The new era of Chanel ceramics: a deep, intense blue, it inaugurates the Bleu series of the iconic J12, which turns 25 this year.
The new blue ceramic shade Chanelcertifying an unprecedented personality for the J12, with its play of shadows and shades is truly unique and striking. Quite a change for such an iconic watch first in black and then in white, until now generally faithful to the Chanel iconography that has made that colour dualism a trademark.
But blue, after all, has always been part of the Maison's palette, in fashion, beauty and even in the jewellery boxes of the 1932 'Bijoux de Diamants' collection. Why not, then, make a new shade exclusively for watchmaking?
"Over the course of 25 years (the J12 was launched in 2000) Chanel has elevated ceramics to the level of a precious material,' said Arnaud Chastaingt, Director Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio. And the art of working with this material is one of the great specialities of the Châtelain manufactory, the heart of the brand's watchmaking, and today one of the very few Swiss manufacturers of high-tech ceramics.
Chanel's blue ceramic is the result of five years of research and development
The steel bezel and crown are blackened with a Dlc coating to accentuate the blue depth of the ceramic.
It took five years of research and countless colour tests to develop the right shade of blue, so deep, opaque and intense. As Chastaingt points out: 'I wanted a blue that had a rigorous elegance, a blue that was almost black or a black that was almost blue'. This is not a play on words but simply defines the 'Chanel Bleu', which changes completely depending on how the light beats.
In addition to the colour, the matt finish was also carefully selected by the Watchmaking Creation Studio to determine which was best suited to enhance this unique shade.
The matte effect of the ceramic is then amplified by the hand-polished bevels, displaying remarkable craftsmanship. The ceramic then blends with the steel parts of the J12, such as the bezel, blackened by a Dlc coating to accentuate the depth of the blue.
Chanel's matte blue ceramic is the new dress of the J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon
The blue sapphires set in Bleu creations are all of natural origin.
The 'Chanel Bleu' enriches the colour offer of various interpretations of the J12. Among the most exclusive, the J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon combines Chanel Haute Horlogerie movements with the brand's expertise in gem-setting. Because in addition to the central diamond that towers in the flying tourbillon cage, the bezel is set with baguette-cut blue sapphires.
Mechanically, in the hand-wound Calibre 5, a diamond (it was Coco Chanel's favourite gem) is placed in the centre of the tourbillon cageWith a diameter of 4.5 mm, it reveals its 65 facets as it rotates to the rhythm of every second. Not an easy challenge, as the setting of the central solitaire required the development of a new customised cut of the stone.
Price230,000 euro.
