CIGA Design Blue Planet Hands On Review

Imagine everyone’s surprise in 2021, when Chinese brand CIGA Design was announced the winner of the Challenge Watch category of GPHG - The first-ever Chinese watch company to win. In the world of Swiss Watchmaking, it’s almost expected that a Swiss or Japanese brand would win any or all of the GPHG Awards, but CIGA beat them at their own game with the lovely Blue Planet - And man do we love it (we even included it on our best watch from Chinese brands list).

CIGA (short for Chinese International Great Art) was launched in 2012 with Zhang Jianmin at the helm. The 55-year-old Industrial Designer spent over 30 years working in the civic sector before ever turning to watches. CIGA was almost immediately recognized for creating pretty insane designs for not a lot of money. The Series Z is what really put CIGA on our radar, and actually trended the brand pretty deep into Enthusiast circles. It was a handsome watch, skeletonized, and didn’t break the bank while still feeling fresh. It won awards and garnered CIGA in International circles. In 2021, Zhang created the Blue-Planet, which was subsequently entered into the very competitive Challenge Watch Category in GPHG. This was no small Category, as brands like Oris, AnOrdain, and Doxa all competed in the same field. The Blue Planet ultimately won, and well, the rest is history. CIGA Design provided me the opportunity to review the Blue Planet during my time in the Big Apple, and for that, I’m grateful - Because I became a big fan. So without further ado: Let’s get into it.

The Case:

Let’s start with the case, because it sets the stage for how well the rest of the watch comes together. Measuring 46mm x 15mm in Titanium, the case itself is an almost UFO-esque shape. It’s a perfect circle, which would normally make the measurements a bit daunting but it truly wears differently than any “oversized” watch I’ve ever worn. For starters, it features some very exaggerated curves, that end at about a 40mm (by my crude measurement) bottom of the case. It also doesn’t have any lugs. So, to be clear, while at it’s widest point it’s 46mm, it drastically lowers by the time it hits your wrist making for quite a unique wear. It’s large but superbly manageable. I never forgot I was wearing it, but it also wasn’t a bother either.

The sapphire crystal is a subtle dome that almost magnifies the dial - which is also a unique effect, and part of the core DNA of the watch itself (we’ll discuss that more next). The crown sits fairly deep into the case at the 3 o’clock position, but again, due to the drastic curvature of the case, is easy to grip and use while on the wrist. And since the case doesn’t feature any kind of bezel, it allows for an unadulterated look at the dial, which is hands-down the most unique part of the watch.

The case is fastened with a blue Fluorine rubber strap. It’s actually really important that the strap be comfortable considering the size and shape of the case, and I’m happy to report that it is extremely soft, and well-made. It doesn’t pull hair, or as I would have expected, fall off to the side of your wrist. With the lack of lugs and the drastic curvature of the case, I would have expected this watch to be difficult to strap down comfortably, but it was not - And I was pleasantly surprised.

The watch only carries 30m of water resistance, and I’ve seen a number of criticisms about that. So no swimming with it - Though, I would question why anyone would to begin with. It’s not a dive watch, and certainly doesn’t pretend to be. That being said, I don’t find that criticism fair.

The Dial:

The CIGA Design Blue Planet dial is one of, if not the most unique dial I’ve seen in a watch that costs less than $1500. And once you get used to its unique layout and how the time is displayed, it’s an incredibly fresh new way to get excited about the future of the company.

For starters, and most obviously, there is a domed motif of Earth in the center of the dial. The globe itself is curved, and about 26mm across, making it a significant portion of the dial make-up. On top of the blue sphere is an aluminum impression of parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East with a small compass used as the hour hand (More on that in a second). The aluminum impression is incredibly well done, and I’d even compare it to some of the big brands and their motif’s. The impression uses actual topographical data for mountain ranges and islands as well, so it truly is stunning to look at. As something that could really look a little kitch, CIGA Design has killed it.

Telling the time on the dial DOES take a little getting used to, but once it’s understood, it’s actually really easy. To start, the hour “hand” is actually a small compass impressed into the globe motif. The entire globe spins around on a 12-hour track as any other hour hand would and the Compass points to the outer-most ring - Which is labeled with the hours. The minute “hand” is actually a ring that flanks the globe and is marked in 5-minute increments. This ring spins in the opposite direction of the globe, and lines up the minutes with the Compass. So for instance, if the Compass is in the 3 o’ clock position, and the minute ring lines up with the Compass and the “35” indicator, it is 3:35. So, for instance, 12 o’ clock would have the Compass at the top of the dial and “00” right above it. Is it traditional? Not by a long shot, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t really fun.

The Movement:

CIGA Design uses a proprietary timekeeping system for the Blue Planet. So that means that the brand needed a movement capable of being developed alongside CIGA to accomplish this. CIGA Design teamed up with Sea-Gull Movements, a Tianjin-based movement manufacturer. So technically speaking, the Blue Planet movement is self-designed and I wouldn’t fault anyone for calling it “In House” to some extent.

That being said, the Sea-Gull x CIGA Design movement, while technically unspecified does come with a pretty standard spec list. It carried 30 jewels with a 40-hour Power-Reserve and is visible through a sapphire caseback. It’s well-decorated, so it definitely gives the wearer something visually interesting to look at.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Blue Planet by CIGA Design is one of the most fun watches I’ve had my hands on in a long time. Thinking out of the box can often be deemed impractical by the typically rigid watch industry juggernaut. Is the Blue Planet the most practical way of telling the time? Absolutely not. Does it need to be? Also no.

This kind of approach to creating something new, that nobody has ever done before is exactly the kind of fresh air I feel the industry needs. And since the Blue Planet is a GPHG winner, I’m apparently not alone in my thinking. I’m thrilled to see such innovation, and with the amount of attention to detail and ergonomics, the Blue Planet has, I really didn’t find any real fault. I never thought I’d be sitting here saying that this is one of the most fun and interesting 46mm watches I’ve ever worn and will continue to wear in the future.

Bravo on the Blue Planet, Mr. Jianmin. Congrats on the GPHG win, as it was well-deserved. And I’m extremely excited to see what the future holds for CIGA Design.

So how much is the CIGA Design Blue Planet?

The retail price of the Blue Planet is normally $1,099 USD. Which, I would consider a steal. However, CIGA currently has a sale where you can pick up the watch for just $999 USD.

You can also explore the Blue Planet more at CIGA’s website cigadesign.com