At Watches & Wonders 2025, Chanel did not merely unveil new timepieces — it unveiled a stage. Through sapphire, lions, lipstick, and a heady mix of material mastery and narrative play, the house marked the 25th anniversary of the J12 by reaffirming its unique approach to watchmaking: not as technical bravado, but as theatrical storytelling in miniature.
A new shade for an icon
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its iconic J12, Chanel introduced the J12 Bleu — a deep matte blue ceramic that marks the first departure from the model’s traditional black or white. Developed over five years, the new hue is subtle yet arresting: “a blue that is nearly black or a black that is nearly blue,” as Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel Watch Creation Studio, described it. The result is tonal ambiguity elevated to design language — rich, moody, and precise.
The J12 Bleu appears in various forms: COSC-certified automatics, a flying tourbillon crowned with a 65-facet diamond, and the audacious J12 Bleu X-Ray, a 12-piece sapphire crystal edition that appears to levitate on the wrist. There’s also the whimsical “Mini & Maxi” set, with matching J12s in 28 mm and 42 mm cases — a playful contrast of scale that underlines the house’s mastery of proportion. Throughout the collection, Chanel manipulates opacity, light, and density like a director cueing a play — the material becomes the message.
Mademoiselle, reimagined
Gabrielle Chanel remains an eternal muse, and in this year’s creations, she reappears not as a symbol, but as a character. The Boy·Friend Blush features Mademoiselle herself blowing a kiss from the dial, rendered in pink tones that echo blush and rose powder. In the Coco Art edition, her face reflects back from a compact mirror — a delicate grand feu enamel scene framed by pink sapphires. These aren’t nostalgic tributes; they are scenes that animate Chanel’s identity with personal intimacy.
In sculptural form, Gabrielle Chanel also appears in the Necklace Watch Coco Black Jacket, where a white gold pendant hides a watch under the ribbon of her diamond-dusted hat. The miniature figure is dressed in her iconic black suit, pearls, and boater, turning timekeeping into a coded gesture — half portrait, half performance.
The lion roars anew
A powerful motif in Chanel’s creative vocabulary, the lion — Gabrielle’s astrological sign — found new life this year in bold and fantastical forms. Most dramatically, it anchors the Diamonds Astroclock, a horological sculpture that encases time in a glass sphere. Hours are marked by a comet-shaped hand, minutes by a diamond-studded Leo constellation pointer. At the heart of the piece rests a majestic lion, sculpted in white gold and set with over 5,000 diamonds. Created in collaboration with L’Epée 1839, the piece took eight months of meticulous craftsmanship and stands as a kinetic expression of Chanel’s emblematic power.
L’Epée, one of Switzerland’s few remaining high-end clock manufacturers, has long blended mechanical tradition with conceptual design — often in partnership with independent names like MB&F. Their expertise grounds the Diamonds Astroclock in serious horological artistry, even as its appearance borders on celestial theatre.
For those seeking a more wearable interpretation, the Toi & Moi lion ring offers twin lion heads flanking a baguette-set dial. Meanwhile, the Monsieur platinum tourbillon embeds the lion directly within its mechanics — laser-etched inside the tourbillon cage, visible only under close inspection. Strength becomes subtlety; ferocity becomes finesse.
Time, disguised
In typical Chanel fashion, watches were not always presented as watches. Time was hidden — inside lipsticks, buttons, and pendants — turning each piece into an intimate game between form and function.
The Secret Watch “Kiss Me” looks like a classic lipstick tube in black and gold. But with a twist, it opens to reveal a lacquered dial framed by yellow gold and golden beryls — timekeeping as an act of seduction. The Double Lion Buttons necklace hides dual secrets: one button conceals a miniature watch, the other a golden medallion for a photo. Both are crowned by lion heads in yellow gold, like silent sentinels guarding personal stories.
These creations blur the line between accessory and artifact — pushing horology closer to performance art. The wearer becomes part of the reveal, turning the act of checking the time into a moment of theatricality.
Final curtain
In an industry increasingly focused on complications, calibres, and technical records, Chanel offers something more elusive: watches that perform as much as they tick. At Watches & Wonders 2025, the brand didn’t chase benchmarks — it created atmosphere, mood, and meaning.
This is watchmaking not as an engineering showcase, but as narrative craft. Whether through Gabrielle Chanel’s many incarnations, the majestic reinvention of the lion, or sapphire crystal watches that seem carved from light, each piece was a chapter in a story only Chanel could tell.
In this horological theatre, time is not a constraint but a character — dressed impeccably, staged perfectly, and always ready to surprise.
