In the year 2000, the J12 revolutionized the world of watchmaking. In black ceramic, it was crowned the first watch icon of the 21st century. At first black, then white in 2003, it is unalterable and almost as eternal as a diamond. It constantly renews the allure of a woman’s wrist, forever. For its 20th anniversary, the J12 wants to play. It takes twenty symbols and references from the Maison CHANEL: a 2.55 bag, a camellia, a bottle of N°5 perfume and even a tweed jacket.

It becomes the J12∙20. Punctuated with 12 diamonds, these polished rhodium-plated motifs are found on its bezel and dial. Sublime irreverence to sign the absolute freedom of this edition, limited to 2020 pieces, equipped with the caliber 12.1 and also available in an Haute Horlogerie enameled version, numbered and limited to 5 pieces.

Black? Or white? In 2020, the J12 no longer has to choose. For the first time, black and white come together. Without actually mixing. Creating a line, a paradox. A silhouette. An allure. The J12 Paradoxe combines light with mystery. Day with night. With a sleight of hand, it reveals its secret – appearing from under the seam of a jacket, the fold of a blouse or the line of a wrist.

Its unique aesthetic is the result of a highly technical feat accomplished by cutting and fusing two ceramic cases of different dimensions - one white and the other black. Assembled together, they form one casing. Born from scratch-resistant ceramic, this operation is unexpectedly complex.

To ensure a perfect cut without breaking the material requires a particular expertise, completely mastered by the CHANEL Manufacture in Switzerland. Once cut, the two parts are assembled on a metallic support into which the sapphire caseback is set. A meticulous mission conceived especially for the J12 Paradoxe, whose fabrication requires the fashioning of two specific two-tone elements – the dial and the bezel.

The dial is revealed to be almost completely covered in white, juxtaposed by a stroke of black on its right side. Using tampography, the ring of the bezel is initially coloured black, then white, rendering it in two-tone. The black must be restrained, erased to create the perfect alignment with the convergence line of the white ceramic bracelet.

Shining a light on the intimate world of Gabrielle Chanel, the MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ watch collection is designed to showcase the symbols that Mademoiselle held dear and the objects with which she loved to surround herself. Crafted by the greatest artisans, this collection constitutes an exclusive realm of expression for the finest forms of craftsmanship: Watchmaking, High Jewelry, and other Artistic Crafts from the world of Couture. In 2020, the CHANEL Watchmaking Creation Studio is presenting the MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ BOUTON collection, which pays homage to a essential component of Gabrielle Chanel's stylistic world: the button.

Taking her inspiration from military clothing and from sailor's uniforms, Gabrielle Chanel paid particular attention to the button motifs, which presented a wide variety of ornamental designs. The button became more than a fastening, preciously punctuating her suits and becoming a hallmark of the CHANEL style. Accentuated by a golden braid, the black tweed cuff of the MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ BOUTON watch folds over and fastens to the wrist by means of a button, which covers a small diamond-set dial. A pearl, a carved gold lion, a camellia formed of diamonds, a Byzantine motif, and the profile of Gabrielle Chanel in agate: each of these elements illustrate the richness of CHANEL's symbols and exceptional forms of craftsmanship. The collection is comprised of seven watches, including two exceptional High Jewelry pieces.