Chanel J12 Chromatic Grey Dial 41mm Ceramic Watch H2934 - Review

The Chanel J12 watch range has been around since 2000 and continues to be one of their best sellers. One of the major selling points for all Chanel watches comes from their ceramic construction. Chanel has mastered the technique required to utilise high-tech ceramic within their watch casing and straps, which gives them exceptional properties in terms of being scratch resistant. This high-tech ceramic gets a 9 out of 10 score on the Mohs scale; to put it in perspective, diamond is a 10. With this in mind, you can be safe in the knowledge that a Chanel watch is not only timeless, but it is going to withstand just about anything you can throw at it on a daily basis.

The J12 Chromatic ceramic watch takes all the company’s expertise in manipulating ceramic and goes one step further. By mixing titanium into the ceramic and diamond powder polishing it, Chanel has managed to create a whole new colour. They have labelled this ‘The Chromatic Colour’, as it oscillates between both white and black – which just happened to be Coco Chanel’s two favourite colours. This gives this particular version of the J12 a whole new meaning within the history of the range, and creates an amazing shifting colour effect, dependant on which way the light hits it.

In terms of styling, timepieces don’t get much better than this. We have already mentioned the chameleon effect of the watch, but the detailing is also everything you would come to expect from Chanel. The face is muted and refined, whilst the numbers and branding are clear and subtle. Mirror-polished rhodium-plated hands and numerals are set off beautifully against the contrasting ceramic casing, with a satin-finished centre plate producing an almost silk appearance and focal point for the whole piece.

This is a watch that manages to encapsulate everything that Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel stood for: beauty, elegance, luxury and refined style juxtaposed against avant-garde features; quality construction and a constant need to push boundaries and make a statement.

“Fashion passes, style remains” – Coco Chanel.

Browse Chanel watches at TIME² now to purchase this iconic timepiece.