The Chanel booth at this year’s Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva was all blue — a nod to the new J12 Bleu in deep blue matte ceramic. By night, the facade of the Chanel boutique in Geneva’s city centre was lit blue, with a giant projection of the J12 Bleu revealing the time. “Blue is Chanel’s third primary colour. If you look at Gabrielle Chanel’s legacy, there’s black, white and blue,” says Frédéric Grangié, the house’s president of watches and fine jewellery. It took five years for Arnaud Chastaingt, director of Chanel’s watchmaking creation studio, to develop the shade.
Chanel introduced the J12 in black in 2000, and a white version three years later. They remained the only two colours available until the blue this year, which is a key piece of Grangié’s strategy to further develop the business. J12 already represents 50 per cent of Chanel’s watch business, with further potential for growth. Grangié predicts this launch will have “a knock-on effect” on the sales of the J12 in black and white, and will bring a new clientele thanks to the unisex appeal of the colour.
Created by Chanel’s long-time artistic director Jacques Helleu, the J12 watch was a “stroke of genius”, says Grangié, “because of its exceptional design and its material. Jacques Helleu didn’t want to create just another steel watch. He turned to ceramic, which wasn’t overused in the industry and had outstanding qualities.” J12 is among the watchmaking industry’s youngest icons — and it normally takes decades to build an icon (Cartier Santos is 121 years old).
Chanel’s big launch comes at a tough time for the watch industry, already severely impacted by the slowdown in China, and now hit by the application of 31 per cent tariffs on Swiss exports imposed by the US. Sales of Chanel watches amounted to CHF 380 million (€398 million) in 2024, according to Morgan Stanley estimates. It’s a small part of Chanel’s almost $20 billion business (in 2023). Still, Chanel has managed to build real legitimacy in watches, a rare feat for a fashion house.
Chanel ranked 19th among the top Swiss watch brands last year by sales, moving up from 22nd place in 2023, according to Morgan Stanley. It’s behind Hermès, which ranked 13th and generated sales of €577 million in 2024. But it’s ahead of Louis Vuitton, which is currently building its watchmaking credibility under the stewardship of Jean Arnault, the house’s watch director and fourth son of Bernard Arnault. Louis Vuitton’s playbook has similarities with Chanel in the sense that the focus is on controlling the integrality of the fabrication process. Louis Vuitton has also become associated with highly respected independent watchmakers, in much the same way Chanel did.
Chanel ventured into watchmaking 38 years ago. “According to watchmaking time, we’re kids, but at the same time we’re very serious,” says Grangié. “The decision to integrate the manufacturing was made almost from the start and became effective in 1993. At the time, the choice was between two options: as a fashion house to make fashion watches via a licence, or to say that all Chanel’s activities — fashion, beauty, jewellery — are 100 per cent integrated, and there will be no exception for watchmaking.“
In August 2024, Chanel announced it took a 25 per cent stake in independent high-end watchmaker MB&F, which followed minority investments in Bell Ross in 1998, Romain Gauthier in 2011 and FP Journe in 2018. The idea is not to create a watchmaking group, but rather to create an ecosystem of watchmakers that remain independently run, Grangié insists. “Our role is to provide support to ensure the continuity of their brand and to accompany their development… It’s not a business plan. We enjoy spending time together and organically things are created,” the executive explains.
Chanel also invests in component suppliers like Kenissi (Chanel is a minority investor alongside Rolex-owned brand Tudor) and Inmatec (Chanel owns the German supplier of ceramic injection moulding compounds). “I make a distinction between projects that provide an industrial tool and creating this circle of genius watchmakers,” Grangié says.
“The collaborations with these independent watchmakers go beyond patronage; they give Chanel an influential role in watchmaking that has undeniable appeal for connoisseurs,” says Oliver Müller, consultant and co-writer of the annual report published by Morgan Stanley on the state of the Swiss watch industry.
Another key element of Grangié’s strategy is high horology, which represents “a significant part of the watch business”. At Watches and Wonders, Chanel presented the Astroclock, which features 5,037 diamonds (priced at €2 million and sold in 20 minutes prior to the fair during a presentation in Taipei), alongside a capsule collection called Blush inspired by the maison’s beauty division. In addition, five boxes of five limited-edition J12 watches featuring “dripping art” designs, priced at €300,000 per box, were also presented (Chastaingt was inspired by the drip painting technique, so what looks like splashes of nail polish have been projected onto the dials of the J12).
“Chanel’s 2025 releases reinforce its strategy: refining core collections, deepening technical expertise and proving it’s more than just a fashion house in the world of watchmaking,” says Beth Hannaway, director of buying for fine jewellery and watches at Harrods.
On 13 April, Chanel is going to be official timekeeper and title sponsor of The Boat Race, the British rowing race between Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Boat Club, the oldest major sporting event in the UK, which evokes both values of collective effort and British high society.
Before we wrap up the conversation, I ask Grangié whether he thinks there will be creative bridges between Chastaingt and Matthieu Blazy, the new artistic director of the house’s fashion activities, who took up the role on 1 April. “Designers have a tendency to feed each other but I think it’s something they do very well without us and there’s nothing more sacred at Chanel than creation,” he replies. Was former Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld involved in watches? “He loved the J12. There’s a beautiful photo of Karl sporting the J12, which Arnaud has in his office.”
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
Louis Vuitton and Francesca Amfitheatrof part ways
Loewe’s new creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez discuss their appointment
