For the past two years, Franck Muller has been celebrating the Chinese Zodiac with its distinctive and perhaps even playful interpretations of the animals featured on its watches. For the Year of the Rabbit, the brand unveiled the ultra-contemporary black-and-white Vanguard, adorned with a pair of glowing rabbits, designed in collaboration with Japanese streetwear guru Ryo Ishikawa. This year, for the Year of the Dragon, it introduced a charming turquoise blue Cintrée, with twelve cartoonish dragons serving as hour markers, created by Japanese artist Ryoko Kaneta.

Looking ahead to the Year of the Snake in 2025, Franck Muller offers yet another unconventional take. Departing from its recent ultra-contemporary style, the Silhouette CX Snake still manages to stand out among other brands’ Chinese Zodiac watches, thanks to its entirely new and strikingly unusual case shape.

A new case shape that’s effortlessly distinctive

With China being the second-largest importer of Swiss watches, it’s no surprise that Swiss brands across the spectrum try their hand at creating special interpretations of the annual Chinese Zodiac, often turning to métiers d’art to demonstrate true craftsmanship and style.

Franck Muller, however, takes a slightly different approach. While it doesn’t pursue the elaborate métiers d’art route, the brand stands out for its creativity and originality — qualities that some highly artisanal Zodiac watches might arguably lack. Franck Muller dares to be different, and though some collectors may see this as trying too hard, it’s refreshing to have something distinctive on offer.

This year, Franck Muller’s creation might just be the best in its Chinese Zodiac series to date. The reason? It debuts a new case — and not just any case, but a form case. It’s rare for a watchmaker to unveil a new-shaped case, let alone one that’s asymmetrical. The Silhouette CX Snake introduces exactly that: a fluid, flowing case that, at first glance, resembles the brand’s usual Cintrée or Vanguard designs. However, a closer inspection reveals it shares more in common with avant-garde examples like the Cartier Crash or Berneron Mirage.

The case doesn’t just look striking; it’s conceptually interesting too, reflecting the sinuous silhouette of a slithering snake. To echo the case design, the dial incorporates two strips of green emeralds. These gem-set accents feel organic and seamlessly blend into the whimsical aesthetic of the case and hour markers.

The rest of the dial is quintessential Franck Muller, featuring a stamped guilloché pattern for a touch of luxury and the brand’s signature Arabic numeral hour markers in its signature typography.

Also worth mentioning is the strap, created from green calf leather and embossed with a pattern that mimics the scales of a snake’s skin. The underside is padded with rubber, enhancing durability and resistance to wear and tear.

Inside the watch is the MVT FM 2038, a movement based on the ETA 2892. Known for its slim profile, this movement allows the watch to maintain a thickness of just 8.3 mm – rather slim for a modern automatic timepiece, perfectly complementing its elegant look.

The power reserve is typical of earlier ETA movements, offering 40 hours of running time. However, it beats at a higher frequency of 4 Hz, or 28,800 vibrations per hour, unlike the lower beat rate seen in modern ETA movements with extended power reserves.

Tech Specs: Franck Muller Silhouette CX Snake

Movement: MVT FM 2038; automatic; 40 hours power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds
Case: 44 mm x 30.8 x 8.3 mm; 18k rose gold; water resistant to 30 m
Strap: Calf leather strap
Availability: Only in Asia Pacific
Limited edition: 28 pieces
Price: SGD 66,000