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IN PICS: Chanel champions luxury with latest watch releases

Watchmaker and international fashion house Chanel is targeting growth with a raft of new watch designs for 2018.

Among the new releases, initially outlined at Baselworld last month, are re-designed classics as well as fresh ranges for both men and ladies.

One of the highlights from the array of new timepieces was Chanel’s latest horological collection, the Code COCO line. The COCO range is a timepiece disguised as a jewelled bracelet that comes on either slim steel or white gold diamond-embellished bracelets that have tiny watch faces incorporated into the designs.

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They use the iconic Chanel chequered pattern all the way around the bracelets, with two small square watch faces showing off the hours and minutes and diamonds.

The bottom black lacquered dial has two steel hands for hours and minutes and the Chanel logo at the 12 o’clock. The top dial however is blank, apart from a princess cut diamond set centrally.

In addition, Chanel also exhibited a re-imagined version of its long-standing Première ladies’ timepiece, which celebrated 30 years of watchmaking in 2017.

The aim, according to Chanel, was to define a unique vision of fine watchmaking through the creation of watches conceived as objects of desire and beauty, without compromising the craftsmanship and technical expertise required to make exceptional timepieces.

For 2018, Chanel presents the Première Rock Gold, a new twist on the Première Rock, issued in a limited-edition series of 1,000 pieces.

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Launched in 2000, the J12 was the first watch to dare transforming high-tech ceramic into a precious material. Firstly in radiant black and in 2003, in immaculate white, the number 12 becomes part of the House’s symbolic numbers.

For 2018, Chanel has presented a set of 12 one-of-a-kind watches, each decorated with an abstract composition produced in ceramic marquetry. The 12 pieces together form a polyptych, showcasing a graphic design by the Chanel Watchmaking Creative Studio.

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In the same artistic spirit, two J12 watches in black and white, inspired by the number 12, are issued in a limited-edition series of 1,200 pieces in each colour.

For the first time, the Boyfriend watch, created in 2015, houses a Fine watchmaking skeleton movement, the calibre 3.

After three years of development, this third in-house movement is designed to be beautiful at any angle. Floating in its octagonal beige gold case, it features a series of interlinked, vertically aligned circles. The mirror-polished beige gold chamfering is designed to emphasize the movement’s depth.

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Another new release from the label was the Mademoiselle Privé watch, which is fitted with a fine watchmaking movement, the calibre 2.1 camélia skeleton.

In 2016, Chanel presented the Monsieur, a watch specially designed for men. At Baselworld 2018 the watchmaker introduced the Lion into the collection to present two versions of the Monsieur watch; a one-of-a-kind pocket watch fitted with a new version of the calibre 2, the calibre 2.2; and a clock in a limited-edition series of five pieces.

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