Chanel’s new J12 Watch campaign reinforces the design’s brilliance
Twenty five years on, the Chanel J12 remains the ultimate unisex sports watch and its 2026 revival proves some icons only get better with time.
In the year 2000, Artistic Designer of Chanel watches, Jacques Helleu, was set the singular task of creating an all-black sports watch, inspired by racing yachts. The result? The Chanel J12, the House’s first unisex sports watch, crafted in all-black ceramic, using the best horological technology.
Though the watch became iconic for being the first unisex one of its kind produced by Chanel, what really solidified its place amongst the horological greats was the material used. Ceramic, though heat resistant, scratch resistant and water resistant up to 200m (a triple threat, if you will), is as soft against the skin as it is durable. Not too chunky, overpowering or heavy, the watch is the ultimate symbol of sporting luxury.
As for the technology, the watch runs using Calibre 12.1 (hence the name ‘J12’), which has a unique self-winding movement that rotates like an observatory clock. The sapphire crystal case provides a porthole to the mechanism, making the invisible visible. In doing this, and balancing strength and softness like no other, the Chanel J12 proves to be seriously one-of-a-kind.
Revived for 2026, the new J12 campaign features supermodels Gisele Bündchen and Clément Chabernaud, demonstrating how the watch beautifully compliments both masculinity and femininity, the universal instinct for exploration captured in the background of the ocean, a reminder of the sailing-yacht heritage which inspired the watch’s genesis. Shop here
Credits:
Images courtesy of Chanel
Words: Cable Writers
