he J12 is reconnecting with its origins and affirming, with even greater force, what has always been its territory—defined by the new slogan, In The Greatest Strength Lies Softness.

Fittingly for a watch inspired by sailing—a sport that combines strength with elegance—and named after the J-Class yachts competing in the America’s Cup, Chanel recently became the titular sponsor of the Boat Race which, every year since 1829, has pitted crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities in a rowing contest on the river Thames. The event, which demands perfect synchronicity between individual rowers, has been renamed the Chanel J12 Boat Race. More than a metaphor, this partnership expresses a common philosophy.

The J12 was created in 2000 as the answer to a very personal wish: that of Jacques Helleu, then Artistic Director at the head of Chanel’s watch creation, for a timepiece that was solid and stylish, elegant and sporty, ideal for every occasion. As a designer, Helleu was fascinated by the sleek but powerful lines of racing yachts; how they cut through the water, appearing calm and soothing yet at the same time capable of the most extraordinary strength. This would be the inspiration for the J12. Helleu materialised his watch in black ceramic, a choice now echoed in this promise of strength and softness by a high-tech material that is seven times harder than steel, ultra-resilient and impervious to scratches, but also biocompatible, light, silken to the touch and remarkably comfortable to wear.

A new campaign

More than 25 years after it was conceived, the J12 returns to its aquatic origins. Water is where the J12 is most at home. This fundamental inspiration is encapsulated in a new advertising campaign that is both a reminder and a celebration of these intrinsic values of strength and softness, a unique balance captured by Gisele Bünchen and Clément Chabernaud in the precision and atmospheric poetry of a sail as it unfurls, of a boat that plies the immensity of the ocean, and in the strength and focus of an oar that breaks the mirror-like surface of a river. Poetic metaphors that express the deepest nature of the J12.

Change everything while changing nothing

When the J12 sports watch launched in 2000, in glossy black ceramic, it ran counter to the rules of a hierarchised, sectorised landscape. Measuring 38mm, it rapidly won a following among women as much as men. Superbly well-designed, stylish, robust and reliable, it heralded ceramic’s arrival as a precious material.

Building on this success, the J12 expanded its horizons, reaching into mechanical high horology with a tourbillon movement, introducing jewellery versions and debuting new sizes, though never departing from its intrinsic identity. Then, in 2019, a year before the J12’s twentieth anniversary, Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the Chanel Watch Creation Studio since 2012, launched the “second-generation” J12.

Described as “changing everything without changing anything”, this was in reality a mechanical and aesthetic revolution. A complete refresh. Eighty per cent of the J12’s components were revisited. The case was now formed from a single ceramic block. And, a fundamental development, this “new” J12 was powered by the exclusive, automatic Calibres 12.1 and 12.2, developed and made by Kenissi, the movement manufacturer that is co-owned by Chanel.

Strength, elegance and fluidity

The choice of high-tech ceramic—not as a livery but as the very substance of the watch—would prove decisive.

It is the “secret” of the J12’s success, one could say, for the many reasons already mentioned, whether the sleek, elegant lines to which this material lends itself, its soft, smooth feel, its lightness, or its strength. By choosing ceramic, Chanel was also able to acquire a level of technological and manufacturing expertise that requires complete control over this material’s complex industrial production processes.

As early as 1993, Chanel had bought Châtelain Frères in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a specialist since 1947 in the polishing and finishing of gold and metal bracelets. Under the Chanel banner, Châtelain progressively integrated the technology and expertise to manufacture high-tech ceramic, which the J12 would instantly elevate to the rank of precious material.

Alongside its ceramic division, Chanel’s watch manufacture in-house capabilities cover the technical development, complex component production, polishing, gem-setting, assembly and testing of its watches. Its haute horlogerie studio has delivered nine in-house movements, beginning with Calibre 1 in 2016, proposed in 37 variations. Through Kenissi, Chanel produces every one of the Calibre 12.1 and 12.2 automatic movements, chronometer-certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), that equip the J12 in 38mm, 33mm and 42mm versions, including the recently released J12 Superleggera with its distinctly masculine, ultra-sporty personality.

With 500 staff skilled in 60 professions under one roof, and thanks to its partnership with Kenissi, Chanel controls one hundred per cent of its production, from concept to creation down to the final finishing.

This long chain of specialisations implies close collaboration between numerous and complementary professions, as well as a constant dialogue between the artistic and the technical, between the teams at the Watch Creation Studio in Paris who are responsible for the ideation and design of the watch, and the Swiss specialists and watchmakers who manufacture it. This coordination between teams is not unlike the delicate propulsion of a shell by its crew, which demands fluidity, symmetry, team spirit, strength and focus.

A complete refresh

The “complete refresh” undertaken by Arnaud Chastaingt and the Watch Creation Studio in 2019 sharpened the J12’s visual coherency. Subtle changes lifted the design: a slimmer bezel that created a wider dial opening, a refined typography for the numerals and markers, a more prominent inner railway track, and a slightly thicker case but with a softened profile that retains the slim silhouette. Longer bracelet links add to the impression of slimness and refinement. The case, cut from a single piece of ceramic, is fitted with a sapphire back.

Beneath it, on full show, beats the very lovely and technically sophisticated automatic Calibre 12.1, which supplies 70 hours of power reserve. The tungsten oscillating weight is openworked in the form of a perfect circle, a signature of Chanel’s haute horlogerie. In a little over 25 years, the J12 has evolved, for sure, but as the saying goes, “for things to stay as they are, they have to change.” For the J12 to stay the J12, it had to evolve. To become even more the J12.

NEW J12 WATCHES

J12 SUPERLEGGERA 42mm

Bearing the emblematic Superleggera signature, inspired by auto racing, the J12 42mm channels a powerful visual identity and a distinctly masculine style. The new 42mm case size is the largest in the range. From the matte black of the ceramic case to the polished and brushed finishes of the bracelet links, every detail accentuates the watch’s powerful design. The sports-inflected dial mirrors the performance and aesthetic of Calibre 12.1, an automatic Manufacture movement with COSC chronometer certification. The black oscillating weight is visible through a sapphire crystal.

J12 28MM

A fresh interpretation of the iconic J12 in a new case size, the smallest in the collection, paired with a supple bracelet with an unmistakably sporty design. Each of the J12’s most important, most essential characteristics have been condensed into this new version: ultra-resistant ceramic, lacquered dial, a refined crown and bezel. Equipped with a quartz movement, the J12 28mm captures the essence of this iconic watch in a more compact silhouette.

J12 38MM

In 2025, 25 years after its debut in black ceramic, the J12 made its first appearance in blue, as four limited editions. In 2026 the Chanel Watch Creation Studio unveils two new pieces as part of the permanent collection in the same blue shade. A blue that is almost black, or a black that is almost blue, with a matte finish. The J12’s third signature colour: a unique blue, an exclusive Chanel blue. Paired with the flash of steel, it subtly reveals itself. Launching June 1, 2026.