Top 5 Chanel watches on Instagram
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Cécile Fischer
Editor, RE-UP
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For the first time in its 108-year history, Chanel has published its financial results. They show it is one of the top-performing luxury brands with almost US$10 billion in annual sales. Focusing on their Fine Watch business, we scoured Instagram to see which of their timepieces are taking the lead online.
Thirteen years after its first women’s watch in 1987, Chanel struck gold with the J12, widely considered the twenty-first century’s first iconic watch. Not one to rest on its laurels, the brand went on to produce three in-house movements in three years. Will any of these be in our top five, or will vintage models outrank them? The answer below.
Methodology
To keep things simple, we won’t be differentiating between new/older versions of the same model. A J12, for example, will be classed as that, irrespective of dial colour, material or type of strap, whereas a Mademoiselle J12, J12 Ganse or J12 Graffiti are classed as different watches. As the hashtag has been used more than 57,000 times and each image must be reviewed individually, we calculated percentages from a sample size of 2,500 images to determine which watch is the most popular across the whole hashtag. So here they are, the top 5 #Chanelwatch on Instagram.
J12
Percentage of total: 40.5%
History: The J12, launched in 2000, was one of the first watches to use ceramic for the case. Originally released as an all-black design, a white version was unveiled in 2003, winning the hearts of fans and tastemakers alike (the white version was actually more popular on Instagram than black). Since then, the J12 has inspired numerous executions in terms of size or complications, brought in diamonds, played with matte and glossy finishes, and introduced the Chromatic range in titanium ceramic. It’s been dubbed the “first watchmaking icon of the twenty-first century” which could explain why it’s seen on so many famous wrists.
Why: What is it that influencers and watch enthusiasts so love about this watch? Founder and editor-in-chief of the Fine Watchmaking and High Jewellery website loupiosity.com, Ester Faykiss says that “Chanel has succeeded in making high-tech ceramic truly fashionable and stylish”. On top of this, the J12 is positioned at an entry-level price point. Looks and affordability have propelled this sleek and sporty model to the top, making it Chanel’s most popular watch, and not just on Instagram. But with fame come fakes: the J12 makes up about 90% of counterfeit Chanel watches. If you intend buying second-hand, take the usual precautions.
Première
Percentage of total: 28.5%
History: Chanel started making watches in 1987, with the aptly named Première collection. Its design was inspired by the distinctive octagonal shape of Place Vendôme in Paris, and by the stopper of Chanel’s No.5 perfume bottle. The Première was reintroduced at Baselworld 2013 in different styles and sizes: 16×22 mm for the small model, 20×22 mm for the larger one.
Why: The Premiere is one of the brand’s most feminine and delicate timepieces. It’s a versatile watch that will look good on most women’s wrists, thanks to its two sizes, and with any type of outfit. As the vintage trend takes over the world of Fine Watchmaking, it’s no surprise that this watch made the cut.
Boy•friend
Percentage of total: 6.5%
History: Released in 2015, the Boy•Friend takes inspiration from the brand’s iconic octagonal Premiere watch, with a more masculine twist – think Tank de Cartier or vintage Patek Philippe. As its name suggests, this is a watch your boyfriend would want to steal.
Why: While it may look like a typical quartz watch, the Boy•Friend is actually mechanical and shows the brand’s commitment to producing less stereotypical, better performing women’s watches. It was an instant hit, online and offline.
Montre Mademoiselle Privé Camélia Brodé
Percentage of total: 6%
History: Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite flower lives on in the Mademoiselle Privé Camélia watches. For this line, the brand worked with Maison Lesage, a French couture embroiderer, to create embroidered dials inlaid with diamonds, gold, silk threads and pearls.
Why: Winner of the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève as the first watch with an embroidered dial, the Mademoiselle Privé Camélia Brodé is a convergence of Fine Watchmaking, High Jewellery and métiers d’art – something women are increasingly asking for these days.
Code Coco
Percentage of total: 5%
History: Code Coco is what happens when a bag – not just any bag, Chanel’s 2.55 – is reimagined as a watch. Its stainless steel bracelet is made of squares that recall the 2.55’s famous quilted design, while a clasp that sits above the dial is an exact replica of the bag’s fastener. This clasp, placed horizontally for timekeeping, swivels vertically to transform the watch into a bracelet.
Why: The Code Coco is a novel design, particularly the fact it fastens and unfastens on top of rather than under the wrist. A watch with a code to crack is bound to spark curiosity, so it’s no surprise that it made it into the top five.
