CHANEL
Gabrielle Chanel was born in 1883 in Saumur. After a solitary childhood in the Aubazine orphanage—a period that left a deep mark on her life—she became a seamstress. Success came quickly, and she settled at 21 rue Cambon, where she began designing hats under the label “Chanel Modes.” Riding the wave of her success, she opened a boutique in Deauville, launched a couture workshop in Biarritz, and then moved to the iconic address at 31 rue Cambon in Paris. By freeing women from the corset and continuously redefining femininity while championing elegance, she established an avant-garde style that continues to define CHANEL creations today.
1921 marked the creation of the legendary CHANEL N°5 perfume by Ernest Beaux. In 1932, Gabrielle Chanel made a memorable foray into the world of High Jewelry with her collection “Bijoux de Diamants.”
In 1937, Gabrielle Chanel took up residence at the Ritz. Her suite overlooked Place Vendôme, a true architectural gem whose shape inspired Mademoiselle Chanel to design the N°5 bottle cap, and later in 1987, the dial of the Première watch by Jacques Helleu. Thus began the first watchmaking chapter of the House with the birth of CHANEL’s first timepiece.
In 2000, the J12 revolutionized the watchmaking world. Clad in black ceramic—followed by white in 2003—it became the first iconic watch of the 21st century. Classic, contemporary, and universal, it forever changed the silhouette of the feminine wrist. Twenty years after its creation, Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the CHANEL Watchmaking Creation Studio, subtly evolved the J12 without altering the identity that made it legendary. The J12 now houses the new 12.1 and 12.2 calibers, designed and developed exclusively for CHANEL by the Swiss Manufacture KENISSI.
Thus, CHANEL’s watchmaking journey continues, guided by Mademoiselle’s codes, reinterpreted in a style that knows no limits. Creativity reigns supreme; and no matter how complex, technique will always rise to the challenge.
In 2012, the rare pieces of the Mademoiselle Privé collection—dreamed of a thousand times over—captured hearts and time alike. This collection wrote a new chapter in CHANEL’s creative watchmaking story, becoming the preferred realm for showcasing the most exquisite skills of Watchmaking, High Jewelry, and the Métiers d’Art from the world of Couture.
In 2015, the BOY∙FRIEND watch reimagined androgynous codes of feminine watch design—a masculine-looking timepiece entirely dedicated to women.
In 2016, CHANEL unveiled its first in-house Haute Horlogerie movement: the CALIBER 1 with Instantaneous Jumping Hour and Retrograde Minute, along with its first watch specifically designed for men: the Monsieur de CHANEL.
It also marked the announcement of the Haute Horlogerie department within the G&F Châtelain Manufacture, which has since signed all in-house calibers—designed, developed, assembled, and tested by the teams in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
In 2025, for the first time in its history, CHANEL dresses its iconic timepiece in matte blue ceramic. Twenty-five years after the revolutions of the black and white J12, the J12 BLUE opens a new horizon—where the virtuoso craftsmanship of the CHANEL Manufacture gives life to a series of exceptional creations in an exclusive color.
Year after year, CHANEL watches continue to define the style of time.
25 place du marché Saint Honoré
75001 Paris
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