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Quick Take
The Chanel J12 has been around since the year 2000, and in the last 20 years, it has managed to become, if not the iconic ceramic watch, certainly one which has been defining in the genre from a design standpoint. The evolution of the J12 has also reflected Chanel's increasing involvement, not just in watch design, but in high-end watchmaking as well. The company's better known high horology efforts have included the 2016 Monsieur de Chanel, and the J12 has been the recipient of some real-deal horological firepower as well, with the introduction of a J12 housing the caliber 3125 in 2008 (thanks to a partnership with APRP) and subsequently, in 2019, another new movement from Geneva-based manufacturer Kenissi (Chanel has a 20 percent stake in the company).
The latest version of the J12 is a doozy. Virtually the entire watch is transparent sapphire, except for the hands, train wheels, mainspring, and a few other mission-critical metal components. The case is transparent sapphire, as is the bridge for the going train, and the case and dial, such as it is, are transparent sapphire as well. The hour markers are diamond, and the bezel is diamond set as well. The bracelet is, as far as I can recall, a world-first – I don't recall seeing an all-sapphire watch with an all-sapphire case from anyone before, and it ought to make one hell of an impression in the hand and on the wrist, if we are ever able to see one in person.
The movement is an adaption of one we've seen before, although you might not recognize it at first in this new, very different context. It's a variation on the Calibre 3 openworked hand-wound movement, originally introduced in the 2018 watch of the same name. (That watch is in turn essentially an openworked version of the original Boy.Friend watch, which launched in 2015.) It is certainly interesting to see that Chanel continues to maintain a very serious integration of real watchmaking in its collections – it's not something often remembered, but the company also has a 20 percent stake in F. P. Journe as well.
This certainly strikes me as the most original and unquestionably over-the-top J12 Chanel has ever produced, but it will be both very rare and very costly to own. Only 12 will be made, worldwide, and the price is, hold onto your knickers Gertrude, $626,000. This is as the kids say, a fat stack but on the other hand, you're not going to get this look from anyone else at any price. If you're really worried you might see one on someone else's wrist, you can score all 12 for the low, low price of $7,512,000.
Initial Thoughts
Leaving aside the question of price for the moment – after all, with stuff like this you can either cover the check or you can't – I think there is a lot of cool factor that goes along with this watch. This isn't a watch that's selling on the strength of performance statistics after all; it's meant to be a very small batch, take-your-breath-away piece of unapologetically ostentatious watchmaking, and I think it succeeds and then some, in that respect. It looks like it is, in short, fun; fun, you may say, is its entire raison d'être, and some kinds of fun come with a stiffer tab than others. You can spend under ten thousand on a vintage Triumph Spitfire, or three million and change on a Bugatti Chiron (2020 price) and have a ton of fun with both; they will just be different kinds of fun and one no worse or better than the other.
That said, I give Chanel a lot of credit for also making sure that in a lot of their high-end watches – not just this one, but many others over the last half-decade or so especially – there is some real watchmaking content as well. It's not necessarily what is going to close the deal on a watch like the J12 X-Ray, but in a funny way this is consistent with much more traditional watchmaking than you might think of, when you think of the J12 in particular and Chanel in general. A really finely hand-finished mid-century Swiss watch, after all, has most of its beauty under wraps – the movement is only ever going to be seen by another watchmaker but its presence, and the craft it represents, is a big part of the real value of the watch. You can't say the X-Ray is about what you don't see, but everything you do see is part of a larger effort on the part of Chanel to deliver on watchmaking as well as wow factor.
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The Basics
Brand: Chanel
Model: J12 X-Ray
Reference Number: H6249
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 10.7mm
Case Material: sapphire; bezel, white gold
Indexes: baguette-cut diamond indexes
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Strap/Bracelet: sapphire
The Movement
Caliber: 3.1
Functions: hours and minutes
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Winding: hand-wound
Frequency: 28,800 vph
Additional Details: sapphire plates and bridges throughout, including keyless works, going train and motion works
Pricing & Availability
Price: $626,000
Availability: not yet announced
Limited Edition: yes, 12 pieces worldwide.
For more on the J12 collection, visit Chanel.com.
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