Chanel launched the emblematic J12 sports watch 22 years ago. Despite its iconic representation in the horology division, ceramic watches are usually associated with Hublot first. However, Chanel fans can rejoice as the French luxury house that pioneered the use of ceramic is back with an exciting line-up of new models within its iconic J12 collection for Watches and Wonders 2022. We are focusing entirely on the gem of this collection- the J12 Diamond tourbillon. Designer Arnaud Chastaingt lends a new movement to the classic ceramic sports watch- Calibre 5.
It is the first time the French Maison has debuted its in-house flying tourbillon movement. The first thing that catches the eye against the beautiful black canvas of this Chanel timepiece is a solitaire diamond set in the middle of the tourbillon cage. It pops out like a bright eye, despite the presence of smaller diamonds on the bezel, hands, and crown. This luminance can be credited to the carving of the stone with a 65-facet cut to take full advantage of its brightness as the tourbillon rotated.
While the collection offers variants in sizes such as 38mm and 33mm, the limited-edition automatic caliber will only come in a 33mm variant. The first flying tourbillon was built in-house at Chanel’s watchmaking factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Chanel certainly is going down the Haute Horlogerie path with delicate, skilled touches like partially revealing the Caliber 5, black baguette-cut ceramic stones on the bezel, and incorporating Madame Chanel’s mascot, the lion, just below 9 o’clock. The watch is available in matte black ceramic and glossy black ceramic and is produced in a limited edition of only 55 pieces.
