At Watches and Wonders 2024, Chanel once again demonstrated its unparalleled ability to weave together the threads of haute couture and haute horlogerie, crafting timepieces that are as much a statement of art as they are of innovation. This year’s offerings from Chanel are a masterful display of technical prowess blended with an aesthetic sensibility deeply rooted in the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel.
Traditionally famed for its influence in haute couture, the maison has steadily carved out a significant niche in the luxury watch market since its entry into horology with the Première watch in 1987. Over the years, the brand’s strategic focus on craftsmanship, design innovation, and brand leverage has positioned it as a notable player in the luxury watch industry.
What’s interesting about the maison is that unlike other major watchmakers in the same horological lineage as Rolex, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet, Chanel’s strong brand identity and crossover appeal from fashion to watches provides it with a unique market position. Chanel’s watches are often seen as a fusion of Parisian chic and watchmaking craftsmanship, appealing to a clientele that values both aesthetics and functionality.
J12 X-Ray Pink Edition Watch (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
Throughout its illustrious history, Chanel has skillfully woven the colour pink into its fabric of iconic fashion statements, making it a symbol of both elegance and cultural shift. From the revolutionary pink jersey sportswear of the 1920s that challenged the traditional use of fabric, pink has been a constant thread in Chanel’s design narrative. This enduring affinity for pink by Gabrielle Chanel and her successors now beautifully transcends into the maison’s latest horological venture under the discerning eye of Arnaud Chastaingt, the director of Chanel’s Watchmaking Creation Studio.
The standout in this year’s lineup is the J12 X-Ray Pink Edition Watch, which offers a glimpse into the future of watchmaking with its sapphire crystal body revealing the inner workings. This model marks the first time the brand has offered a link bracelet crafted entirely from pink sapphire crystals. The bracelet includes two exquisite links made from 18-karat Beige Gold, each set with 12 baguette-cut pink sapphires, totalling approximately 2.07 carats. This unique combination of materials and jewels adds a luxurious and contemporary flair, secured with an 18-karat Beige Gold triple-folding buckle for a blend of safety and style.
At its core, the watch houses the calibre 3.1, an in-house, manual-winding mechanical movement which showcases a timer bridge, plate, and gear-train bridge all made of crystal sapphire, further enhancing the watch’s allure by revealing the intricate workings within.
The collection also features the Boy·Friend Skeleton X-Ray Pink Edition Watch, which boasts a visible skeleton design tinted with pink and framed in Beige Gold. This piece beautifully marries technical sophistication with Chanel’s iconic aesthetic, featuring a quilted pattern leather strap that subtly nods to the maison’s iconic handbags. It is a bold declaration of fashion meeting function—an ethos permeating every single collection of Chanel.
Delving deeper into the hues of pink, the collection explores a spectrum ranging from light pink to raspberry. This rich palette has been brought to life by the collaborative expertise at Chanel’s Creation Studio. The delicate balance and execution of each watch component, from the precision-engineered sapphire crystal casing to the meticulously set natural sapphires, underscore the mastery of engineers and gemologists alike. Additionally, the handcrafted leather straps, reminiscent of Chanel’s renowned handbag designs, are the work of skilled leather craftsmen.
The Musical Clock Couture Workshop (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
Turning to the inspired Couture O’Clock collection, each piece reflects a deep reverence for the tools of Chanel’s original fashion atelier. The Musical Clock Couture Workshop is a particularly mesmerising creation. Not just a timekeeper, it plays a melody reminiscent of the tunes Gabrielle Chanel enjoyed, crafted with diamond droplets and miniature chandeliers that evoke the decor of her Paris apartment.
It is not merely a clock but an automaton and a music box, exuding exclusivity as a unique masterpiece. Through this piece, Chanel’s studio invites us into the iconic graphic black-and-white aesthetic of the workshops at Rue Cambon. As the haute horlogerie pieces come to life, they mimic the rhythmic ballet of couture busts, the gentle clinking of scissors, and the whisper of threading needles.
Encased under a glass dome, the essence of Chanel’s world at 31 Cambon—the workshop and the apartment—is captured vividly. Inspired by the bustling atmosphere of the workshops, where nimble hands crafted fashion masterpieces, the brand’s studio has envisioned an animated scene. In a mechanical dance, the couture busts pivot and sway, rising and falling in time to My Woman by Al Bowlly, a tune Gabrielle Chanel was known to hum during her work in the couture workshop, thus recreating the ambience of Mademoiselle’s 1930s atelier with a touch of poetic surrealism.
The couture busts pivot and sway, rising and falling in time to “My Woman” by Al Bowlly, a tune Gabrielle Chanel was known to hum during her work in the couture workshop (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
The key to rewind the clock doubles as a pendant. It can be worn as a long necklace, crafted from gold and diamonds, embodying both function and fashion. The clock itself is punctuated with elements from Mademoiselle’s apartment—the chandelier, an onyx base reminiscent of her quilted sofa, and touches of gold that recall baroque decorations, blending styles that reflect Chanel’s day-to-day transition between her atelier and her apartment, where she hosted friends or retreated for rest.
Finally, to rewind the music box, the studio has crafted a key inspired by the secretary’s wooden key from the apartment, adding another layer of personal touch to this intricate creation.
This clock, which seamlessly integrates the functions of an automaton, clock and music box, has been created in collaboration with Reuge, a Swiss leader in music automaton since the 19th century. This collaboration marks the debut of an automaton enriching a clock with high complications, requiring the utmost precision and skill from master watchmakers. The challenge was not only to create a double movement in the busts—both rotating and swaying—but also to perfectly align this movement with the melody, which plays as delicately as a piano, each key finely tuned to achieve the precise sound, showcasing an exquisite confluence of multiple expertises.
Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Pincushion Long Necklace Couture Watch (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
Chanel Safety Pin Long Necklace Couture Watch (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
Further elevating the Couture O’Clock collection is the Mademoiselle Privé Pincushion Long Necklace Couture Watch. This limited-edition timepiece, with only five pieces available, showcases a 55mm 18-karat yellow gold and titanium case with black coating, adorned with 226 brilliant-cut diamonds that add up to 2.79 carats. The quilted motif dial is beautifully detailed with 18-karat yellow gold pins, 24 cultured pearls and 18 brilliant-cut diamonds of about 0.19 carats, encircled by 120 brilliant-cut diamonds and 234 miniature pearls. Produced by Les Cadransiers de Genève, a property of FP Journe, this piece exemplifies exquisite craftsmanship.
Adding to this collection, the Safety Pin Long Necklace Couture watch is a marvel of design innovation. This piece features a safety pin design, ingeniously incorporating a functional watch into a decorative form that can be worn as a statement piece. Set with brilliant-cut diamonds and equipped with quartz movement, it exemplifies Chanel’s flair for transforming everyday objects into luxurious and functional art.
At Chanel, gem-setting isn’t just a skill; it’s a spectacle. With one of the few in-house watchmaking workshops, the maison masters the craft, controlling the entire process from sparkle to tick. This ensures every watch is not merely made but envisioned, designed and executed to perfection.
The maison’s foray into the world of haute horlogerie has been marked by its unique aesthetic contributions and significant industry recognition. Beyond these achievements, Chanel has been pioneering in materials, employing high-tech ceramic and its signature Beige Gold alloy, setting trends that have rippled through the luxury watch industry.
As Chanel continues to redefine the boundaries between fashion and function, it solidifies its stance as a formidable leader in the luxury watch market, proving that true innovation is timeless.
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