Sameera Gamage 
Perrelet welcomes the Year of the Wood Snake with the bold and dynamic Turbine Snake, blending Swiss craftsmanship with symbolic elegance!
Perrelet is introducing a brand new timepiece dedicated to the Chinese Lunar New Year 2025. As you may be aware already, the Lunar New Year 2025 based in the Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the Snake. Perrelet is the latest watchmaker to create a limited edition timepiece dedicated to this auspicious year and its celebration.
Perrelet’s Turbine Snake is dedicated to the Year of the Wood Snake. The Wood Snake Zodiac is seen as “a time for transformation, wisdom, and intuition, while the “wood” element adds creativity, flexibility, and personal growth to these traits.” With Perrelet choosing the Turbine collection, the Swiss watchmaker has given free rein to artistic expression, interpreting the theme of the Snake while respecting traditional themes and rituals.
The timepiece comes housed in a 41mm black DLC-coated grade 2 titanium case, which provides the perfect backdrop for the colourful and artistic dial. The grade 2 titanium case makes the watch lighter on the wrist compared with traditional materials (i.e. steel). The material properties of titanium also make the timepiece more corrosion-resistant. This timepiece features the latest generation Turbine collection updates, which include a flat, slightly flared bezel and a case middle with traditional grooves. The lugs also feature a central attachment that seamlessly integrates into the rubber strap.
Perrelet’s Turbine dials are always impressive to see in person. Seeing the turbine, which has been a patented mechanism since 2009, spin in action makes this timepiece a joy to hold and wear. The Turbine is a decorative feature rather than functional. However, that doesn’t mean that its assembly is any easier. Perrelet states that “the watchmakers responsible for the assembly of the device, which is composed of 12 aluminium blades with 5 tungsten counterweights, have to be extremely skilled in order to ensure that the blades rotate smoothly on their axis and return to their initial position once the kinetic energy has been exhausted.”
For this Turbine Snake timepiece, Perrelet has redesigned the sub-dial while also injecting the dial with the colour red, the colour of luck and protection. The sub-dial is red lacquered and features a figure of a snake in gilded metal, which is stamped onto the dial, making it stand out in a three-dimensional effect. Like a bas-relief, its erected head, with cunning eyes and forked tongue, rises high above the twisted coils of its body, covered with two types of scales.
This beautifully decorated subdial sits beneath the rotating turbine that is made up of 12 black anodised aluminium blades. These blades are activated with just the slightest movement of the wearer’s wrist, and once it starts spinning in its beautiful dance, the image of the snake on the sub-dial can be seen! The faster the blades move, the more the figure of the reptile is revealed.
The heart of the Turbine Snake is the P-331-MH calibre movement. This movement is designed and manufactured in-house by Soprod, a company specialising in movements. Soprod is owned by Miguel Rodriguez, who also owns Perrelet. The movement operates at a high frequency of 4Hz (28,800 VpH) and gives out a decent power reserve of 42 hours. This P-331-MH calibre movement has received a double certification, the first being the COSC certification and the second being the Chronofiable® certificate issued by the Dubois Laboratory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which guarantees long-term reliability.
The case back of the Turbine Snake reveals the P-331-MH calibre movement, although it is partially covered in this case as the sapphire crystal is decorated with the same image of the snake that appears on the sub-dial. The sapphire crystal also shows the progressive number of the limited edition of 88 models. You can still see through the sapphire crystal caseback the movement finishing of the P-331-MH calibre movement, such as the snailing mainplate, circular-graining on the bridges and the skeletonised rhodium-plated and brushed oscillating weight mounted on ball bearings embellished with the Perrelet logo.
My Thoughts:
Perrelet’s Turbine collection is a mesmerising display of artistic expression. I was fortunate enough to try and hold a few of Perrelet’s Turbine timepieces that were released during Geneva Watch days last year. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea with the spinning Turbine, but I certainly liked it, especially how easy it was to engage the Turbine when on the wrist.
This latest Turbine Snake for me delivers in creating a beautifully aesthetic timepiece that pays homage to the Chinese Year of the Snake 2025. The red time ring that stands at the forefront of the dial stands out beautifully to paint a clear and contrasting picture, with the white hour indices being easy to read against the red background. The rose gold-tone hours and minutes hands coated in Super-LumiNova also stand out nicely against the black Turbine blades underneath, making it easy to read the time. Sometimes, when the hands don’t contrast effectively against a skeletonised dial, reading the time isn’t simple, which effectively removes the timepiece’s functionality. As the black Turbine blades spin, they unveil the golden auspicious ideogram of the Wood Snake beneath—seamlessly blending playful innovation with functional craftsmanship.
Reference: TURBINE SNAKE – A4067/S4
Specification:
- Case Size: 41mm
- Case Thickness: 13.82mm
- Case Material: Black DLC-coated grade 2 titanium
- Dial: Turbine Technology. 12-blade turbine in black anodised aluminium with five tungsten counterweights underneath. Red lacquered sub-dial, decorated with golden auspicious ideograms for well-being and prosperity, 3D-effect golden printed metal snake.
- Movement: IIn-house manufacture self-winding movement, calibre P-331-MH
- Movement Frequency: 28,800 VpH (4hZ)
- Movement Power reserve: 42hrs
- Water resistance: 10 bar (100 meters)
- Crystal: Sapphire glass with double anti-reflective treatment on dial
- Bracelet/Strap: Customised black rubber strap with folding buckle in black DLC titanium with the Perrelet logo
