The Chanel Boy.Friend is celebrating its fifth birthday this year, but there's nothing turbulent or mischievous about this youth. Since its debut in 2015, this watch has been sober, minimalist and elegant. It wisely mixes genders — it's a watch for women that attracts men too (which is rare, while the reverse is much less so), and it has a male name. There is nothing revolutionary about its shape either, since it is very similar to that of the first watch created by Chanel in 1987, the Première. This proto-Boy-Friend had an octagonal case, inspired by the shape of the Vendôme, or the stopper of the iconic N° 5 perfume bottle.
The Boy.Friend has remained minimalist in five years, at least in its watchmaking functions. The model exists only in time-only versions, with its most complication function being a simple date. The movements are largely quartz, or hand-wound with a power reserve of 55 hours. It is available in three sizes (small, medium and large), in beige gold (a material exclusive to Chanel) white gold or steel, set with diamonds or not. The dial is black or opaline, without any numerals, and its extended centre is decorated with a delicate guilloché pattern, or fully paved with diamonds. There are many different versions playing with and mixing these parameters — size, case material, dial colour and functions. Tweed, the fabric so dear to Coco Chanel, has been invited into the collection to break this play of variations and create unexpected watches with multicoloured dials in tweed-patterned grand feu enamel, as well as tweed patterned bracelets.
A majestically skeletonised Boy.Friend entered the collection in 2018. The watch is totally built around Chanel's third Manufacture calibre, Calibre 3. This hand-wound movement was designed as a skeleton movement from the outset, with its overall aesthetics being put at the service of the function.
The new Boy.Friend and Boy.Friend Skeleton models that Chanel is unveiling this spring feature new variations in materials and colours, but without anything revolutionary.
The Boy.Friend is made of stainless steel and available in two sizes — small (27.9 x 21.5 mm) or medium (34.6 x 26.7 mm). The watches feature the familiar guilloché opaline dial, although black has until now been the colour to match the steel case. Both watches have a quartz movement, with the larger of the two displaying an additional date window at 6 o'clock and a bezel set with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds. The interchangeable strap introduces another motif dear to Coco Chanel's heart, the quilted pattern.
The Boy.Friend Skeleton 2020 is a limited edition of 55 pieces in white gold. Its novelty lies in a setting of baguette-cut diamonds — when the 2018 beige gold version had brilliant-cut diamonds. The bezel, as well as the crown and folding clasp of the black calfskin strap are adorned with 66 diamonds (~2.62 carats).
