of the space on either side, leaving a significantly small white space in the middle. Out of all the 10 available options, that is my absolute favorite.

The Century Cloisonné Duo of Swallows is like a painting

The Duo of Swallows dial depicts an elegant scene of bird-and-flower painting, an art form that goes back millennia in Chinese culture and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. I love how this looks more serene compared to the Double Dragons dial. But look at the wonderful detail of the flower petals. It is so well done, and the watch feels like a true painting on the wrist.

But there is more than the dial because the signature hands are special too. The two peacock-tail hands feature large, circular open tips that stand out against the busy dials. You can have these hands blued or purpled in an additional bespoke step. Depending on the backdrop, those could change the style of the watch immediately.

The Celadon Calibre CH5

The Duo of Swallows model we received housed the brand’s flagship Calibre CH5, a creation by master watchmaker Lin Yong Hua exclusively for Celadon HH. The manual-winding movement operates at 18,000vph and offers 45 hours of power reserve. The bridges, balance cock, and click are designed to look like the crested head and tail feathers of a phoenix. On top of that, it features a Breguet overcoil, gold chatons, and a beautiful spoked center wheel.

The manual finishing, including black polishing, Chinese scroll stripes, and meticulous hand-beveling on inward and outward angles, is nothing short of impressive. Celadon offers a range of bespoke options, including a rose or white gold finish and frosted or striped bridges. Lastly, a planetary gear mechanism and grande-sonnerie-style winding click springs make winding the movement incredibly smooth.

The Celadon Calibre CH1

The Double Dragons model we had was powered by the more affordable and less elaborate Calibre CH1, which is also a creation of master watchmaker Lin Yong Hua. Like the CH5, it is a manual-winding movement that operates at 18,000vph and offers 45 hours of power reserve.

The Calibre CH1 features a three-quarter bridge plated in rose gold with curvy lines and rubies set into chatons. Celadon offers the option of a Breguet overcoil for a fee. Additionally, you can choose to have the movement finished in white gold.

Wearing the Celadon HH Century Cloisonné watches

As always, many words are necessary to explain all the intricate details of high-horology watches. But how do they translate to the wrist? My reaction was much shorter than all those words I spent explaining the details. It simply is stunning to wear a series of watches like this. I could immediately feel and see the hours of craftsmanship that went into creating the watches. Every detail is wonderfully executed, from the case finishing to the recessed crown and the tremendous dials. The words I spend on these timepieces and all the images that our Fratello photographer Max shot do not come close to having a Celadon HH Century Cloisonné on the wrist.

With its 42mm diameter, the case is not small, but thanks to the relatively slim overall profile, it sits well on the wrist. Additionally, the leather straps that these watches come with are of great quality and in well-chosen colors. I must say that Celadon has done a great job pairing the dials with great straps. I was impressed by the two watches we had in, and I can only imagine the Mandarin Duck and Two Swallows models are equally impressive.

Final thoughts on the Celadon Century collection

All in all, I greatly respect what Benjamin Chee is trying to achieve with Celadon Haute Horlogerie. In the world of high-end watches, Switzerland is the dominant country. But as most of you know, we are seeing more small independent brands arising outside the traditional home of horology. Seeing the Celadon Century models was an absolute joy. Despite their dials being completely different from far away, I truly connected with them up close.

On top of that, it was a joy to see the CH5 and CH1 calibers developed especially for Celadon. Buyers can choose which movement they want, and Celadon HH even offers them a say in the finishing, which is not something we often see. It stems from Chee’s initial quest to honor Chinese tradition and craftsmanship through bespoke watches.

If you’d like a Century Cloisonné model with the CH5 movement, you can get one for US$29,000. That includes the white-gold-plated, blued, or purpled hands, a Breguet overcoil, and the finishing of the caliber.

If you’d prefer a Century Cloisonné with the CH1 movement, that will start at US$14,900. The optional Breguet overcoil will cost US$2,000, and the blued or purpled hands add another US$2,000. Finally, if you want a bespoke dial made, that will cost an extra US$3,000, regardless of your choice of caliber. That will truly make it a uniquely personal timepiece.

Overall, seeing these Century Cloisonné watches was an impressive introduction to Celadon Haute Horlogerie. The Double Dragons piqued my interest in finding out more about the historical connections between the Ming Dynasty and Delft Blue, and the Duo of Swallows was a wonderful example of Song Dynasty-style art for the wrist. Indeed, these watches are great historical storytellers, and I greatly respect that.

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