5 Chanel watches you need to know this 2018
Not a Maison to shake up the classic before thinking twice, Chanel continues to pay tribute to its watchmaking icons with exceptional pieces this 2018.
And let us break it down to the top 5 Chanel watches you need this year.
The Magic Number
Since unveiling to the horology world in 2000, the Chanel J12 has received ample praises for its courageous move of transforming the humble ceramic into precious, high-end material.
First in radiant black and then in immaculate white, “12” instantaneously becomes part of the Maison’s symbolic number. This year, Chanel presents a collection of 12 one-of-a-kind watches, where each is decorated with an abstract composition produced in ceramic marquetry.
The 12 pieces together form a polyptych, showcasing a graphic design by the Chanel Watchmaking Creative Studio.
The Renewed Code
When Code Coco was launched late last year, it got plenty of attention. The quilt-pattern steel bracelet sparkles just like a high jewellery piece even with the tenderest twist of the wrist.
Rotating the Mademoiselle Lock from the iconic 2.55 quilted handbag,created by Mademoiselle Chanel in February 1955, above the black lacquered dial reveals the hour and minute hand of the watch, as well as a precious princess-cut diamond.
This year, two new members boasting the charmingly mysterious black ceramic – a much-loved material in the Chanel watchmaking realm – joins the family.
The Third Movement
Do you remember when Chanel revealed its first in-house movement, Calibre 1, to power its first men’s watch, the Monsieur de Chanel in 2016?
How about the Calibre 2 beating inside the superb Première Camélia Skeleton as the Maison celebrated its 30th anniversary of watchmaking adventure in 2017?
This year, the beautifully constructed Calibre 3, which took the brand three years to develop, can be found encased within the Boy.Friend Skeleton.
Floating in its emblematic octagonal-shaped beige gold case, the movement features a series of interlinked, vertically aligned circles.
The mirror-polished beige gold chamfering emphasises the movement’s depth, while the bridges at the back highlights the watch’s beating heart.
The Lion Returns
In 2016, Chanel waltzed into the boys’ club with the launch of its first-ever timepiece created for men: Monsieur de Chanel.
Featuring the Calibre 1 movement, it is a jumping hour watch, with the indicator located at the 6 o’clock position displayed in Arabic numerals within an octagonal window.
On the caseback, there are two circular and skeletonised bridges in glossy and matte black as well as a single black barrel which equips the watch with three-day power reserve.
This year, a Lion miniature sculpture is introduced into the collection — two versions of the Monsieur watch: a one-of-a-kind pocket watch fitted with the new Calibre 2.2 and a clock in a limited-edition series of only 5 pieces.
The Famous Flower
Through the hands of masterful enamellers, engravers, carvers and stone-setters, Mademoiselle Privé collection lauds the Maison’s creative saga and means for expressing unsurpassed skill and know-how of the Métiers d’Art craftsmanship used in fine watchmaking and high jewellery.
This year, the spotlight is on the famous camellia flower. The first-ever Mademoiselle Privé watch to be fitted with a fine watchmaking movement, the Calibre 2.1 Camélia Skeleton, drawn and designed in-house by the Chanel Watchmaking Creative Studio and developed and assembled by the Chanel manufacture in Switzerland.
To find out more about the latest Chanel watches, visit www.chanel.com
