First off, Chanel and watches? Yeah, you might think “fashion house,” not necessarily “horological powerhouse.” But here’s the thing: they’ve been *quietly* building their watch game, especially in the mechanical arena. And a *huge* part of that is their reliance on Swiss movements. I mean, you can’t really call yourself a serious watchmaker without that Swiss pedigree, right?
Enter Audemars Piguet. Apparently, Chanel, being Chanel, went straight to the top when they wanted a new movement. The “J12 calibre 3125” came out of *that* partnership. Fancy! So, like, right away, you KNOW this isn’t just some slapdash fashion-watch thing. They’re partnering with AP, for crying out loud!
Then we have the J12. Oh, the J12. That ceramic wristwatch? Totally iconic. I mean, you see it, you KNOW it’s Chanel. And inside? Well, there’s the Calibre 12.1 or 12.2, these self-winding Swiss movements. You see where I’m going with this? Swiss movement *everywhere*.
But let’s talk jewelry for a sec. Because, um, jewelry watches? Yeah, those exist at Chanel, too. The J12 White, for example, gets the “Fine Watchmaking” treatment with the Calibre 2. And it’s all set in a precious case. Think serious sparkle, serious price tag, and seriously Swiss insides.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting, and maybe a little confusing, at least to me. Chanel makes a *lot* of different watches. I mean, you’ve got the Première, the BOY·FRIEND (seriously, that’s the name!), the CODE COCO, Mademoiselle Privé, Monsieur de CHANEL… it’s a whole *thing*. But the through-line, the thing that sorta connects them all, seems to be this commitment to quality watchmaking, and, yup, you guessed it: Swiss movements.
Where does the jewelry part come in? Well, a lot of these watches *are* jewelry, right? The Mademoiselle Privé, in particular, seems to be all about blurring the lines between watch and wearable art. Think intricate dials, lots of diamonds, and… well, it’s beautiful stuff.
