Under the name of CIGA Design, Zhang Jianmin works with a team of eight international designers to create very original watches, with the Blue Planet being the stand-out creation to date. Prior to his watchmaking adventures, he worked as a graphic designer of guidance systems in public areas (airports, train stations, public roads etc.).
Mr Zhang Jianmin is not a watchmaker but an industrial designer by trade and education. The company was founded in 2016 by Zhang Jianmin and is located in Shenzhen, China. Now, a year later, we’ve finally had a chance to enjoy a hands-on with the fascinating CIGA Design U-Series Blue Planet in titanium and determine if it is any good.ĬIGA Design is not a traditional watchmaking company but more a design studio that happens to create and sell watches. The name popped up for the first time last year when the Blue Planet was pre-selected for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Challenge Award (which it ended up winning!). One such brand hard at work to change the perception of the Chinese watch industry is CIGA Design, a young company with quite a track record. Instead, some watchmakers are shifting into intriguingly original mechanical creations and occasionally Haute Horlogerie levels of watchmaking. It is no longer ‘just’ about cheap labour and (mildly put) unoriginal designs.
It is time for us to start adjusting our perception of Chinese watchmaking.
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