Hot Horology

Anyone can be a one-hit wonder, but Chanel has won six GPHG awards across all three categories, it's safe to conclude that the brand demonstrates watchmaking legitimacy

- JONATHAN HO 

FEATURING BEVELLED LINES from the stopper of the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle, the distinctive rectangular-octagonal shape of their 1987 Première marked Chanel’s entry into the world of watchmaking.

Over 30 years on, what began as design muse combining one of their most recognisable products and the unmistakable Place Vendôme “shopping square” in Paris has grown into a watchmaking concern, encompassing ownership stakes in serious industry partners used by high horology purveyors like Romain Gauthier and F.P.Journe.

Yes, Chanel is a serious watchmaker and they’re about to go stratospheric.

Now Going Interstellar

Though some may disagree, watchmaking is an enterprise with two key components: the movement and the case. The more nouveau breed of “serious” watch collectors often pay attention to the movement to the obliviousness of everything else but the case, which is an inevitable part of a timepiece’s physical appeal – you fall in love with the overall design before you want to get to know its “inner beauty” aka mechanical calibre.

In 2000, the French luxury house introduced a new concept to the conservative world of timepieces with its J12, a model swathed in monochromatic ceramic that was conceived by its then-Artistic Director, Jacques Helleu. With a distinctly graphic, sporty sensibility combined with a link-bracelet-style strap, it was perfect for women on the go. But, given its countenance, what would that sophistication look like if it was given a place of pride on a male wrist?