Gucci, Hermès and Chanel all made time for big cats at Watches and Wonders

Big cats are trending big time. We came across four new timepiece releases from this year’s Watches and Wonders featuring wild animal motifs that have been artistically portrayed on the face of each of these dials.

The Cartier Panthère Métiers d’Art Tortue watch depicts the maison’s beloved panther seen through a curtain of rain, with the effect created using a technique called champlevé enamelling. It is available in two combinations: white gold with emerald eyes and yellow gold with tsavorite eyes.

Pocket watches are making a comeback in 2026. This timepiece would typically rest in a waistcoat pocket, but can also be worn around the neck as a pendant or attached to a belt loop. The Slim d’Hermès Pocket Roaaaaar! is available in two colourways – vert cyprès and bleu saphir – both detailed with a lion’s head in profile, meticulously executed in wooden marquetry over a grand feu enamel dial.

Gucci’s G-Timeless Métiers d’Art Tiger watch is inspired by one of the Italian fashion label’s Animalia scarf prints from the late 1970s. It features a hand-painted rose gold tiger and engraved bamboo detail set against an iridescent mother-of-pearl dial. There is a tourbillon at 12 o’clock accented with a diamond-set star, another signature of Gucci’s timepieces.

Limited to 55 pieces, the 42mm Chanel Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition is crafted from matte black ceramic and black-coated steel. It features a tourbillon cage set with a laser-engraved titanium lion’s head plate – one of the house’s most prominent design codes and a nod to founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s astrological sign, Leo.