Chanel's timeless creations

Chanel, which began full-scale watchmaking in 1987, has achieved a leap in quality over the past 30 years. The expansion of its in-house workshop, G&F Châtelain, and the cooperative structure with related companies through appropriate M&A are approaches unique to Chanel, which positions haute horlogerie as synonymous with haute couture. We will explore the underlying essence of "Chanel time" through a full look at the core movements currently used by Chanel and the words of Arnaud Chastain, who oversees design.

Le Temps CHANEL,CHANEL Horlogerie

　Chanel first began making watches in 1987. Over the 34 years since, Chanel has significantly improved the quality of its watches, but there were several turning points along the way. The first of these was in 93, when Chanel took over management rights from G&F Châtelain, the exterior watch manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds that had previously produced the "Premiere" watch, and established its own factory in the same location, covering an area of ​​approximately 1800 square meters.

　The Maison's first fully mechanical wristwatch, the "J12," released in 2000, represented the culmination of the work of the late Jacques Helleu, artistic director at the time, who had been involved in numerous women's watches since the 1987 "Première." While adhering to the principles of practical wristwatches, this model, clad in ceramic, not only transformed this relatively new material into a precious piece, but also breathed new life into traditional watchmaking concepts that had existed for over two centuries. The flowing elegance expressed in Jacques Helleu's passionate drawings, inspired by images of yachts and racing cars, was beautifully recreated in the lustrous ceramic material. Case and bracelet manufacturing techniques have also improved over the years, and since G&F Châtelain achieved full in-house production, the level of sophistication has grown to the point where it easily surpasses that of other companies' ceramic cases.

　But when did Chanel, which had established its foundation as a luxury watchmaking maison using these advances in exterior technology as a foothold, begin to turn its attention to the inner workings of the timepiece? Historically, the J12 Tourbillon, released in 2005, marks the beginning of Chanel-made complications, with a ceramic baseplate added to an existing ébauche. However, it wasn't until 2008 with the J12 Caliber 3125 that the brand began to turn its attention to the movement itself. Functionally, its automatic, three-hand, date-equipped design is no different from the standard J12. However, Chanel saw value in this movement, based on the Audemars Piguet Caliber 3120, equal to that of a jewel. The linearly arranged double-supported balance bridge and the 22K gold rotor coated in black ceramic were designed by Chanel.

　This commitment to quality in basic ébauches, rather than complications, really came into full bloom with the unveiling of the redesigned J12 in 2019. In January 2019, just two months before the opening of Baselworld, Chanel received news that no one in the Swiss watch industry could have anticipated: Chanel had announced a capital investment in Kenissi, a new movement supplier based in Geneva. Founded in 2016, Kenissi's founding process remains unclear, but in general, it can be considered an independent movement supplier founded by Tudor. Chanel was the first to acquire the rights to use the innovative automatic movement, which had already achieved significant success. Indeed, the new J12, unveiled in March of the same year, was equipped with the "Calibre 12.1," developed under Chanel's leadership. This movement, planned and designed by Chanel and manufactured by Kenissi, is essentially a dedicated movement for the J12.

　The man behind this historic redesign is Arnaud Chastain, head of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio on Place Vendôme. After a decade-long career at Cartier, Chastain became director of Chanel's Creation Studio in 2013. He witnessed the debut of the original J12 in his early years. According to him, the original J12 "shook up the conservative world of watchmaking, brought by Chanel, a highly influential fashion house." It's the muse that inspired him to pursue watch design and continues to inspire him today. Interestingly, it seems customary within Chanel to use the term J12 as a feminine noun. Since joining Chanel, he has worked on the design concepts for the "Boyfriend" (2015), "Monsieur de Chanel" (2016), and "Code Coco" (2017), so it's likely he agonized over the redesign of the J12, his very origins. As a result, he chose the approach of "changing everything without changing anything." This was not just a concept, but something he felt compelled to do. If there was one area where he had free rein, it would have been the rotor of the Caliber 12.1. In that sense, this workhorse also has pure Chanel blood flowing through its veins.

　On the other hand, Chastan's mastery as a product designer was highlighted by the fact that he left nothing to change. The bezel was redesigned to be slightly slimmer, and the indices were changed from Delrin, a type of engineering plastic, to ceramic. At first glance, the exquisite attention to detail and sense of balance, such as the plating on the edge of the date window, which forms the cross section of the dial, seem far from bold. The meticulous work, such as changing the typeface on the date disc from the traditional font to Chanel's own, was meticulous. However, with the J12 Paradox the following year, Chastan seemed to have suddenly freed himself from the self-imposed constraints. Boldly cut and ingeniously joined together in black and white highly resistant ceramic, the J12 Paradox fully demonstrated the Maison's bold yet meticulous DNA.

"I love the way this watch peeks out from under a sweater cuff. At first, you only see its black silhouette, but as you move your wrist a little, it creates a sense of surprise and pleasant discomfort. It requires a boldness to wear, but I still wanted to express this duality in a luxury watch." Having made these comments last year, Chastan will be developing a cross-sectional story this year under the theme "Le Temps Chanel." While the collection features a number of unique models, including a capsule collection incorporating the graphic codes of electronic music, we particularly want to highlight the 33mm J12, equipped with the newly developed "Caliber 12.2." The J12 Caliber 12.2 Edition 1, equipped with the second in-house automatic caliber, once again features a tone-on-tone color scheme. A single diamond on the crown and a baguette-cut sapphire bezel plate assert a discreet individuality. This shows how much respect Shastan has for the original J12, but this year is just a pre-launch year, so we're sure they'll show us an even bolder approach next year.

　What is interesting about Arnaud Chastain, the designer who heads Chanel's watchmaking, for a watch magazine like ours, is that he has no particular admiration for the concept of high complications. This seems to cast a shadow over Chanel's unique approach to haute horlogerie.

"Haute horlogerie for Chanel transcends technical complexity. Originally, haute horlogerie meant the category of watches equipped with complicated mechanisms. But why complicate something that can be simplified? I prefer to think of 'clarity of the watch' rather than 'complication of the watch'."

　Chastan's aesthetic sensibility is embodied in his in-house movements. This product group, which began with the "Calibre 1" in 2016, lacks complications but exudes exceptional beauty. Its aesthetics are somewhat different from simple functional beauty; they are mechanisms that serve beauty. While the geometric bridgework, based on Chastan's concept, is a major feature, what has most captivated watch enthusiasts is the beauty of the functional components, such as the gears and jewels. I have never seen a ruby ​​this large, with such a clear color and such a beautiful olive. Much of this is due to the work of Romain Gauthier (an independent watchmaker and one of Switzerland's leading microparts suppliers), with whom Chanel has had a stake since 2011. While Chanel's understanding of this technology and its pursuit of it in its own products is truly admirable, I can only admire their discerning aesthetic.

"Chanel has a unique definition of the concept of Haute Horlogerie. The staff involved in making Chanel watches are highly skilled artisans, and I rely on the savoir-faire of watchmakers just as I work with jewelers, gem engravers, embroiderers and enamellers. For me, Haute Horlogerie is the perfect platform to express my vision of watchmaking. It is an exciting playground where excellence, boldness and uniqueness are the keywords. Haute Horlogerie and Haute Couture are the same, but they contain the same magic, just with a difference in the word they contain."