This summer, two schools clash: makeup or the nude effect? And this is where Arnaud Chastaingt comes onto the scene. The Director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio has found a solution to reconcile those who go on vacation with a vanity full to burst - glamour from the cobblestones to the beach - and the naturals who prefer to lie on a deckchair without a trace of mascara. His proposal? “Make up time to make it more beautiful.” The house founded by Gabrielle Chanel offers a capsule collection of watches to pack for a swim in the waves with elegance. It's a philosophy true to the spirit of its founder. Because long before dressing up fashion, Mademoiselle understood one thing: beauty is style to the millimeter. So why not make it an art of time?
When time goes into makeup mode
We join this school because summer is precisely the occasion to wear colorful watches that are sometimes harder to flaunt in the city: pink with an iridescent effect, lacquered shades... all follies are allowed. And then, there’s a fashion accessory side with such pieces. Did you think your watch just went tick-tock? Not with Chanel. The Blush Capsule collection straight from a vanity borrows the textures of blush, the reflections of gloss, the sensuality of lipstick. Under Arnaud Chastaingt’s eye, dials become canvases, hands draw precise lines like liners, and colors splash in the manner of Dripping. Jackson Pollock can go get dressed again: at Chanel, we splash pink and red with a very Parisian creativity.
A bit of art, a lot of blush, and a touch of Pop
Concretely, the line plays on “the radicality of black lacquer which illuminates the texture of a red or pinkish powder,” as Arnaud Chastaingt states. And, it sprinkles everything with a playful side. The Boy Friend model thus diverts cosmetic (and comic strip) codes through a graphic bubble worthy of a comic book, exclaiming “Coco Kiss” as a strong nod to Pop Art. It's fun, bold, impertinent. And yet, every detail remains precise to the millimeter. Another feat? The Première cuff summons the DNA of lipstick. Its leather chain bracelet evokes a color chart. An unexpected fusion between a jewel, and a beauty accessory, worn with the same nonchalance as an oversized tweed coat.
Première (in beauty class)
Other pieces also seem to have come from a beauty tutorial. The Première with its black silhouette and its chain bracelet intertwined with leather plays seduction with six lacquered charms with the letters “Chanel,” like an haute couture nail polish alphabet. The Code Coco Blush? It has its place in a chic makeup bag: embossed iridescent pink leather, clasp borrowed from the 2.55 bag, and a dark dial where a diamond sparkles. If you're going to dress up time, you might as well do it with style. And that’s exactly what the Blush collection offers: precious watches, of course, but not pretentious. High watchmaking that doesn't take itself too seriously, and that’s why we love it.
Watch or a palette: why choose?
And what about the J12? It reveals itself in a polyptych: five watches which, together, form a single unique work of mechanical art. Behind this explosion of colors like nail polish splattered in a Pop Art gallery, no less than 200 hours of research have mastered the delicate art of applying enamel on black ceramic. Happy end: here, there’s no manicure chipping away with water contact, Chanel's "horological makeup" is evidently... waterproof!
