A swirl of blush here, a slick of lipstick there: beauty by its very nature is fleeting. But, with its latest capsule collection showcased at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025, Chanel defies that transience with timepieces melding cosmetics and craftsmanship
This year, Chanel treated timepiece-loving pilgrims at Watches and Wonders Geneva (the Super Bowl of watchmaking) to something slightly unexpected. Presenting its brand new 'Blush' collection, the Maison showcased a set of timepieces directly rooted in the brand's beauty codes.
Back in the 1920s, Gabrielle Chanel revolutionised the beauty world, stripping away heavy ornamentation and focusing on streamlined elegance. That rebellious spirit flows through these new designs, where the gleam of blush and the gloss of nail polish find their counterparts in finely tuned watchmaking techniques. Think Grand Feu enamel mirroring the swirl of a blush compact, or intricate gem settings making a play on sparkling nail polish.
“The visual language of Chanel Beauty creations is both fascinating and graphically very inspiring," says Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel watchmaking creation studio. "I am drawn to the authoritative elegance of these objects – their sophisticated architecture, their striking, deliberate geometry; the depth of black lacquer that intensifies the richness of a crimson hue or the softness of a powdered pink."
Secret Watch 'Kiss Me'.
Première charms blush.
J12 Blush .
Première cuff blush.
The inspiration is both figurative and literal at once. Take the J12 Blush, with ombré bezel and markers that echo blushes and shadows found in Chanel's palettes. Or the Première cuff and charm blush, which both make a play on the brand's emblematic lipstick shades. As for the more literal side you have the Secret Watch 'Kiss Me' – a timepiece hidden inside of a curved lipstick bullet, discreetly concealing the dial while flaunting glints of gold and onyx. The true standout, however, is the J12 Box 'Dripping Art' set: a set of five watches housed in a lacquered presentation box, covered in faux nail-polish splatters.
J12 Box “Dripping Art”.
What makes these pieces more than mere accessories is the painstaking craftsmanship behind every detail. The collection includes watches that took hundreds of hours to perfect, from testing the right mix of pigments to firing enamel at precisely the right temperature. The result? A collection of innovative, playful timepieces that turn those quick flicks of lipstick and blush into wearable art that remains long after you've washed away the day.