Chanel's Arnaud Chastaingt on the creation of J12 Bleu

Tatler Asia

03-07-2025

Deep, intense and meticulously elegant, this unique shade reflects the House's longstanding love for blue, reinterpreted with technical brilliance. Scratchproof, highly durable and matte to perfection, the J12 Bleu is a striking symbol of Chanel's savoir-faire.
For the first time, Chanel dresses its iconic J12 in blue matte ceramic. Twenty-five years after the J12's debut, the J12 Bleu takes Chanel's ceramic craftsmanship to new heights with an exclusive hue developed over five years.
He invites us into his studio for an exclusive look at the inspiration behind Chanel's breathtaking new J12 Bleu
Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio, describes the new blue as 'too blue to be black, too black to be entirely blue'—a colour that shifts with the light and mood. The J12 Bleu collection debuts with nine models, some set with vivid blue sapphires.
What does the 25th anniversary of the J12 mean to you?
Firstly, I realise how fast time flies! When I discovered the J12 at the end of my studies, it was like an electric shock, making me aware that watchmaking is a vast creative sphere. It has been a constant source of fascination ever since, and the J12 remains my muse. Guiding it into unexpected territory is still an exercise that inspires me, and I'm particularly proud that this cherished project has come to fruition just as the J12 celebrates its 25th anniversary.
See also: Watches and Wonders 2025: This is how Chanel used a secret watch to seal time with a kiss
How did you come up with this combination of material and colour?
Chanel is a maison where exceptional expertise is crucial across all its fields, from jewellery to fashion, fragrances, and, of course, watchmaking. This deep commitment to craftsmanship is reflected in Chanel timepieces through the mastery of ceramics at our manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Chanel elevated ceramic to the status of a precious material when we first introduced it in 2000, and that's very inspiring.
In recent years, I've worked more closely with this highly specialised unit to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation, both aesthetically and technically. Gabrielle Chanel showed time and again through her creations that the combination of blue and black could work beautifully, contrary to what some believed. I found this blue-black duality captivating, as well as the interplay between the matte, muted ceramic and the precious blackened gold set with sapphires of a very distinctive hue.
It took countless tests and nearly five years of research to achieve the emotional impact we wanted from this blue. After this long dialogue on colour, we achieved exceptional finishes, such as polished chamfers on the matte case, as well as the side and centre links.