If you want to know what Chanel watches are truly capable of, then I would invite you to look at the J12 Bleu X-Ray launched at Watches and Wonders 2025. This timepiece, marking the J12’s 25th anniversary, is a statement of the brand’s in-house competencies. First, there is the iconic design of the J12 — created by Jacques Helleu in 2000 and, since 2013, refined under the creative direction of Arnaud Chastaingt, a quiet, modest former Cartier designer of impressive ability.

Second, there is the in-house gem setting, evinced by the electrifying blue baguette-cut sapphires set in the bezel and the mid-links of the bracelet, reflecting one of the core competencies of Châtelaine — Chanel’s watch and jewelry manufacture, which boasts a 25-person team dedicated to gem setting at the highest level. The third is material innovation, expressed here by the blue-tinted sapphire crystal case and bracelet. These showcase Châtelaine’s deep expertise in advanced materials, though the manufacture is more widely recognized as a revered producer of ceramic watches and bracelets for Chanel and other brands. (If you are wondering if certain haut de gamme watch brands have their beautifully finished ceramic cases and bracelets made here, the answer is probably yes.) Last but not least, there is the use of an in-house skeletonized movement, the Caliber 3.1, which cleverly integrates the winding stem into the 3 o’clock index and is fixed between two panes of sapphire crystal, so that the entire movement seems to float detached from the case, in a thrilling act of horological prestidigitation.

Frédéric Grangié, President of Chanel Watches & Fine Jewellery

Says the man ably overseeing Chanel’s watch and jewelry division, Frédéric Grangié, “We are proud of what we do, but we always want to stay humble. We will only have been in watchmaking for 40 years in 2027. By Swiss watchmaking standards, that is very young. But a very important decision was taken in the ’90s. This reflected the same approach we apply to everything, from fashion to fragrance. And that is, we are very serious in watchmaking and express ourselves through this authenticity. This is why we bought a manufacture [Châtelaine] in 1993, and since then we have been working relentlessly on our key savoir faire.”

Grangié says this, of course, with great modesty as Chanel is, in fact, a powerhouse in watchmaking. Apart from Châtelaine, which is involved in 60 professions dedicated to watches and jewelry, Chanel has direct investments in F.P. Journe and sources many of its most spectacular dials from Journe’s Cadraniers de Genève. Chanel also holds a stake in Romain Gauthier, which it has partnered with on movement design, including the Caliber 1. The maison is part owner of the movement manufacturer Kenissi, which produces calibers for brands like Tudor and Breitling, among others, and is a minority shareholder in fellow French brand Bell & Ross. Most recently, it has invested in Max Büsser’s MB&F. These strategic moves over the years underscore the point that Chanel doesn’t do things by half measures. It has taken the long and decidedly harder road to ensure that real watchmaking authenticity is built to last.

Getting the perfect “bleu” for the new J12

While the J12 X-Ray is destined to be an elusive timepiece, out of reach for most collectors due to its price tag, Chanel has also empowered the more accessible J12 line with an all-new blue ceramic hue. Says Grangié, “This is an expression of our expertise in ceramic. We control the entire process — starting with the raw material, which is created in Germany by a company we own [Inmatec Technologies], through to the crafting of watch parts at Châtelaine, which you see here.

It took five years of research for the Chanel Watch Manufacture to develope the J12 Bleu’s exclusive hue. Image: Revolution ©

This gives us the capacity to be extremely expressive. For this color of blue, Arnaud went through a huge number of tests before we decided on this compelling, nocturnal matte blue.”

Chanel’s blue ceramic is used to stunning effect in the new J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon Caliber 5, a watch that also showcases an impressive movement. Introduced in 2024, the Caliber 5 shares its base with the aforementioned Caliber 1 developed in partnership with Romain Gauthier. It features a circular bridge that carries all the pinions for the movement’s gear train. The central pinion of the Caliber 5’s tourbillon cage is set with a 65-facet solitaire diamond (~0.18 carat).

Caliber 5 was the result of three years of development, comprising 172 parts. Image: Revolution ©

Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio

As for the ceramic case, Arnaud Chastaingt explains, “To arrive at the specific blue, we went through 24 different prototypes and 150 different colorways. This process took five years. In the end, the choice we made was driven by emotion.”

Grangié elaborates, “The hue we chose is highly complementary to black in that, together, the two colors create a dynamic contrast. This actually echoes the way Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel played with blue and black, which was very radical [during her time] as they were not supposed to go together.”

The J12 Bleu merges design and watchmaking finesse

Put the J12 Bleu X-Ray or J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon Caliber 5 on your wrist and it’ll be obvious that Chastaingt has put a lot of thought into the watches’ ergonomics. Both are 38mm in diameter, which to my mind is the perfect size for an integrated bracelet sports chic watch. Both are characterized by a smoothness that is extremely pleasant on the wrist. At the same time, the visual presence of both timepieces is striking; your eyes are immediately drawn to them.

Over 1,600 hours of work were required to sculpt the case and bracelet of the J12 Bleu X-Ray, from a single block of synthetic sapphire

To say Chanel is good at making watches from ceramic is like saying Stradivarius was good at making fiddles out of wood. One thing that immediately sets Chanel apart from the majority of watchmakers is its ability to finish ceramic like a precious metal. In its high watchmaking timepieces, such as the J12 Diamond Tourbillon Caliber 5, this is made abundantly clear by the mirror polishing of bevels, including those in the mid-links. But what you don’t see is that the ceramic undergoes mirror polishing before the matte surface treatment is applied.

So, in the case of Chanel’s watches, the devil truly lies in the details. Remember the Caliber 1 with its circular bridge for the gear train? This was actually created by Romain Gauthier at the suggestion of Chastaingt. He explains, “I was searching for a visual signature. Then I thought about how, at Chanel, we are always using the past to innovate for the future, and this idea of a complete circle became appealing. We decided to use this as a kind of leitmotif in all of our watches.”

Says Grangié, “The challenge here was that the movement had to be created according to Arnaud’s drawing. We did not adapt the watch’s aesthetic to fit the movement; we did it the opposite way. But you can see in the Caliber 1, the skeletonized Caliber 3.1 and the Caliber 5 Tourbillon that for all our in-house movements, there is this integrity of design and watchmaking merging perfectly.”

He pauses with a laugh and says, “Maybe it’s because we are young and we don’t know any better.” Though he says this with characteristic humility, he and Chastaingt know exactly what they’re doing — creating some of the finest watches in the industry, guided by integrity and a bold expression of Chanel’s unique identity.

Tech Specs: Chanel J12 Bleu X-Ray

Movement: Manual-winding Caliber 3.1; 55-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 38mm; blue sapphire crystal and black-coated 18K white gold, fixed bezel set with 46 baguette-cut blue sapphires (~5.61 cts); water-resistant to 30m
Dial: Transparent sapphire crystal set with 12 baguette-cut blue sapphires (~0.43 cts)
Strap: Blue sapphire crystal and black-coated 18K white gold bracelet set with 138 baguette-cut blue sapphires (~10.15 carats); black-coated 18K white gold triple-folding buckle
Availability: Limited and numbered to 12 pieces 

Tech Specs: Chanel J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon 

Movement: Manual-winding Caliber 5; 42-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes; flying tourbillon
Case: 38mm; matte blue highly resistant ceramic and steel with black coating, bezel set with 34 baguette-cut blue sapphires; water-resistant to 50m
Dial: Blue openworked dial, tourbillon cage set with solitaire diamond (~0.18 carat)
Strap: Matte blue highly resistant ceramic bracelet with polished bevels; steel with black coating triple-folding buckle
Availability: Limited to 55 pieces
Price: EUR 230,000