Chanel unveils two new trophies for The Chanel J12 Boat Race

Chanel is marking its third year as official timekeeping partner of The Chanel J12 Boat Race with a first for the maison – the creation of two new trophies. Chanel is the first title sponsor for the annual race between Oxford and Cambridge on the River Thames, which will mark the centenary of the first Women’s Race in 1927.

For director of the Chanel Watch Creation Studio, Arnaud Chastaingt, these are milestones to be celebrated with a considered approach. To create the sporting trophies, the first time Chanel has ever done so, required a process at the intersection of design, heritage and modernity.

‘Designing the trophy for The Boat Race was a deeply moving creative challenge,’ says Chastaingt. ‘It was not simply about creating an object, but about giving form to the emotion of a victory shared by an entire crew. What resonates most with me about this race is the extraordinary discipline, trust and synchronisation it requires. We wanted the trophy to honour everything that happens before the final moment of triumph: the effort, the commitment and the collective energy that make such an achievement possible.’

The two new trophies, for the men’s and women’s races, translate this energy into a streamlined form, their silver silhouettes a sculpted foil against the angular lines of their frames – polished white with matte black lines for the women’s trophy, and polished black with matte black lines for the men’s, the colours distinctive to Chanel.

‘From the very beginning, I wanted the women’s and men’s trophies to be exactly the same size, as they represent the same achievement, the same intensity, discipline, collective ambition, and moment of victory,’ Chastaingt adds. ‘There was no reason to express any difference in scale, as both crews deserve to be celebrated with the same strength and significance. The two trophies share a common design language, distinguished only by black and white details that make them unique while remaining complementary, an essential harmony within the Chanel vocabulary. This felt particularly important as the women’s race approaches its centenary in 2027, offering an opportunity to celebrate it.’

The trophies, designed to be lifted as well as admired, created new challenges for Chastaingt, who also had to consider how they felt to hold. Ergonomics, weight and structural integrity were as key to consider as aesthetics, and Chanel worked with British designer and maker of trophies Thomas Lyte to overcome challenges. Bringing the trophies to life took two years overall, with the process requiring 320 hours for each trophy.

It is a natural expression of craft for Chanel, and a discreet and meaningful token of the partnership with The Boat Race, a philosophy Chastaingt was keen to reflect in the trophy’s form. ‘The frame was designed almost like a setting, revealing and elevating what truly matters: The Boat Race itself, its history, its athletes and the intensity of victory,’ he says. ‘For me, this is where modernity lies. Not in adding more, but in refining, distilling and creating space for something that already carries such powerful meaning. The J12 naturally became the link between these two worlds. As a symbol of precision and a constant source of inspiration, it embodies values shared by both Chanel and The Boat Race, making this encounter feel both authentic and meaningful.

theboatrace.org