Cover The front and back view of Chanel’s Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition
The front and back view of Chanel’s Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition
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With solid mechanical muscle and sharp design, Chanel is quietly cementing its status as a horological heavyweight—on any wrist
At the annual trade watch fair known as Watches and Wonders in Geneva, one name stands out simply because it is not commonly link to watches. Its usual stage is the catwalk, not the movement. Yet, the Chanel booth commands prime position along with Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Tudor—and while its roots may lie in fashion, it more than holds its own among these horological powerhouses.
Read more: The Chanel J12 is celebrated in a new campaign starring Gisele Bündchen
Take, for instance, the new Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition. This timepiece exemplifies the combination of sleek design and mechanical savviness that Chanel has spent years building—a grand complication in a ceramic case seamlessly incorporating a familiar house emblem, the lion‘s head.
Above Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition features a flying tourbillon with a lion’s head
Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition features a flying tourbillon with a lion’s head
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The Chanel Monsieur was launched in 2016 as the brand's first watch conceived specifically for men. It instantly made an impression with its 240-degree retrograde minute display and jumping hour at 6 o’clock, a combination that demonstrated Chanel’s serious mechanical ambition. Powered by the in-house Caliber 1, the movement was developed by the Chanel watchmaking team in partnership with independent watchmaker Romain Gauthier, in whom Chanel had invested.
Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Black Edition is powered by Caliber 5.1, developed entirely by Chanel. A flying tourbillon replaces the jumping hour aperture, its spin accentuated by a lion’s head sculpture laser-engraved from a block of titanium. The lion’s head represents Mademoiselle’s astrological sign Leo. Limited to 55 pieces, the watch comes in a 42mm black ceramic case with a bezel in blackened steel.
See also: Jumping hour watches that make our hearts skip a beat
Above J12 Superleggera
J12 Superleggera
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The J12 is Chanel’s most emblematic watch model, and the J12 Superleggera is its sportiest expression. The motorsport-inspired J12 Superleggera is the house’s unique proposition of a performance timepiece powered by COSC-certified automatic Caliber 12.1. One of its unique features is the date aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock, with the date indicated by a red arrow. Crafted in 42mm matt black ceramic and steel, the unidirectional rotating bezel features a top ring of satin-finished hardened steel on a base of blackened steel. Robust, precise, and resilient, the J12 Superleggera proves that Chanel can play—and win—in the world of serious sports watchmaking.
Above J12 Golden Black
J12 Golden Black
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For a classic J12 with a twist, the J12 Golden Black makes a fine dressy companion with its black ceramic accented with yellow-gold indexes. There are two sizes to choose from: a 28mm with a high-precision quartz movement, and a 42mm powered by the Caliber 12.1 developed by Kenissi, a movement manufacture co-owned by Chanel.
Chanel may be synonymous with couture, yet these new releases lay bare a mechanical pedigree that rivals far more established names—and does so with that unmistakable Chanel style.
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