CIGA Design is a Chinese independent watch brand that has done what few in the industry have managed: build a global following on the strength of design alone. Founded with a conviction that watchmaking could be approached as pure industrial art — sculpture with a movement inside — the brand has consistently challenged the aesthetic conventions of the industry, producing timepieces whose forms are as daring as anything emerging from Switzerland or Japan.
The brand's philosophy treats every watch as a design object first. Cases are conceived as three-dimensional compositions; movements are integrated into the visual architecture rather than hidden beneath it; and materials are chosen for their expressive potential as much as their functional properties. The result is a collection that reads like a portfolio of precision-engineered art pieces, each one a conversation between the industrial and the organic, the mechanical and the conceptual.
CIGA Design's achievements have earned recognition at the highest levels of international design. The brand's Blue Planet tourbillon — a watch whose case evokes the Earth as seen from space — won a Red Dot Design Award, placing CIGA alongside the world's most celebrated industrial designers. Multiple other models have followed with further design awards, confirming that the brand's ambitions are not aspirational but consistent.
For a generation of collectors who approach watches through the lens of art, architecture, and contemporary design — and who see no reason why the finest watch design should be confined to a single country or tradition — CIGA Design is a revelation: proof that the most exciting chapter in watch design may well be written in China.
2016
In 2016, CIGA Design was established.
2017
In November 2017, the C Series was launched on Mi.com.
2018
In May 2018, the MY series was launched on Mi.com, reaping a sales revenue of RMB 8.25 million.
2019
In November 2019, the Single-Hand Mechanical Wristwatch Series Globe was selected by GPHG, becoming the first Chinese watch brand to be selected.
2020
In February 2020, the CIGA Design Mechanical Watch Series Z was launched on INDIEGOGO, setting an all-time No. 1 sales record in the watch category. In December 2020, the Series X Gorilla debuted on INDIEGOGO, breaking the No. 1 record in the watch category.
2021
In November 2021, the CIGA Design Mechanical Watch Series U Blue Planet won the GPHG Challenge Award, becoming the first Chinese watch brand to win the award. In April 2021, CIGA Design, together with Apple and Bulgari, was selected as one of the global Top 3 in the watch jewelry category at iF 2017-2021 in Germany.
2022
In April 2022, CIGA Design released the Blue Planet x World Earth Day Special Edition. In June 2022, the Museum of Art and History (MAH) in Geneva, Switzerland, collected the CIGA Design Blue Planet, making it the first Chinese brand watch in the museum's collection. In November 2022, CIGA Design watches were launched on additional platforms.
2023
In December 2023, CIGA Design launched the Central Tourbillon Mount Everest Homage Edition, which sold out within just 3 hours. In March 2023, the Mechanical Watch Series U Blue Planet - Gilding Version was featured on 'A Blog to Watch.'
2024
In January 2024, CIGA Design Eye of Horus garnered support from over 1000 backers on INDIEGOGO. In March 2024, the Central Tourbillon Mount Everest Homage Edition was featured on 'A Blog to Watch.' In April 2024, CIGA Design launched the first Chinese Zodiac Watch Series featuring the Tourbillon Chinese Zodiac - The Year of Dragon.
