Cover A man holds up a gold king, part of a metallic chess set. (Photo: Getty)
A man holds up a gold king, part of a metallic chess set. (Photo: Getty)
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From haute horlogerie ceramic boards to hand-carved, saddle-stitched leather cases, here’s an unofficial guide to covetable chess sets made by Cartier, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and more
A rising interest in chess among Asian private collectors has transformed the traditional chessboard into a status symbol. Once confined to the study or the drawing room, the humble sixty-four-square grid has re-emerged as a coveted objet d'art, prized as much for its aesthetic ambition as for its playability. Chessboards and chess sets produced by tier-one luxury houses—and notably, fashion houses—now serve as expressions of decorative art, fine jewellery, and structural leatherwork, drawing on centuries of accumulated savoir-faire.
Whether you play chess or just want to look like someone who plays chess, this unofficial guide examines distinct sets from global luxury brands, with a look at their physical composition, brand provenance, and structural execution. Here are our picks.
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1. Faune & Flore chess set by Cartier
Above The Cartier Faune & Flore chess set. (Photo: Cartier)
The Cartier Faune & Flore chess set. (Photo: Cartier)
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Parisian jewellery house Cartier, established in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, maintains an extensive repertoire of decorative home objects and games apparatus. The Faune & Flore set incorporates Cartier’s signature animal motifs first introduced into the visual vocabulary of the house in 1914. The playing board features marquetry in zebrawood and walnut, finished with corner cabochons. The chessmen are cast in gold-plated brass, with stylised figures representing panthers and other fauna emblematic of historical Cartier collections. Retailing at US$42,800, the set combines traditional marquetry techniques with precision metal casting in European workshops. Cartier produces the object in limited annual runs to maintain strict quality standards across all wood inlay processes.
2. Coco Game Haute Horlogerie chessboard by Chanel
Above A video of the savoir-faire behind the Chanel Haute Horlogerie chessboard.
French fashion house Chanel launched its Coco Game Haute Horlogerie Chessboard as part of its high watchmaking collection in 2026. Crafted by Swiss watchmaking artisans, the board features 64 squares executed in black and white high-tech ceramic framed by 516 brilliant-cut diamonds over a black obsidian base. The 32 sculpted game pieces rendered in 18-karat white gold and ceramic incorporate signature emblems of the house, including Place Vendôme columns for rooks and lions for kings. As for what ties it to watchmaking: the black and white queen pieces house concealed watch dials at their bases, and can detach to serve as high-jewellery pendants attached to diamond-set onyx chains.
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3. Monogram chess box by Louis Vuitton
Above The Louis Vuitton chess box. (Photo: Louis Vuitton)
The Louis Vuitton chess box. (Photo: Louis Vuitton)
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Louis Vuitton has issued a handful of limited-edition chess sets over the years, including a wacky, pastel-toned chess box designed in collaboration with rapper Tyler the Creator. While those are no longer for sale, the house currently offers a Louis Vuitton Chess Box (Ref. M14275) crafted from signature Monogram coated canvas with cowhide leather trim and gold-colour hardware. Designed to be compact and lightweight, the case opens to reveal a two-tone microfibre lining housing a folding leather board covered in microfibre alongside internal storage compartments. It includes 32 finely sculpted wooden pieces—16 vanilla pieces carved in walnut wood and 16 brown pieces rendered in maple wood—that reinterpret the House’s iconic Monogram Flowers, with each piece adorned with an engraved Louis Vuitton rivet.
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4. Samarcande chess set by Hermès
Luxury house Hermès maintains a dedicated games department within its home collection division. The Samarcande chess set, retailing at US$8,150, draws design cues from the house’s equestrian heritage, featuring minimal, abstract chessmen carved from solid mahogany and natural sycamore wood. Artisans in French workshops hand-carve each figure, finishing the wood with natural oils to preserve the grain texture before affixing saddle-stitched leather bases. The playing surface incorporates subtle magnetic elements beneath the wood veneer to secure pieces during movement.
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5. Saffiano leather chess set by Prada
Italian luxury house Prada applies its signature leatherworking techniques to classic board games. First made available in 2015, Prada’s chess set comes housed in a structured case made from Saffiano leather—a cross-hatch textured calf leather patented by Mario Prada in 1913. The case opens to reveal a lined playing grid accompanied by weighted metal game pieces finished in monochrome tones. Retailing at US$8,800, the set incorporates metal hardware fasteners and an embossed enamel triangle logo on the exterior case.
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6. Fowler leather chess set by Ralph Lauren Home
The home decor division of American fashion brand Ralph Lauren produces game equipment that utilises artisanal leather-cutting techniques. Its Fowler set features a hand-constructed game board made from navy, cream, and saddle brown calf leather tiles with contrast edge stitching, and custom-designed playing pieces crafted from polished nickel and gold-plated brass. Retailing at US$3,200, the board accommodates both chess and checkers play, featuring a polysuede underside to protect tabletop surfaces.
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Cat Wang is an editor at Tatler Asia based in Hong Kong, where she covers business, wealth, innovation, and impact. Previously, she was a Forbes Asia reporter and assistant editor of the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list, spotlighting startups and small companies on the rise across the Asia-Pacific. She began her career as a trainee reporter at the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s newspaper of record. Born in New York City, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in political science.
