Chanel J12, which has attracted attention with its iconic and timeless design, had a new version dressed up in sapphire crystal.
Chanel J12 is known as one of the most successful ceramic watches ever produced since its debut in 2000. Although J12 started its life under the roof of a fashion brand, it is accepted as one of the rare members of high-end watchmaking today. Of course, the addition of the Caliber 3125 movement developed in partnership with APRP in 2008 and the collaboration with Kenissi in 2019 have a large share.
The newest version of the Chanel J12 fascinates not only with its movement but also with its extraordinarily crafted case and bracelet. The watch is made of entirely sapphire crystal, excluding some specific components. Case, bracelet, bridges in the movement and, the dial are completely made of sapphire crystal. Diamonds are used in the bezel and indices. The use of metal is limited to certain parts of the bezel, bracelet and, the movement. The hands and the bezel skeleton, which could not be made of sapphire crystal, are in white gold. Of course, the crystals on both sides of the case are sapphire as well. The model is water-resistant to 30 meters. Let me add that the case measures 38mm x 10.7mm.
Chanel J12 X-Ray features the hand-wound Caliber 3.1. The movement beats at a frequency of 4Hz (28.800vph) and offers a power reserve of 50 hours when fully wound. As you can imagine, the plates and bridges that hold the movement together are made entirely of sapphire crystal.
Only 12 of this ultra-special watch will be produced, and they will be available at $ 626,000. Chanel J12 X-Ray is a watch that is true to its name. Although Chanel is originally a fashion brand, the horological value of its watches is undeniable. So, does Chanel J12 X-Ray deserve the $ 626,000 price tag?
The cost of producing a sapphire crystal case watch is very high in a country like Switzerland where the value given to human labor is also quite high. You may add the days-long manufacturing stages where the synthetic sapphire crystal blocks are processed with extremely low-tolerance CNC machines, which are reflected in the model's MSRP. Regardless of all these, I still cannot make a rational explanation for offering sapphire crystal watches that are criticized for their plastic-like appearance at such high prices. However, I do not doubt that all those watches will be sold out in the blink of an eye!
