Chanel started its march toward becoming a major player

  This year is the 10th anniversary of Chanel’s J12 watch. To celebrate the milestone, Chanel has teamed up with the renowned watchmaker Giulio Papi to create a new chapter in haute horology. The introduction at the Baselworld watch fair of the J12 Rétrograde Mystérieuse timepiece could be the beginning of the end for the side-winding crown, as Chanel’s new complication takes the stage in haute horology.

  Chanel has been making watches since 1987, when it introduced the ladies’ quartz movement Premiere. Shaped to look like the Place Vendôme, the Premiere was a decidedly feminine watch that over the years has acquired diamond and pearl embellishments.

  The brand has also introduced other high jewelry watches aimed at women, in the form of Coco Chanel’s favorite flower, the camellia, or shaped like stars and moons, decorated with precious stones.

  But in 2000, with the unveiling of the J12 unisex ceramic watch, Chanel started its march toward becoming a major player in the haute horology world.