The New Couture O’Clock Collection By Chanel

Chanel is leaning on its Rue Cambon heritage for their watch novelties for the second year in a row. Part of this year’s lineup includes a pin cushion watch ring, a gem-set bangle in the shape of a spool of thread, and a J12 with scissor-shaped hands.

The legacy of Chanel and its pivotal role in women’s fashion can always be traced back to the visual pillars Coco created for the brand: the little black dress, the quilted bag, the tweed suit, two-tone shoes, camellias, pearls, the use of black and white, and Chanel No. 5 perfume. All of which have been represented across the watchmaking category. These pillars were conceived and born at 21 (later 31) Rue Cambon – an address that functioned as Coco’s personal residence, a boutique, and a couture atelier. Now we look to Rue Cambon as a spiritual Chanel watch mecca. Its significance and weight are so important to the brand’s legacy that Rue Cambon is a key feature in this year’s Couture O’clock collection novelties.

All the watches are decorated with couture motifs. Starting with the J12 – which has become as much of a Chanel symbol as the aforementioned brand pillars. It’s a classic 33mm J12 in white ceramic (available with and without diamonds) with a couture twist involving scissors that indicate the hours and minutes, a needle for the seconds, a pattern cutting/toile motif for the dial and a tape measure minutes track. It houses Chanel’s in-house caliber 12.2. The 18k yellow gold bobbin cuff is set with diamonds and a yellow emerald cut sapphire which conceals the pavé set watch. The safety pin necklace has a teeny tiny quartz powered watch and the pincushion ring is set with diamonds and 134 miniature gold pearls. Much like the couture these designs are inspired by, these watches are not made for mass consumption. All are limited to relatively small quantities (listed below).

Director of the Chanel watch replica Watchmaking Creation Studio Arnaud Chastaingt keeps the house’s watchmaking rooted in Coco’s codes. He recognizes that the power of a brand like Chanel is its ability to remain anchored in the present but to repackage and repurpose the core Coco symbols – a pick-and-choose methodology where the motifs are subsumed and reframed into a modern context such as a J12 or pincushion watch ring.

Coco Chanel never got to see her empire expand beyond its origins of couture, fragrance and Byzantine costume jewels. But the legacy of the house and its pivotal role in women’s fashion can usually always be traced back to its Rue Cambon roots – the sacred headquarters of the famed couturier.