The Chanel booth at this year’s Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva was all blue — a nod to the new J12 Bleu in deep blue matte ceramic. By night, the facade of the Chanel boutique in Geneva’s city centre was lit blue, with a giant projection of the J12 Bleu revealing the time. “Blue is Chanel’s third primary colour. If you look at Gabrielle Chanel’s legacy, there’s black, white and blue,” says Frédéric Grangié, the house’s president of watches and fine jewellery. It took five years for Arnaud Chastaingt, director of Chanel’s watchmaking creation studio, to develop the shade.
Chanel introduced the J12 in black in 2000, and a white version three years later. They remained the only two colours available until the blue this year, which is a key piece of Grangié’s strategy to further develop the business. J12 already represents 50 per cent of Chanel’s watch business, with further potential for growth. Grangié predicts this launch will have “a knock-on effect” on the sales of the J12 in black and white, and will bring a new clientele thanks to the unisex appeal of the colour.
