Chanel’s Première Galon Braids Watchmaking and Jewelry

Few brands occupy the intersection of fine watchmaking and fine jewelry more proudly than Chanel. Just look to the newest iteration of its Première Galon wristwatch, a timepiece, introduced in 1987, that looks and feels like a bangle bracelet. 

The watch, which comes on a rigid bangle with a twisted braid motif, owes its heritage to a braid trim that Gabrielle Chanel used to highlight the contours of her suits, adorn pockets and cuffs, and add structure to silhouettes (in French, galon means “braid”). Unveiled in 2025 as a glamorous yellow gold wristwatch, the Première Galon is newly available in white gold. 

Paired with the brand’s signature white diamonds and black lacquer, the piece has a bold, contrasting elegance sure to attract watch lovers looking to incorporate more jewelry into their wardrobes, as well as jewelry collectors dipping their toes into the world of horology.

But don’t take it from us. Last year, when the watch was newly unveiled, Harper’s Bazaar said as much in a fawning editorial: “The Première Galon arrives at a moment of renewed emphasis on craft-centric design and a growing appetite for timepieces that feel like jewelry,” wrote Jennifer Jenkins, the magazine’s assistant accessories editor. “Watch collectors, vintage dealers, and estate curators all report heightened interest in 20th-century modernist designs, from discreet ‘secret’ watches to those embellished with precious stones.”

Available in a flurry of four new styles—including an ultra-chic version featuring alternating braids of diamonds and black lacquer as well as an all-white diamond bangle boasting a white gold dial and 5.53 carats of stones—the Première Galon is a perfect example of Chanel’s eternally chic styling. The dial takes a discreet supporting role, ceding the spotlight to the braid, whose interlaced strands catch the light with every turn of the wrist. In white gold, the effect is more graphic than in yellow, a crisp counterpoint to the warmth of the 2025 original. The black lacquer sharpens the diamonds’ brilliance and recalls the house’s most enduring palette, while the alternating-braid version turns the idea of a ribbon of trim into a rhythm of light and shadow.

The collection also reflects Chanel’s steady deepening of its watchmaking credentials over the past decade, as the house has moved from fashion-world novelty to serious horological player. The Première Galon collection, which features high-precision quartz movements, sits at the more jewelry-minded end of that spectrum, and that is precisely its appeal.