[Serial No. 18 / First published in the January 2013 issue of Chronos Japan]
*Prices and contents have been revised as of April 2018.
With the release of the J12 in September 2000, Chanel quickly rose to the ranks of top watchmakers. This was made possible by the talent of the late designer Jacques Helleu. However, Chanel did not rest on its laurels. It is in the constant modifications that have been made since the first model that Chanel truly excels.
Origin of J12
From birth to immutable code
The J12 was Chanel's first men's watch and quickly became an icon. It was designed by Jacques Helleu, the company's artistic director. Helleu, who had expressed the essence of Chanel in the 1987 women's watch "Première," reflected his own tastes in the J12.
The J12 was designed by Jacques Helleu, who was Chanel's artistic director and joined the company at the age of 18, a position he held for 40 years.
From 1966 onwards, Helleu completely revamped Chanel's advertising visuals and also brought success to Chanel in the perfume field.
It's not clear why he decided to work on watches, but now I think there was no one better suited to the job than Helleu. His women's "Première" (87) has a rectangular case with rounded corners. Its shape was modeled after the bottle stopper of "Chanel No. 5" and also resembles the Place Vendôme in Paris. No. 5 and Place Vendôme. Having built his career at Chanel, it was only natural that Helleu's first watch would be Chanel itself.
In 93, Helleu and his team began work on a new watch, codenamed "Ex Nihilo" (Latin for "from nothing"), according to Europa Star. The watch, in Helleu's words, was to be "timeless, immortal, and come in either shining black or dazzling white"—the Chanel signature colors, of course. The material chosen for the exterior was ceramic, a material that does not oxidize, is hard, and does not tarnish.
To emphasize its masculine appeal (the catalogue at the time of its release stated that it was "for both women and men"), Helleu sought inspiration outside of Chanel. One was "cars," which he described as a second skin, and the other was "boats," with which he was familiar. The name J12, or "12th," comes from the boats Baron Byck built for the America's Cup during this period, and in fact the catalogue at the time of its release made extensive use of images of yachts speeding across the ocean.
What's interesting is the design. Helleu, who fully expressed the essence of Chanel with the Premiere, defined the upcoming Ex Nihilo as "a watch that I would want to use myself." Helleu did not reveal the motif, but by exploring his tastes, we can imagine why the J12 design came to this point. All of the following quotes are from "JACQUES HELLEU & CHANEL," which includes many of his comments from his lifetime.
Helleu, a man of discerning taste (he admitted that taste was a gift from heaven), actually had some very manly hobbies. His passions included classic cars and, even more so, trains and model trains. Helleu himself once said, "I pay homage to the great locomotives designed by Raymond Loewy." Fascinated by Loewy's retro-modern aesthetic, he likely sought to incorporate these elements into his timepieces. The J12's thick bezel is a typical modern sports watch, but its Arabic numerals, railway track dial, and bar hands—its main design elements—were considered "old" even at the time of the J12's development. However, it was Helleu's skill that brought these elements together into the design of today. He later said, "The term 'precision' in the watch industry represents an element that has been passed down to every detail of Chanel's products. My job is to strive for precision to be the absolute standard."
The precision he emphasized was the key to making the J12 different from an ordinary watch. First, the treatment of the hour hand. The J12 has a recess in the center of the dial, and the hour hand is positioned to fit into that recess. Although the hour hand is too short by watch industry standards, its tip overlaps with the railway track engraved on the outer periphery of the recess, and care has been taken to ensure that the shadow of the hour hand is reflected in the frame of the recess. This technique is not only unique, but also skillfully combines a three-dimensional effect with legibility. However, without careful attention to the clearance between the dial and the hand, and the angle and finish of the frame of the recess, the effect would never have been achieved.
The same consideration can be seen in the buckle. The J12's "triple folding buckle" does not rely on push buttons or metal interlocking like other companies' buckles, but is supported by the tension of a single spring.
The reason for this is probably that they didn't want to make the buckle too complicated, and more importantly, to avoid hurting the wearer's fingers. At least the J12 buckle is easy to open and close, even for women with nails. However, without the appropriate spring strength, this attempt would not have been successful.
A versatile yet distinctive watch is the ideal for both creators and consumers. However, Chanel suddenly achieved this goal with a watch that could also be worn by men. It is no wonder that the J12 had a major impact on the watch industry.
It is impossible to overstate the aesthetic sense and perfectionism of Jacques Helleu, who created the J12 from scratch. However, what most people overlook is the subtle modifications made after its release that are what make it even more Chanel-like. The ability to further improve something that appears to be complete is truly Chanel.
