The French fashion house entered the watch game in 1987 with the launch of its aptly-named ‘Premiere’ for women, but the J12 broke new ground in having a case and bracelet made entirely from scratch-proof ceramic.
Helleu, who plotted Chanel’s direction for 40 years prior to his death in 2007, said he created the watch because he wanted something that was good-looking yet resilient – and, as a keen sailor, he named it after the celebrated 12-metre ‘J’ Class racing yachts of the 1930s.
The initial models featured Helleu’s own take on a classic dive watch design and were made from black ceramic; but when a white version arrived in 2003, sales of the J12 took-off thanks to its appeal to women buyers who had long been in search of an all-white watch that never showed its age.
From Dive Watch to Design Legend
In the years that followed, the J12 has been made available in numerous variations, ranging from those with Audemars Piguet movements to tourbillons, see-through ‘X-Ray’ models and diamond-encrusted versions costing seven-figure sums.
Chanel marked last year’s ‘silver jubilee’ of the J12 with the well-received addition of a ‘blue black’ ceramic that, says, watches and jewellery boss Frederic Grangie, took five years to develop and was ‘too blue to be black and too black to be blue’.
A New Hue With a Story to Tell
The hue was (allegedly) Chanel founder Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s favourite, and the one she used in the famous ‘marinieres’ , the sailor-inspired jersey tops she launched at her Deauville shop during WW1.
At launch, the J12 ‘Bleu’ was made available in nine limited-edition models ranging from simple, three handers to a flying tourbillon version featuring a 4.5mm diamond set into the centre of the tourbillon and a bezel set with sapphires.
But now the roll-out of the Bleu as a permanent addition to the J12 range is well and truly underway, with this week’s Watches & Wonders show being chosen to unveil 38mm and 33mm models, both with automatic movements.
A Full House for Watches & Wonders
The two new Bleus respectively get the Caliber 12.1 self-winding mechansism and the Caliber 12.2, each one produced by the Kenissi manufacture which Chanel co-owns.
For J12 traditionalists who still love the monochrome offerings, meanwhile, the brand’s ‘Creative Watch Making Studio’ has also unveiled new quartz-powered 28mm and self-winding, chronometer-certified 42mm offerings that further capitalise on the model’s long-standing ‘unisex’ appeal.
The new arrivals include the first J12 to feature a strap made from textured black rubber , and a decidedly glam ‘Golden Black’ limited edition that combines polished and matte ceramic with indexes plated in yellow gold.
There’s also a new version of the J12 ‘Superleggera’, originally launched in 2005 having been inspired by the lightweight sports car bodies created by Milanese coachbuilder Touring.
This latest model is said to be the ‘most dynamic’ J12 yet and is designed as a ‘showcase of technical prowess and aesthetic sophistication’…
In other words, it looks pretty cool – and, like all J12 watches of the modern era, is designed and built entirely in-house following Chanel’s 39-year journey from being a seller of ‘fashion’ timepieces to a full-blown manufacturer of watches which sees the process through from concept to design using its own workshops and testing facilities.
A journey that, in the J12’s case, has spawned what can fairly claim to have been one of the greatest horological hits of the 21st century…..
