Resident Watch Expert Imran Jalal Shares Why He Loves The Chanel Boyfriend Watch

If Gabrielle Chanel were still alive today, her connection to men would be the stuff of TMZ frenzies, what with the high-profile, high-society relationships that were both tumultuous and beguiling. But the influence men had on Chanel went beyond the personal, crossing into her sartorial choices and shaping her vision for the maison.

Coco's masculine leanings

From her beginnings as a milliner in the early 1900s, Chanel’s aesthetic sensibilities had always bordered on the mannish. Her designs were devoid of ostentation and flamboyance at a time when ornate creations were considered the height of feminine chic. The popularity of her uncluttered, elegant hats even led couturier Paul Poiret to quip back then: “We ought to have been on guard against that boyish head.” When Chanel ventured into ready-to-wear in 1913, her jersey garments were a game changer, partly because it was a common fabric used in men’s underwear.

And so, throughout her career, till her death in 1971, the masculine influence would be an underlying trope of her work. It also helped that Chanel herself was popular with the opposite sex. Besides the many prominent men in her circle, her well-known paramours were Arthur “Boy” Capel, the cavalry officer Etienne Balsan, Bendor the duke of Westminster, as well as the Grand Duke Dmitri.

Each man had his own impact on Chanel’s design sensibilities. With Balsan, it was said, Chanel picked up her love for horses, leading her to incorporate matelasse quilting, which could be found on saddles, in her designs. The Duke of Westminster made her fall in love with tweed, and she would often borrow the sportswear he donned for hunting and fishing during the Scottish summers. In 1924, Chanel tapped a Scottish factory to create the tweeds for her suits and coats, reportedly even bringing leaves and earth taken from the Scottish countryside to the manufacturer for inspiration.

A brand new identity

Fast-forward till today, and the masculine code has never been more obvious than in the brand’s watch segment. For the longest time, the J12 watch – launched in 2000 and named after the America’s Cup J Class yachts – has been the poster child for androgynous timepieces by Chanel.

Now, it is set to be joined by another, as the brand’s very first watch creation, the Premiere, undergoes a major masculine facelift this year. Launched in 1987, the Premiere takes on a new identity as the Boyfriend watch. New moniker aside, the signature design features remain. The octagonal case, which take its shape from the cap of the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle and the geometry of the Place Vendome, is unchanged. The latter is where the brand’s fine jewellery boutique is located, as well as the Ritz Hotel at which Chanel kept a suite where she stayed for years.

In all the Boyfriend’s six references, the resemblance to a man’s evening dress watch is unmistakable. Part of its appeal lies in the minimalist dial and sleek gold case, which comes in 18K white gold or the brand’s trademark 18K beige gold. The latter was developed last year for the launch of another watch – the J12-365 – and is a more subtle hue compared to the typical yellow gold.

The Boyfriend watches are also considerably larger, compared to their predecessors in the Premiere collection. The L size measures 34.6mm x 26.7mm with a quartz movement and a date counter, while the XL size reaches 37mm x 28.6mm, with a manual-winding movement and a small seconds counter. Don Draper types will approve of this. And somewhere up there, Gabrielle Chanel would too. From $17,000, available now at all Chanel stores

An adapted version first appeared in 24:7. 

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