The J12 was the star of Chanel’s show at Watches & Wonders earlier this month, appearing in a range of guises, from dinky 28mm white or black ceramic through to a welcome reprise of the Superlegerra. The design, by Chanel’s artistic director at the time, Jacques Helleu, caused a sensation when it debuted in 2000 as a glamorous, feminine-leaning watch. Technically advanced, it was just as sporty as all but the more extreme offerings from the likes of Omega, Rolex and TAG Heuer.
Rather than being dismissed as just another ‘fashion watch’, the J12 was a game-changer within the industry, reminding makers that sports watches didn’t have to ooze testosterone. It laid the ground for the revival of the Gérald Genta sports-luxe designs from the Seventies, which followed. Out in the real world, it sold particularly well to the women who were not content with the mother-of-pearl dialled dress watch designs that were most brands’ idea of a ‘ladies' watch.'
A quarter of a century later, and Chanel has its own manufacture, a share in the movement maker Kenissi (where Tudor is its partner) and close ties with high-end movement suppliers such as Romain Gauthier – yet the real proof of the J12’s design quality is in how little it’s changed. Even when the director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio, Arnaud Chastaingt, did redesign the watch in 2019, primarily to accommodate a new movement, he ended up changing almost nothing – the crown was changed, the bezel is flatter and the dial typography is a little sharper – even though 70% of the components were new.
While the J12 easily accommodates changes in size and format – from the new 28mm to the 42mm Golden Black and Superleggera to the fully set treatment given to the Tourbillon model – the most attention at Watches & Wonders rightly went to the Midnight Blue 33mm and 38mm designs. A little less shiny than the white and black designs, the new colour seems to fit the J12 perfectly.
