Continuing and expanding upon the theme set in place last year by the five-piece Pique-Aiguilles capsule collection, which had its watches take the form of pin cushions that tailors wore on the wrist, the maison brings its couture savoir-faire and heritage to existing watch collections within the house and reimagines them with an eye toward creativity and humour.
In Chanel’s Couture O’Clock capsule collection, various tools of the trade—such as thimbles, scissors, spools of thread, pins, measuring tape, and even dressmaker’s mannequins—are reinterpreted with precious metals and gemstones, turning these creations into miniature treasure hunts that happen to keep time really well. Our favourites? The manual-winding Musical Clock Couture Workshop unique piece, with five couture dummies under a glass dome, and decorated with black leather, yellow gold, diamonds, pearls and onyx; the matte black ceramic J12 Couture Workshop Automaton Caliber 6 watch, featuring a tableau of Gabrielle Chanel at work in her Rue Cambon atelier that animates at the touch of a button; and sautoirs with bejewelled safety pins, thimbles and mannequins as pendants.
Elsewhere, Chanel explores different expressions of the Première Édition Originale watch and presents two limited editions, a cuff watch and a sautoir–belt. The former sets the watch against a generous backdrop of leather and chains, while the latter is sure to be big among the style trendsetters who had a ball wearing their watches as necklaces this year.
And for watches with a jolt of colour, the most vibrant of Chanel’s novelties this year are the four pink editions of the J12 and Boy.friend, made possible through pink sapphires, pink quilted calfskin leather straps, and plates and bridges with pink coating.