Chanel is not only one of the most coveted fashion brands. It is also known for its exquisite timepieces, which were on show during the Watches & Wonders 2022 event in Geneva in April
Chanel was one of the newcomers when the luxurious watch fair Watches & Wonders finally opened its doors in Geneva this spring after two years of postponement due to the pandemic. Exhibiting their novelties side by side with Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chopard, Chanel was there to impress.
The Chanel brand is, of course, one of the most well-known in the world. But the fashion powerhouse was a relative latecomer to the field of horology. It was not until 1987 that the French brand, founded in 1910 by Gabrielle Coco Chanel, launched its first watch, appropriately named Premiére. This first timepiece was unconventionally shaped like Place Vendome, the iconic square in the heart of Paris. It was also heavily inspired by the shape of the iconic bottle shape of the N°5 perfume, complete with the cabochon stopper, which acts as the winding crown of the watch.
The success of the Premiére watch was instant, and with the growing demand, Chanel acquired Manufacture C&F Chatelain in the heart of Swiss watchmaking countryside, Le Chaux-de-Fonds, where watches and jewellery have been part of the landscape since 1947.
Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
Like haute couture, the watches produced at Chatelain are custom-made according to state-of-the-art 'haute horlogerie'. Chatelain is a showcase for exceptional know-how, where the art of watchmaking and haute couture merge.
Fast forward to 2000, and Chatelain was helping produce the sporty and surprisingly exotic J12 line launch — an all-black ceramic watch inspired by the sleek lines of race cars and racing yachts from the America’s Cup that fits perfectly with almost anything coming from the French brand. Such a complementary design is hardly surprisingly as all creators who work for Chanel use the same vocabulary.
Chanel was a first mover with the use of ceramic; previously, it was not a common material used in the watch industry. Ceramics are mineral materials obtained when heated to an extreme temperature. Using a range of high-tech oxide-based elements, the properties transform it into a veritable precious material. Its inalterability, high resistance and multiple colours offer watches an enduring elegance.
The precious and highly complex know-how of the craftsmanship found at Manufacture C&F Chatelain is a key factor in the innovative development of their ceramic watches.
Three years after the initial launch, Chanel launched the first J12 in all-white ceramic, perfectly matching the all-black sibling. The circle was complete, and there is little doubt that Coco Chanel would have been very proud of what her company had managed to create.
Not surprisingly, the black and white J12 collection became a massive success for Chanel. But then the game changed when a J12 Tourbillon was introduced during Basel World in 2005. The tourbillon is considered one of the most delicate components and is usually found in costly watches from the most exquisite manufacturers in the industry.
During Watches & Wonders 2022, Chanel again showed their creative understanding of timepieces: inspired by past and future and still very much in the line of all things Chanel.
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Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
The new watches play with the six iconic letters of the brand name, creating an almost graphic line of watches that leave no doubt about the brand behind them.
“The capsule collection is called WANTED. As the name suggests, it is a story of desire, of an almost obsessive attraction of six inseparable letters, the signature of these new creations,” explains director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio, Arnaud Chastaingt, who talked us through the new playful collection of timepieces. “Chanel: a name, a woman, a designer, a story, a vision, a style, a house, a signature, a typography, a logo, a graphic identity, a code, a symbol, a myth.”
The 42-year-old Chastaingt has been with the company since 2013 after spending a decade designing watches for Cartier. He is responsible for reworking the J12 collection and has done another outstanding job with the new timepieces for 2022.
Photo: Chanel
The bold J12 38mm watch comes in black ceramic, with the graphic elements on the dial and bezel having completely disappeared to make way for the iconic six letters of Chanel. They stretch extravagantly across the dial and overlap onto the bezel in white on black.
“These six letters are an ode to creativity, audacity, and excellence. I have always been fascinated by the graphic power of the logo,” says Chastaingt. “The slogan 'All I want is Chanel!' perfectly sums up the concept of this capsule collection. Generally speaking, in watchmaking, the Chanel name is a discreet signature, positioned on the dial unobtrusively and harmoniously to indicate that the watch is from the House of Chanel,” he continues. “Equally discreet, it can also be found embossed on the inside of a strap or engraved on a movement, case back or clasp.”
Lying at the heart of the creative process for this capsule collection, the Chanel logo stamps its identity on each model in a completely different way.
Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
“Fine watchmaking is an expression of audacity and freedom. For this collection, I brought together six J12 38 millimetre timepieces. I chose black ceramic for each of them, and I have freed their dials from all the conventional graphic codes,” says Chastaingt. “I duplicated, accumulated, interlinked, juxtaposed, magnified and cut out the Chanel logo to create six different compositions.”
Offered as a box-set of six or sold separately, the WANTED Capsule J12s are fitted with chronometer-certified (COSC) calibre 12.1, a self-winding movement produced by the Swiss Manufacture Kenissi, a manufacturer of high-performance mechanical movements founded in 2016 and co-owned by Chanel.
The J12 is just the latest example of how far the luxury fashion brand's exquisite timepieces have come since 1987 – and of the undoubtedly prosperous road that lies ahead of them.