When Chanel decided back in 2000 to create an entirely black watch made from ceramic, a material nobody in luxury watchmaking had seriously considered before, the result was either going to be genius or madness. Of course, it was genius. This watch, dubbed the J12, was the brainchild of Jacques Helleu, the then Artistic Director for Chanel’s watches, who took inspiration from racing yacht design.
The watch didn’t only follow suit in the colour, however. Like a yacht, the J12 has always been manufactured to perfection. Fired at over 1,300°C, it is seven times more resistant than steel when it comes to scratches, heat and corrosion. Yet, it feels unfathomably soft against the skin. The newest iteration of the J12 interprets this dichotomy — strength and softness — more literally than ever.
Featuring Gisele Bündchen and Clément Chabernaud, the campaign also pays homage to the origins of the J12. Sailing on the ocean, the two videos nod to the watch’s yachting heritage. Meanwhile, they evoke the importance of water in the design. Sleek and gentle, the J12 embodies the soothing element of water. But, through its superior mechanism, 70-hour power reserve, robustness and water resistance to 200 metres, the design also mirrors the almighty strength of the ocean. Its power, then, lies in the unification of parallels: soft and strong, masculine and feminine, land and sea.
- WriterScarlett Coughlan
- Image CreditsChanel
