Over the past decade, CIGA Design has surprised us with some wildly original creations. The most famous, without a doubt, is the Blue Planet, which has won multiple horology prizes, including a GPHG Award in 2021. Another remarkable series is the Everest, which celebrates the conquest of the world’s highest mountain. For its next release in this line, CIGA Design tells the famous mountaineering story of the “human ladder” that led to the first Chinese ascent of Mt. Everest in 1960. In grand fashion, the brand does this with its first automaton watch, making the CIGA Design Everest China 65th Anniversary another standout creation.
As mentioned, the CIGA Design Everest is a collection of watches celebrating the conquest of the highest mountain on Earth. Brad first did a hands-on review of the Central Tourbillon Mount Everest Homage Edition in 2024, and Dave wrote about the optimized version of the same model last year. For the latest creation in the series, the Chinese brand ventured down a new path. To celebrate the 65th anniversary of the first Chinese conquest of Mount Everest, CIGA Design developed a special automaton watch. It tells the story of a defining moment in that 1960 expedition. At the near-impassable Second Step on the summit via the North Ridge of Everest, Liu Lianman decided to become the “human ladder” that made it possible for his teammates to reach the top. The automaton reenacts this special moment in mountaineering history.
The new CIGA Design Everest China 65th Anniversary
Let’s start with the basic specs before we get into the details. CIGA Design’s Everest China 65th Anniversary has the same 45mm Grade 5 titanium case as the Everest Homage Edition that Dave wrote about. The main difference is its 1.95mm-thicker 13.6mm profile, which is understandable considering the automaton. It still carries a 50m water resistance rating and features a 6mm crown on the right side.
Inside the case lies a special dial carved from Mt. Everest bedrock hand-collected by members of the CIGA Design team. Each small piece of rock requires 30 days of cutting, laser shaping, and CNC engraving to turn it into a dial. The different processes enhance the natural grain. Also, as no two stones are the same, each dial is unique. Hovering over the dial are the signature ice-axe-shaped hands. The all-silver-colored one indicates the hours, while the hand with the red tip indicates the minutes. Both tips are treated with Super-LumiNova (just like the Everest logo), so you can also read the time in the dark.
The CNC-carved automaton
The big story of the new watch is, of course, the CNC-carved automaton. It depicts Liu Lianman as the human ladder who allowed his fellow expedition members to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 25th, 1960. At the Second Step, the climbers tried to scale the rock, but several attempts fell short. As a solution, Liu offered his shoulders as a foothold to help his teammates climb this difficult section just below the summit. Consequently, Liu didn’t make it to the top, but his selfless act made the first Chinese conquest of Everest possible.
The automaton reenacts this scene as the climber advances, reaching the top at 12:00 and 0:00, then returns to its starting position in five minutes for a new cycle. Making this magical moment possible is the in-house-developed CD-10 caliber. This movement operates at 21,600 vph and offers a 42-hour power reserve. If you turn the watch around, you will see the caliber through the sapphire display in the case back. Additionally, the case back features an engraving of Liu Lianman’s words when he decided to make himself the human ladder. He said to his teammates, “No matter how hard it is, keep going! Step on my shoulders!”
The rubber strap adds to the story
CIGA Design’s storytelling continues on the fluororubber strap. It features the meandering historic climbing route embossed on the underside, while the outside displays the 65th-anniversary emblem marking the commemorative occasion for this watch’s creation. Overall, this watch is a great storyteller, with many small details that enhance the narrative.
But that’s not where the story of the CIGA Design Everest China 65th Anniversary ends. Sixty-five years after the unique “human ladder” story took place on Mount Everest, a mountaineer and longtime friend of CIGA Design summited the mountain via the North Ridge wearing the CIGA Design Everest China 65th Anniversary. More than six decades after the first ascent, this watch’s story came full circle when it was worn on the 8,848.86m summit.
Final thoughts on the CIGA Design Everest China 65th Anniversary
Overall, it’s impressive to see CIGA Design bring this unique tale to life through tremendous storytelling. But if you then zoom in on the watch’s individual parts, it becomes even more impressive. From the dial material to the automaton to the strap, everything adds to the narrative. It makes the CIGA Design Everest China 65th Anniversary an impressive follow-up to the previous Everest releases. The watch is available on the official CIGA Design website for US$1,699 and comes in the brand’s signature booklet-style packaging. It’s always fun to see what CIGA Design comes up with for each new release, and the brand’s first automaton watch is no exception. It makes me curious about what the next step will be for the adventurous Chinese brand.
This is a partnership post. Read about our transparency here.
Facts Only
* CIGA Design released the Everest China 65th Anniversary watch to celebrate the first Chinese conquest of Mount Everest in 1960.
* The watch utilizes the same 45mm Grade 5 titanium case as the Everest Homage Edition.
* The watch has a 1.95mm-thicker profile and a 50m water resistance rating.
* The dial is carved from hand-collected Mt. Everest bedrock, requiring 30 days of cutting, laser shaping, and CNC engraving per dial.
* The hands are ice-axe-shaped; one indicates hours in silver and minutes in red.
* The automaton depicts Liu Lianman as the human ladder during the expedition's ascent.
* The automaton is powered by an in-house developed CD-10 caliber movement, operating at 21,600 vph with a 42-hour power reserve.
* The case back features an engraving of Liu Lianman’s quote: “No matter how hard it is, keep going! Step on my shoulders!”
* The rubber strap displays the historic climbing route on the underside and the 65th-anniversary emblem on the outside.
* A mountaineer wore the watch after summiting Everest via the North Ridge sixty-five years later.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative leverages a powerful juxtaposition between the immense physical challenge of mountaineering and the intricate, painstaking craftsmanship of horology to create an elevated artifact. The transition from celebrating a historical human achievement—the 1960 ascent—to focusing on the individual act of cooperation (Liu Lianman as the "human ladder") introduces themes of collective effort versus singular agency, which is then mirrored in the watch’s construction. The complexity of turning raw bedrock into a unique dial material, involving multi-stage CNC processing, serves as a physical metaphor for the arduous process of achieving a monumental goal, suggesting that success requires iterative, detailed labor rather than instantaneous breakthrough.
The recurring theme involves temporal layering: the 65-year historical event, the immediate moment of the climb reenacted by the automaton, and the decades-long refinement of the watch design. This creates an implication that legacy is not a static achievement but an ongoing process of reconstruction and storytelling. The core implication for the observer is whether the beauty derived from this narrative—the celebration of persistence—is as substantial as the physical reality it references, or if the artistic embellishment risks diluting the weight of genuine historical endeavor with aesthetic appeal.
What if the value resides equally in the documented history and the meticulous articulation of that history? When an object immortalizes a moment of vulnerability and triumph, does its execution of that narrative inherit a responsibility beyond mere decoration? Furthermore, the shift from celebrated physical feats to mechanical processes forces an inquiry into how we construct meaning around hardship. What role does the automaton play in recontextualizing personal sacrifice into reproducible mechanical history?