Watches and Wonders 2025: This is how Chanel used a secret watch to seal time with a kiss
Last year at Watches and Wonders, we asked you to bookmark the Chanel Bust Long Necklace. This year, Chanel has raised the bar once again with its Secret Watch “Kiss Me”—a part of the maison’s Blush Capsule Collection—which transforms an everyday beauty essential into an extraordinary jewel.
The watch pays homage to Gabrielle Chanel’s revolutionary approach to beauty. In 1954, she redefined cosmetics with sleek black lacquered lipstick cases—objects that were as much about aesthetics as they were about function. This watch takes that legacy further by transforming one of her most iconic creations into something timeless and precious.
As part of the Blush Capsule Collection, this piece also shows Chanel’s determination to bring the worlds of beauty and horology closer. The collection draws inspiration from make-up palettes and textures, incorporating métiers d’art techniques like Grand Feu enamel and decal printing to elevate these symbols of beauty into works of art.
Read more: Watches and Wonders 2025: A conversation with CEO Matthieu Humair
Chanel Secret Watch ‘Kiss Me’ (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
At first glance, the Secret Watch “Kiss Me” appears as an elegant pendant shaped like Chanel’s signature curved square lipstick case suspended from a yellow gold chain. Its glossy black titanium exterior is accented with 20 baguette-cut golden beryls set in 18-karat yellow gold. But with a flick of its casing—a motion that mimics opening an actual Chanel lipstick—the tube reveals a black lacquered dial encircled by a ring of golden beryls.
The yellow gold chain supporting the lipstick pendant is adorned with 38 rhodolite beads weighing over 100 carats, mini onyx tubes that look like miniature versions of the lipstick case, and 144 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling approximately 5.59 carats. At its centre lies a brilliant-cut diamond weighing 0.70 carats—a detail that you just can’t miss.
Inside, Chanel opts for a high-precision quartz movement to ensure reliability and ease of use. While quartz may lack the mechanical complexity favoured by traditionalists, it perfectly suits the playful nature of this design.
While Watches and Wonders is brimming with novelties that focus on elaborate mechanisms or intricate complications, Chanel’s secret watch offers something refreshingly different: a celebration of creativity and craftsmanship that prioritises emotion over convention.
And for those lucky enough to own one of these five masterpieces? Time will forever be sealed with a kiss.
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