With Gisele Bündchen fronting a new campaign, Chanel returns the J12 timepiece to its original horizon: the sea. Revisiting the elemental backdrop that inspired its now-signature unisex design, the house spotlights the J12’s enduring ceramic – a material crafted to withstand time as effortlessly as it keeps it
From Ulysses’ adventures to the solo crossings of great navigators, the ocean has inspired countless stories, with influence spanning the ages. For Chanel, that enduring pull of the sea materialised as a timepiece at the turn of the millennium. In 2000, the house introduced the J12: a sports watch informed by the world of yachting and the clean, functional codes of competitive sailing
It was a new proposition: technical yet pared back, and entirely black. Conceived under the direction of Jacques Helleu, then Artistic Director of Watches, and crafted from ceramic, the J12 challenged the conventions of its time. Monochrome, highly polished, and uncompromising in its finish, the material delivered both durability and an unexpected softness – resistant to scratches and wear, yet smooth against the skin.
Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
More than a stylistic gesture, the J12 signalled Chanel’s entry into serious watchmaking. It fused maritime inspiration with Swiss precision, establishing a design that felt modern in 2000, and, more than two decades later, remains resolutely so.
With Gisele Bündchen leading the new campaign, the J12 now returns to open water. Shot against sea and sky, the imagery underscores the watch’s founding duality: strength and softness. Central to that proposition is ceramic. When the J12 launched, the decision to produce a luxury watch entirely in this material was disruptive. Heated to extreme temperatures within the Chanel Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the ceramic acquires its remarkable resistance to scratches, heat and corrosion, while retaining a smooth, almost silk-like tactility against the skin. Seven times more resistant than steel and lighter in weight, and water resistant to 200 metres, the J12 is engineered for longevity without sacrificing comfort.
Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
Photo: Chanel
Over the years, the design has evolved – introduced in white, and later in blue – but the architecture is unmistakable: the unbroken bracelet, the precise bezel, the disciplined proportions. What appears effortless is the result of rigorous craftsmanship, from injection and machining to polishing and resistance testing under extreme simulated conditions.
At its core beats the Calibre 12.1, the self-winding Manufacture movement visible through a sapphire crystal case back. Chronometer-certified and offering a 70-hour power reserve, it reflects Chanel’s long-term commitment to technical excellence. Designed with balanced proportions and a circular oscillating weight, the movement reinforces a principle that has defined the J12 since its inception: that front and back, surface and mechanism, must be equally considered.
More than 25 years after its debut, the J12 stands as a cornerstone of contemporary unisex watch design. With Bündchen on deck and the horizon wide open, Chanel returns to its element.
Photo: Chanel