Last year, at the world's main watch exhibition, Baselworld, Switzerland, Chanel presented the first watch with a caliber produced by its own Chatelain manufactory - the men's model Monsieur de Chanel. They were created in collaboration with Romain Gaultier, whose share in the company was also acquired by Chanel. Even then, the head of the Chanel watch divisionNicolas Beau promised: next year we will present a new watch with the “Lion” stamp - this is the mark from now on all models with their own caliber are marked - and it will definitely be female. Bo kept his word and already at the end of January in Paris he showed selected journalists a pre-Basel novelty - Premiere Camellia Skeleton, on which the same development team worked.
“Already last year I said that we were working on a new caliber - Caliber 2 - and promised to show a watch with it in Basel, but with the proviso: if we have time by March! We did it even earlier! - says Bo. - Development took three years. We made this skeleton from scratch, from a sketch, we did not use any ready-made developments. It all started with the design - with the idea of making a skeleton, then it quickly became clear that it should be in the form of a camellia. We built the three-tier mechanism so that it perfectly matches the contours of the skeletonized camellia, so that the wheels "hide" under its petals, the bridges are thin and graceful. To create such a structure was the most difficult in the whole project."
At the same time, the aesthetics should not have affected the functionality: the mechanism, for example, had to have a sufficient power reserve, the size of the barrel should not affect its working ability - the Chanel developers managed to achieve the result in two days without winding.
“Functionality is at the service of beauty,” Bo emphasizes. And not only a complex skeletonized mechanism of 107 parts 5.4 mm thick, in one version, also decorated with diamonds, is responsible for the beauty itself. An architectural case that mimics the shape of Place Vendôme Premiere - and these are the first ones created in Chanelthe watch, which this year celebrates 30 years since its "premiere", is encrusted with baguette-cut diamonds or round-shaped classic brilliant-cut diamonds. Another Camellia Skeleton, a limited edition of 20 pieces, is decorated with rubies (diamonds officially exist without limitation, but their number is limited by production capacity). The sapphire crystal looks a little tinted, although in fact it is transparent, the black inner rim of the case gives it "tint". Everything is thought out to the smallest detail.
Chanel's plans for the Caliber 2 are larger than for the first caliber: it was intended for a specific male model - Monsieur de Chanel, the same one is planned to be used later in other watches, modifying the mechanism and possibly adding complication modules to it.
Premiere Camellia Skeleton, Chanel © Chanel Press Service
Complications in women's watches are generally becoming one of the main trends of recent times. “It doesn't surprise me at all,” Bo says. - many men's brands are trying to expand their audience and, as it seems to them, having already won fans of complex mechanisms among men, now they are hunting for lovers of haute horlogerie. Then maybe someone will decide to master the category of children's watches! For us, the women's market is the main one, creating women's watches, including sophisticated women's watches, is organic for us, although there are more and more competitors on it now. True, few of them create not some kind of adaptation of men's watches - functional watches with diamonds - but truly beautiful women's watches. In my opinion, only Van Cleef & Arpels have seriously succeeded in this.”
The novelties were estimated at 130,000 (case with round diamonds) and 210,000 euros (case with "baguettes"). It is planned to deliver the watch to the boutique in June.
Next year, Nicolas Beaux and the team promise to show a watch with a new caliber number three, and this will again be a women's watch. “We are not planning a new men's watch yet, we have enough Monsieur de Chanel. While we have not put many copies of "Monsieur" in boutiques, it is too early to keep statistics on them, but we noticed that women often buy them as a gift to their husbands. Perhaps as an apology for spending too much money on couture outfits, jewelry and Chanel jewelry watches ! ">