BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Chanel’s 2025 Watches and Wonders showing is a departure from their own last year’s event, where they played it a bit safe. This year, they’ve thrown caution to the wind with nine of J12 BLEU variants, each a bold stroke in blue.
J12 BLEU Caliber 12.1
This one’s the everyday wearer, if you can call a Chanel that. The case, a 38mm affair, is crafted from matte blue ceramic and black-coated steel. It certainly has that “stealth wealth” aura that we’ve been hearing more and more about lately. The bezel is fixed and sports a baguette-cut ceramic ring that adds a bit of texture. The dial is a matte blue varnish with black indicators, straightforward stuff. No frills, just tells the time.
Under the hood is the self-winding Caliber 12.1, a COSC-certified critter, ticks away with a 70-hour power reserve, keeps things running without fuss. The bracelet is ceramic, same as the case, with a steel triple-folding buckle. It’s a limited edition, though they’re not exactly playing coy about how many they’re churning out.
Price: 10,500USD/11,000EUR
J12 BLEU Diamond Tourbillon
Next, they trot out the limited to 55 pieces Diamond Tourbillon. This one’s a different kettle of fish. Same 38mm case, but they’ve given it an eight hour hand polish, which, let’s be honest, is a bit of a flex. The bezel is where it gets interesting, adorned with 34 baguette-cut blue sapphires, about four carats’ worth. The dial is openworked, showing off the Caliber 5, their manual winding tourbillon. The tourbillon cage itself has a solitary diamond, 0.18 carats and a brilliant-cut diamond on the crown, 0.16 carats. No denying that it’s a blinged-out affair.
The caliber 5 is Chanel´s manufacture manual movement with flying tourbillon. It has 172 parts, 29 rubies and ticks along at 28,800vph with about 42 hours power reserve. The bevels are polished and the bracelet matches the case.
Price: 208,100USD/230,000EUR
J12 BLEU X-RAY
And finally, the X-RAY, limited to just 12 pieces. This is where they’ve gone a bit bonkers. The case and bracelet are sculpted from a single block of sapphire crystal. Yes, sapphire; 38mm again, but this one’s all about transparency.
The bezel and links are adorned with 196 baguette-cut blue sapphires, over 16 carats total. Dial is also made of sapphire crystal, with 12 more baguette sapphires serve as indicators. The Caliber 3.1, their manual-winding skeleton movement, is on full display. Thanks to sapphire crystal bridges and plate, the gears seem to float. Caliber 3.1 hums at 28,800vph and offers a 55-hour power reserve.
Price: 1,085,800USD/1,200,000EUR
