CIGA Design, a Chinese original designer watch brand brought home the first GPHG medal for China with the Blue Planet model from the U-Series at the 21st Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG), which took place in November 2021. This unique timepiece is now available in Malaysia at Red Army Watches boutiques in One Utama and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), the highest honor in the world of watches, is known as the Oscars of the watch industry. It was co-founded in 2001 by the City of Geneva and the Canton of Geneva. Since May 2011, it has been officially recognized by the Foundation as a non-profit organization, in tribute to the achievement of the global watchmaking industry.
As early as 2019, CIGA Design has been nominated for the GPHG Challenge Prize with the Earth Single-Hand series. In the list of 84 timepieces nominated by the Academy of the 21st GPHG, CIGA Design became the only Chinese watch brand competing for 14 GPHG prizes once again, which are the most prestigious, authoritative, and influential ones in the global watch industry, together with a whole host of world-class brands like Piaget, Breitling, IWC, Chanel, Chopard and Louis Vuitton. CIGA Design fulfilled the break-through from zero among Chinese watch brands.
This prize-winning watch is inspired by a reflection on human-earth connections in the post-epidemic era, which is powered by original non-synchronous tracking technology. This technology changes the way in which time is read on conventional watches, expressing the hope to awaken the public’s awareness of protecting the environment and natural beings of the planet with an intricate watch dial.
As everyone knows, China is a watchmaking powerhouse, and for every 10 watches in the world, 8 are from China (or made in China). Chinese watches, however, have been imitators, due to the insufficient competence in original designs. Despite that, CIGA Design, China’s first original designer watch brand led by Mr. Zhang Jianmin since he founded the company in 2016, has been committed to original and concise designs, defining each watch as a cool fashion piece loaded with artistic attributes that contribute to the harmony between one’s external selection of a watch with inner self-expression in this era of diversity, and has become an unexpected winner among its Chinese peers over the last two years!
It’s said that in early 2020, the Z series mechanical watches – Frontier Titanium Edition by CIGA Design set a new sales record as an individual product on Indiegogo in the watch category, with sales of $2,784,000 as the crowdfunding closed, selling well in more than 100 countries. Later, at the end of 2020, the brand, one more time, broke the top record in the watch category with the X series – Gorilla, “the world’s first SUV watch”, closing at 2000% of the crowdfunding amount within 24 hours after it was launched on the platform. Once again, this proved the competitiveness of “Created in China + Made in China” in the international market!
By this year, CIGA Design, though only existing for more than five years, has won a total of 17 international design awards by virtue of its original designs, including nine of the thirteen Red Dot Awards for watches in China. It’s also the winner of both the German Red Dot Award: Best of the Best and the iF Gold Award for product design in the domestic watch industry, and the only Chinese watch brand winning the GPHG prize. In 2021, thanks to its innovative designs, CIGA design was again selected as one of the global TOP 3 finalists in the German iF Design Award 2017-2021 in the watch/jewelry category, along with Apple and Bulgari.
CIGA Design, because of its U series – the Blue Planet, has entered the world’s highest temple of watch competition, initiated a new start for the Chinese watch industry, and blown our minds with stunning visual experiences. In the future, we’re looking forward to more outstanding works by CIGA Design appearing in the world’s highest temple of watches representing the Chinese watch industry. Let’s wait and stay focused on this young Chinese brand!
U-Series Blue Planet GPHG Stainless Steel Mechanical Watch Ref: U031-SU01-W6U.
Specifications
Caliber: Automatic CIGA Design self-design movement
Functions: The navigation marker on the dial is the only pointer
Case: Stainless Steel, 3 ATM water-resistant
Diameter: 46mm x 46mm excluding crown
Height: 15mm
Glass: Sapphire glass
Strap: 22mm
Dial: Blue
Strap: Fluorine Rubber
Limitation: No
Warranty: 1 year
Retail Price: RM 4,270.00
U-Series Blue Planet GPHG Titanium Mechanical Watch Ref: U031-TU02-W6U.
Specifications
Caliber: Automatic CIGA Design self-design movement
Functions: The navigation marker on the dial is the only pointer
Case: Titanium Alloy, 3 ATM water-resistant
Diameter: 46mm x 46mm Excluding crown
Height: 15mm
Glass: Sapphire glass
Strap: 22mm
Dial: Blue
Strap: Fluorine Rubber
Limitation: No
Warranty: 1 year
Retail Price: RM 5,220.00
