Chanel J12 Bleu X-Ray | INTRODUCING

Zach Blass

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• Chanel launched a 12-piece restricted version J12 Bleu X-Ray at Watches and Wonders 2025.
• The 38mm case and its matching bracelet are in blue sapphire, with accents of black-coated 18k white gold, and set with blue sapphires.
• Over 1,600 hours of labor are required to make (and gem-set) every watch from A to Z.

At Watches and Wonders, the throughline of Chanel’s many novelties was a signature blue color. A lot of the items had been crafted in a definite darkish blue ceramic with a matte end, however one stood aside with a case and bracelet nearly totally crafted in blue sapphire. This 12-piece restricted version is the Chanel J12 Bleu X-Ray. An train in full transparency, the watch itself seems as in case you are it by means of an X-ray machine – nothing is hidden, every little thing is seen. The case and bracelet are constructed from blocks of artificial sapphire, set with 196 baguette-cut sapphires, with a brilliant-cut sapphire set into the crown.

The 38mm case could have the silhouette of a dive watch, however that is not a watch you must take beneath the waves, given its 30 metres of water-resistance. Regardless of the knurling discovered on the black-coated gold bezel, it’s not rotatable, appearing strictly as a platform to accommodate the 46 baguette-cut sapphires, amounting to roughly 5.61 carats, inside it.

The dial is equally clear because the case and bracelet, and due to the sapphire bridges of the Calibre 3.1, provides this intriguing phantasm of a free-floating motion. The one issues which can be seen on the dial, other than the working motion parts, are the chapter ring and the 12 baguette-cut blue sapphires set on the sapphire crystal dial.

The manually wound calibre provides 55 hours of energy reserve, however you might be questioning why Chanel opted for a handbook motion relatively than an computerized one. My assumption is {that a} rotor would hinder the clear view the dial provides, and its motion across the dial would interrupt the serene floating look of the calibre. Keep in mind, that is extra haute horlogerie artwork than a day by day wearer, remixing a well-known dive silhouette because the J12 vary has lengthy been identified to do.

With its complete backbone crafted in blackened white gold, the bracelet continues the pattern we see within the case, with the valuable metallic getting used as a platform for the 138 baguette-cut sapphires. This centreline separates blue sapphire flanks, ending in a folding clasp product of the identical black-coated white gold.

Watch lovers could discover it exhausting to digest the notion that Chanel, an iconic vogue model, has the horological chops worthy of their admiration. However what such misguided people ought to take into accout is that Chanel has been doing this for some time, with important funding in watchmaking inside its personal model and past. Chanel has a stake in motion producer Kenissi, minority stakes in MB&F, F.P. Journe, and Romain Gauthier (serving to develop some Chanel actions), and has acquired manufacturing homes like G&F Châtelain (well-known for its leaf-spring clasps utilized by Richard Mille). Chanel is all-in on correct watchmaking, bringing all of the experience required in-house, or on the very least into shut orbit, to collect all of the components required to make top-notch watches.

Is the J12 Bleu X-Ray for everyone? No, it’s actually for 12 individuals, max. However in a watch market the place customers appear increasingly involved in watches that depart from the norm but in addition have horological integrity, I firmly imagine Chanel is a watchmaker to observe within the coming years.

Chanel J12 Bleu X-Ray pricing and availability

The Chanel J12 Bleu X-Ray is a restricted version of 12 items and is obtainable now for enquiries. Value: on request