Blue Sky Thinking: Meet Chanel's J12 Bleu

Harpers Bazaar Arabia

2 days ago

Chanel's J12 watch has a whole new look – for the first time, the monochrome mainstay has departed from its iconic black and white ceramic design, and is stepping into a new, enigmatic hue
In the world of luxury watches, when something seems simple, it rarely is. It's all about the long game. So it was five years of development, countless ceramic trials, and a philosophical colour quest that culminated in Chanel's horological showstopper for 2025: the J12 Bleu. And it's not just blue. It's Chanel blue – an inky, velvety, almost-impossible-to-pin-down hue that's more feeling than formula.
Unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2025, the J12 Bleu is both a love letter to Chanel's codes and a rebellion against them. Since its 2000 launch in sleek black ceramic (and its iconic white sibling in 2003), the J12 has been all about monochrome mastery. But now, in its 25th year, it's had a tonal awakening. 'There's black, there's white – and then there's this,' says Arnaud Chastaingt, the creative force behind Chanel's watchmaking studio since 2013. Speaking from the brand's booth in Geneva, Arnaud is, by necessity, both a philosopher and perfectionist. 'Black is not a colour,' he says with a grin. 'It's the absence of light. So I imagined giving colour to black.'
The result is a blue that defies easy categorisation. There was no Pantone swatch, and no shortcut. 'People asked if I gave our manufacture a reference. I said, absolutely not. That would've been lazy,' he laughs. Arnaud explains that some early samples leaned too red, others veered too much towards green. But after years of obsessive iteration, Arnaud found his poetic equilibrium – an enigmatic blue that flickers between shadow and shine. This moody, magnetic colour didn't, however, appear from thin air. He references a midnight-blue dress Gabrielle Chanel designed, embroidered with black thread, that he discovered a few years back at a Chanel exhibition in Paris called Manifeste de Mode – proof that Mademoiselle never played by colour rules. 'She already knew that blue and black were magic together,' he says. 'Maybe that stuck with me.'
The new J12 Bleu collection spans nine pieces, but the crown jewel – quite literally – is the J12 Bleu X-Ray. It's a feat of haute horlogerie brilliance: 196 baguette-cut sapphires glitter across a case and bracelet crafted entirely from synthetic sapphire crystal, offering a mesmerising window into the Calibre 3.1 movement. Transparent, ultra-modern, and wildly limited (only 12 pieces globally), it's the J12 at its most extravagant.
In the rest of the collection, then comes the fun. Fun isn't a word you hear often in haute horlogerie – unless you're talking to Arnaud. 'I refuse the idea that a watch must be worn on the wrist,' he says, with the slight defiance of someone who's clearly had this argument before. 'Gabrielle Chanel never designed a watch, but if she had? She'd have worn it as a pendant. Or on a belt. Or a ring.' This spirit infuses the maison's pendant watches, which are very much having a moment. From a glossy lipstick-shaped locket strung on raspberry-hued rhodolite pearls, to miniature interpretations of Coco Chanel herself – there's a lightness, a whimsy, a wink. At the heart of this joy is the Blush collection: 15 watches inspired by Chanel's legendary beauty codes. Lipstick-reds, compact-shaped dials, powdery pastel palettes – it's watchmaking as seen through a make-up artist's lens.
One standout? The Talisman watch 'Give Me Luck', a long necklace in yellow gold, rubellite and tourmaline, designed to mimic the maison's iconic Les Quatres Ombres eyeshadow palettes. Another is the Protect Me amulet, where Coco's kohl-rimmed eye is rendered in grand feu enamel and snow-set diamonds, a sparkling homage to Chanel's smoky-eyed signatures. The crossover continues with the J12 Box Dripping Art set: five black ceramic watches splashed with enamel shades inspired by the maison's most iconic nail lacquers. Think Rouge Noir, Rose Beige, and vibrant pinks that feel more pop art than precision timekeeping. While other brands flex their mechanical muscles, Chanel leans into mood, magic and memory. Yes, the movements are meticulous, but it's the storytelling – the deliberate blend of artistry and attitude – that sets them apart. 'Creation,' says Arnaud, 'is everything.'