Haute Horology: Chanel’s Couture Timepieces Stitch Luxury into Watchmaking

Chanel playfully combines the allure of haute couture with watchmaking, resulting in captivating combinations.

Simple tools of the haute couture industry – thimbles, spools, pin cushions, scissors, or measuring tapes – have been transformed by Chanel into intriguing elements in their O’Clock series, infusing these watches with whimsical creativity in their details.

The O’Clock series embodies the consistent spirit of Chanel’s founder through its unique and original approach to watchmaking. The series draws inspiration from Mademoiselle Gabrielle’s legacy and her personal tailors. Each timepiece is a limited edition, yet reflects the value of haute couture in various aspects of craftsmanship.

Mademoiselle Gabrielle was a perfectionist. Her workshop on Rue Cambon was renowned for her hands-on approach, where her legendary experiences with a measuring tape around her neck, scissors in hand, and a pin cushion on her wrist brought Chanel into the world of haute couture. These haute couture watches, featuring exquisite craftsmanship, gem-setting techniques, and unique designs, will be unveiled at the Geneva Watch Fair in 2024.

This unique clock features five bejeweled mannequins dancing under a chandelier and can also function as a music box playing “My Woman,” a song favored by Mademoiselle Chanel.

The most dramatic piece is the Musical Clock Couture Workshop, where five bejeweled mannequins rotate under a chandelier adorned with diamond drops and gold candles, bringing the entire piece to life.

This mechanical toy is also a music box that plays Al Bowlly’s “My Woman,” a tune Mademoiselle Gabrielle often hummed while working. Approximately 510 diamonds, gold, onyx, and pearls infuse this magnificent piece with vitality.

This Chanel J12 Haute Couture 33mm watch features white enamel with black trim, a diamond-set bezel, and scissors and measuring tape motifs.

The enamel J12 is the most significant in this series, with its most striking feature being its automatic dial featuring Gabrielle in her iconic jacket and skirt. A complex mechanical device brings Mademoiselle Gabrielle to life. She waves scissors and jumps joyfully, cutting a jacket draped over a mannequin.

More subtle is the white J12 Couture watch, with hour and minute hands shaped like scissors, a seconds hand like a needle, and a bezel reminiscent of a measuring tape, all complementing the dial decorated with tailoring patterns. The J12 White Star Haute Couture watch contrasts dazzling white enamel and baguette-cut diamonds with a black strap and case edges.

This Première Ruban Haute Couture watch by Chanel, made of titanium and gold, exudes the charm of a young woman’s statue.

The Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Gabrielle watch features a button at the top of the dial that slides to reveal the time. The button is adorned with a golden outline of her bust, set on a striated onyx disc, surrounded by diamonds and gold chain links. The Première Ruban Couture watch has a black measuring tape strap that wraps twice around the wrist.

Gabrielle’s profile swings along the edge of the dial. Similarly, the Première Charms Couture watch has a padlock-style dial that secures gold chains and braided leather bracelets to the wrist. A golden safety pin, thimble, mannequin, spool, and clothing label decorate the watch chain, reminiscent of the brand’s famous charm bracelets.

Chanel’s Bust Long necklace showcases a diamond-encrusted miniature tailor’s mannequin suspended on a gold chain, which slides open at the waist to reveal a hidden watch dial. Limited to twenty pieces.

The Bobbin Cuff Couture piece comes to life with its base adorned with numerous circular flashes – a diamond-set dial interwoven with golden pins embellished with diamonds and pearls, creating a dazzling star-like pattern. An everyday tool is elevated to high jewelry status, with its silhouette transformed into a gold bracelet surrounded by patterns of diamond threads.

A yellow sapphire conceals a miniature watch dial. The Thimble Couture is the ultimate tribute to dressmaking craftsmanship. This substantial gold cylinder, suspended on a long gold chain, is set with diamonds and features a watch dial at its base. The Bust Long necklace showcases a miniature tailor’s mannequin adorned with diamonds on a gold chain. The mannequin slides open at the waist to reveal a watch dial.

With the launch of its haute couture watch collection, Chanel has brilliantly elevated the ordinary tool of timekeeping to an exciting and anticipated status by abandoning conventions and embracing creativity.

Chanel’s Bobbin Cuff Couture, inspired by a bracelet, is a unique piece that conceals a watch dial beneath an emerald-cut yellow sapphire surrounded by diamonds.

A mini dial is hidden beneath an emerald-cut yellow sapphire (approximately 17.73 carats) in Chanel’s one-of-a-kind Bobbin Cuff Couture.

Chanel’s J12 Haute Couture O’Clock series recreates Mademoiselle Chanel’s work, reflecting the attention drawn to haute couture workshops by the V&A exhibition and Apple+ drama.

This Chanel J12 White Star Haute Couture watch, featuring white ceramic and baguette-cut diamonds, is limited to just 12 pieces.

This substantial tubular case, suspended from a long gold chain, is set with diamonds and features a dial at its base. It is limited to 20 pieces.