Orient is the first foreign watch designer to incorporate such Vietnamese symbols.

This special Vietnam edition will mark the 1,010th anniversary of the foundation of the capital Thang Long, now called Hanoi, in 2020, a release from the company says.

The watch face is graced by Khue Van Cac, the Constellation of Literature pavilion inside the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, Vietnam’s first national university. In 2012, this pavilion was named an official symbol of the capital city.

The Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) pavilion was built in 1805 on four stone stilts with two red windows on top and an elaborate roof. The icon also graces the VND100,000 currency note.

For many years, the Temple of Literature has been a place of near pilgrimage to countless students and parents who believe touching its stone stele, inscribed with the names of former mandarin scholars, will afford luck during major exams.

Orient's new design also affirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, with a detailed map engraved on its back.

Orient's new edition underscores Khue Van Cac, a symbol of Hanoi (L) on the front
and Vietnam's sovereignty over Spratly and Paracel archipelagoes on its back.
Photo courtesy of Orient

China seized Paracel Islands from South Vietnam by force in 1974, and has been illegally occupying a number of reefs along Spratly Islands since 1988.

Vietnam has, on multiple occasions, asserted its sovereignty over the archipelagoes in accordance with international laws.