Fayy’s Manman Panda Watch Puts Chinese Inner Painting On Sapphire

Fayy is making its debut with something hard to ignore. The Hong Kong-based brand has introduced the Manman Panda, a 39mm titanium watch with a hand-painted panda on the underside of its sapphire crystal. It features Chinese inner painting, a craft with more than two centuries of history, and Fayy has entered the watch in the Artistic Crafts category of the GPHG 2026. It is a pretty fun way for a new watch brand to debut. The image shows a panda eating and surrounded by bamboo, and the whole thing makes us smile, which we need more of in the watch world.

But there is much more going on here than the first impression might suggest. The panda, Manman, is a fictional character created by Fayy, with a distinct story and personality. Through apertures left in the painting on the crystal’s underside, the watch displays time via separate discs for the hours, minutes, and seconds, leaving the panda almost untouched in the middle of the dial. The case is also designed to work as either a wristwatch or a pendant (Take that, Royal Pop!). Fayy is producing only 50 pieces, and the effort behind them is astronomical.

Get to know Manman

Fayy spent several months developing Manman before turning her into a watch. According to her story, she was born in a wild bamboo forest in Sichuan in autumn 2020 and was raised by her mother for two and a half years. By the summer of 2026, she had just reached adulthood. Even her name has a meaning, with the character 曼 suggesting gentleness and quiet ease. That explains the scene chosen for the watch nicely. Manman is not fighting another panda or doing anything dramatic. She is simply sitting in the bamboo and eating. Fayy wanted to capture that slower idea of life and time, which becomes an important part of the watch’s identity.

The character was developed with Yuan Longjun, chief designer of panda culture at the World Eco Design Organization, who has more than 30 years of experience creating panda art. Yuan worked on Manman’s posture, expression, and overall character. Then, there is master artisan Lai Sijia, a third-generation inner-painting artist and the sole recognized representative of the craft in Guangdong Province. His job was to turn Manman into a miniature painting on sapphire. That is where things get seriously difficult. Chinese inner painting is done in reverse, with the elements closest to the viewer painted first. Once a stroke is made, it cannot be changed.

Painting on the inside

As I just mentioned, the technique is fascinating because the artist has to think backwards. Colors, shadows, and details are built up in an order that is completely different from normal painting. The composition has to be planned before the brush touches the surface, and Fayy says the process follows the principle of 一氣呵成, completing each layer “in one breath” or continuous movement. Sapphire made the job even harder. Instead of the ground surfaces traditionally used for inner-painted objects, such as snuff bottles, Fayy uses precision-sandblasted sapphire. It’s more difficult for pigment to adhere to this, but it allows the artisan to achieve finer detail. Suddenly, that friendly panda starts looking like a pretty serious piece of handcraft.

I really like the way Lai describes the painting process. Since Manman is eating, he says the mouth has to be where the spirit of the scene begins. Even the bamboo leaves need to portray movement. If Manman is caught halfway through an action, the leaf should feel like it is moving too. This is what makes the Manman Panda not just some random printing of a panda on the underside of a watch crystal. Every part of the little scene works together, and every watch becomes a miniature artwork because the final result depends on the artisan’s hand and judgment.

Displaying the time and keeping the watch out of the way

After going through all that trouble to paint Manman, putting a pair of traditional hands across her face would not make much sense. The solution is a display with separate discs for the hours, minutes, and seconds. It keeps the center of the dial open and lets the artwork remain the focus. The 39 × 39 × 12mm case is titanium. It has no conventional lugs, and the crown lies hidden, while the self-winding mechanical movement beats at 28,800 vph and offers a 40-hour power reserve. Fayy rates the water resistance at 50 meters.

Owners can wear the lugless case on the wrist or as a pendant using the included leather necklace. The watch comes on a JeaYou carved leather strap with a bamboo pattern and a folding buckle, so the theme is definitely not subtle. But I don’t think it needs to be. If you are going to make a panda watch, you might as well make a proper panda watch. There is also a nice connection between the design and Fayy’s wider idea of time. The brand refers to the Chinese concept of shí (時), which can encompass “season” and “circumstance” rather than the passing of hours and minutes.

Final thoughts

What I find most enjoyable about the Manman Panda is that although it’s a “fun” watch, it’s a heavy hitter. That is a good thing. Plenty of métiers d’art watches immediately make you feel like you need to stand up straight before looking at them. This one has a panda eating bamboo. It makes you smile first, and then you start wondering how the heck someone painted all of that backwards on the inside of a sapphire crystal. For me, that is a much more inviting way of showing off serious craftsmanship.

As mentioned, Fayy is making 50 examples of the Manman Panda. Each retails for CHF 3,300 (including VAT), with the stated intention of making Chinese inner painting and Manman’s story accessible to as wide an audience as the craft allows. For a first watch, it is a very clear introduction to what the brand wants to do. It is not just putting Chinese imagery on a watch and calling it cultural. The craft is part of the watch itself. The display has been designed around the artwork, and the whole thing is bursting with personality. And yes, it is still a panda eating bamboo. I think that is probably why I like it. It helps to be quirky once in a while, right?

What do you guys think about the Fayy Manman Panda watch? Were you surprised by the hidden hard work behind such a fun piece? And most importantly, isn’t Manman the cutest panda you’ve ever seen? Dear friends, let’s chat!