Scrabble the Seconds: The 25th Birthday of Chanel’s J12
Let’s explore the game-changing impact of Chanel’s category-defining ceramic timepiece, first introduced at the turn of this century.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
It’s easy to associate ceramic with being a big trend of the past decade. However, watchmakers have been experimenting with the material since the 1960s. Rado began using the material for the Diastar back in 1962, Omega started employing its “Cermet” ceramic composite in the 1980s with a quartz Seamaster, and 1986 saw a full ceramic Da Vinci Ref. 370 model from IWC.
While Chanel’s all-black ceramic J12 reveal in 2000 may not be able to lay full claim as the first “ceramic” watch, it can certainly be looked to as the watch that brought ceramic use into the public eye. The introduction of the J12 was undeniably a defining use of ceramic in timekeeping with an unapologetic eye on style and color saturation over the material’s obvious technical benefits.
Big Black
Created by the brand’s visionary artistic director Jacques Helleu, the initial J12 design grew from his personal desire to have a sporty, stylish, all-black watch for his own wrist. That said, the potential unisex intent of the J12 was established from the get-go.
In addition, the quartz-powered timepiece drew from diverse sources from car racing to boating. In fact, the “J” designation was selected for its relationship to iconic 12m J-class racing yachts.
Hers And His
A personal trip down memory lane: in the months after the iconic all-white ceramic J12 was launched, my travels took me to Miami and other tropical, coastal areas. Back in 2003, I was already keyed into spotting increased cross-gender watch wearing; albeit, it was mostly spotting women wearing what might be considered a “men’s’” watch.
I’m sure there had already been male customers for the J12, but in the case of the white ceramic timepiece, I really started spotting men rocking what might be mistakenly considered a “ladies’” watch. In a larger case size and on tanned or darker skin tones, it was perfectly appropriate and looked terrific on everyone. (And for the record, no one is more delighted than me that these artificial lines are blurring more and more over time).
The Modern Day “J”
A collaboration with Audemars Piguet lead to the J12 incorporating mechanical movements around 2008, adding beaucoup legitimacy to a “fashion house” watch that was already a hit. Recent J12 releases have continued to elevate the profile of the model. For example, look back at last year’s limited edition J12: the Couture Workshop Automaton Calibre 6 timepiece honoring Coco Chanel herself.
We expect the way forward for the J12 will be models that lean into its remarkably flexible DNA canvas, as well as continuing to push the original genderless intent of its creator.