What happens when a Chanel watch becomes a sound machine?
Meet the Chanel Première Sound – an adaptable necklace with a watch and removable earphones
Watchmaking, by its nature, is a traditional business. The great names – Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin, among them – are centuries old. Chanel created its first luxury timepiece, the Chanel Première, in 1987. It was a remarkable debut. It was designed by the French fashion house’s then-dreamer-in-chief, Jacques Helleu, who lifted the Chanel No5 perfume bottle stopper as the dial design and the leather-plaited chain of the 2.55 handbag for the strap. Chanel’s first watch was simply born a classic.
Now, almost 40 years later, Helleu’s spirit of in-house-design appropriation has its own cover version. For his elegant bottle-stopper wristwatch has inspired the Chanel Première Sound, a sautoir necklace based on the watch, with (removable) earphones attached. Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio simply says it’s ‘a different way of wearing time', and that the Première Sound is in keeping with the house founder’s typically forward thinking.
Of course, ever the modernist, Gabrielle Coco Chanel was nothing if not technically astute. After all, she had, very early on in her design career, worked with Jean Cocteau and Sergei Diaghilev to produce stage wear designed for bodies pushed to extremes. Chanel's creative drive, meanwhile, was propelled by a desire for freedom – of movement, style, ideas. The very notion of the Première Sound, an autonomous tech jewel destined for bodies on the move, would have been music to her ears.
In terms of design, the Chanel Première Sound looks like the original watch dial on a very long, double-tour strap. It's created in gold-plated steel with the classic black-lacquered dial. The crown is fitted with an onyx cabochon, and the watch is powered by a high-precision quartz movement, allowing for years of fun.
The necklace chain is also gold-plated. And, when it comes to the headset, the dual-driver tech, IPX3 water resistance and clarity control features promise a decent sound, with the microphone and remote control function offering a non-fussy style solution.
Then, of course, the Première Sound's gold-and-black colour scheme comes into play, adding a flashy 1980s flavour, especially in the gilt interlocking Cs on the earbuds. In fact, there’s an all-round disco feel about the whole thing. Even the way it simply all clips together amounts to a quaint, retro spin reminiscent of roller discos, Walkmans and extremely short shorts. No wonder we can't wait to get spinning around.
£12,600; find a boutique or enquire at chanel.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Caragh McKay is a contributing editor at Wallpaper* and was watches & jewellery director at the magazine between 2011 and 2019. Caragh’s current remit is cross-cultural and her recent stories include the curious tale of how Muhammad Ali met his poetic match in Robert Burns and how a Martin Scorsese Martin film revived a forgotten Osage art.
-
Chef José Pizarro’s artful new ode to Spanish dining in London is called Lolo
Lolo, located in London’s fashionable Bermondsey Street, offers a taste of Extremadura in an art-filled setting
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
California cool: Studio Shamshiri debuts handmade door handles and pulls
Los Angeles interior design firm Studio Shamshiri channels the spirit of the Californian landscape into its handcrafted hardware collections. Founder Pamela Shamshiri shares the inspiration behind the designs
By Ali Morris Published
-
Team Ikuzawa brings the art of Daniel Arsham to motorsport
Creative director Mai Ikuzawa has overseen a new capsule clothing collection, a collaboration with artist Daniel Arsham that also honours her racing driver father Tetsu Ikuzawa
By Josh Sims Published
-
Chanel shows its sporting colours with a bold high jewellery collection
Chanel's high jewellery collection is inspired by its founder’s athletic aesthetic
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Chaumet, Cartier and Chanel up their high jewellery watch game for 2024
In 2024's high jewellery watch designs, performance tech and centuries-old techniques combine to brilliant effect
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Skeletonised watches are making a dazzling return in 2024
Skeletonised watches return, once again opening up their dials, letting us enjoy mechanical watchmaking at its intricate finest
By Thor Svaboe Published
-
Dark watches show it’s time to embrace an inky palette
Discover new dark watches from brands including Audemars Piguet, Omega, Chanel and Tudor
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Year in review: top 10 watch and jewellery stories of 2023, as picked by Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver
Silver’s top 10 watch and jewellery stories of 2023 span cool horological collaborations, sculptural forms, and cutlery as bracelets
By Hannah Silver Published
-
The odd couple: Chanel and Pomellato play with asymmetry in jewellery
Two jewellery houses, Chanel and Pomellato, take a new turn, toying with asymmetry to create organically opulent pieces
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Chanel unveils new Tweed de Chanel high jewellery
Chanel translates Gabrielle Chanel’s love of tweed into exquisite high jewellery
By Hannah Silver Published
-
We’re pinning our hopes on Chanel’s new watch
The Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles watch draws on the couture traditions of the house for its oversized design
By Hannah Silver Published