Some observers were quick to call it “girly fashion”: drastically reducing the the size of ladies’ watches to mini sizes that made them luxury accessories as well as timepieces. It is the best way of giving a new lease of life to an existing collection and reaching a new audience. The aim being to push aesthetic boundaries that traditional (or more conservative) watch buyers may not have liked on the version in its original size.
A number of brands have done this: Dior with its Mini D, Baume & Mercier with its Petite Promesse, Hermès with its Faubourg (11.5mm!), Poiray with its Mini, and many more besides. Chanel is no exception, once again bringing a touch of crazy creativity to its J12.
J12 / 2 = 19
The original diameter has been halved: from 38mm it shrinks to 19mm. The J12 keeps its raw material, ceramic, with which it made a storm in the world of watches 15 years ago with what was then an audacious move.
But these ingredients are just the start of the J12-XS adventure, since Chanel has unveiled a set of 12 unique pieces to introduce the collection. The aim here is to open up the creative possibilities of the J12-XS and show everything that this reduction to 19mm makes possible.
The fashion house based at Rue Cambon in Paris gave itself complete freedom and made full use of the craftsmen, Paraffection, who work for the brand. These include the artists at Lesage and Causse, the former a specialist in fine embroidery, the latter one of the few remaining artisanal glove-makers in France.
12 unbridled pieces: the J12 dares to be different!
The result is a set of twelve unrestrained watches. Chanel plays on obvious contradictions: since the J12 is now in XS format, why not match it with XL accessories on which the brand can show off all its talent!
The result is a collection of cuffs, mittens and bracelets that envelop the hand, the wrist or even the arm. Chanel may have divided the diameter of its J12 by two, but it has multiplied its creative talent by ten, putting leather, lace and diamonds together in a collection of twelve watches that have already been sold. Paradoxical, surprising, excessive, feminine, sophisticated, the J12-XS is a no holds barred watch that wears its audacity on its sleeve.
The regular collection will arrive in stores over the coming weeks with four models costing between 4700 and 7900 euros. Dressed in white or black, the brand’s two favourite tones, they will offer a more understated version of the J12 XS which, beyond the 12 creations that are as extravagant as they are unique, will allow ladies to wear a version of this iconic watch that is more suited to the everyday in the style of an “accessory bracelet”. These four models will come as three non-limited versions and a series of 150 cuff watches that will only be available from Chanel stores.
