Shape Of Things To Come

In our third and final report on Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022, we highlight four manufactures who have pushed the boundaries of design, gem-cutting and technical know-how.

CHANEL

With an impressive line-up of J12 releases at the fair, including a new automatic 33mm, whimsical models honouring Mademoiselle Gabrielle and a six-piece capsule collection, it’s evident that the iconic timepiece continues to take centre stage in the French maison’s watchmaking repertoire.

Beyond new iterations, this year marks a new chapter for the J12 with the Calibre 5, housed in the J12 Diamond Tourbillon featuring a 0.18-carat solitaire placed on the centre of the tourbillon cage. This is Chanel’s first flying tourbillon and fifth high complication movement, designed by Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the maison’s Watchmaking Creation Studio, and developed and assembled at the Chanel Manufacture at La Chaux-de-Fonds.

“I wanted to endow the J12 watch with a diamond. Set at the centre of the tourbillon, the solitaire diamond follows the mechanism of the movement, giving time a rhythm that is precious and meditative, almost hypnotic,” Chastaingt elaborates.

Of course, in true Chanel fashion, no ordinary round solitaire would do, as Chastaingt continues: “We created a bespoke 65-facet cut: a unique cut for a unique watch, and one that I continue to find fascinating and inspiring. Placing a diamond of this size on a tourbillon was an obsession for me. It was a technical challenge that the Chanel Manufacture teams executed magnificently, giving life to the new J12 Diamond Tourbillon.”