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Chanel Boy-Friend Watch
Ref. H6401
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The BOY·FRIEND takes its case shape from the cap of the No. 5 perfume bottle — the octagonal geometry is not a design choice made for the watch alone but a deliberate echo across the house's objects. That connection gives the rectangular case a coherence that purely horological thinking rarely produces. At 27.9mm lug to lug and just 6.2mm deep, this sits on the wrist as a sliver rather than a presence, and the guilloché opaline dial — unmarked by indices or numerals — reads as a surface rather than an instrument. The crown carries a black spinel cabochon, a small extravagance that the wearer sees and nobody else does. The calfskin strap is embossed with the quilted motif and changes without tools, which matters more than it sounds on a watch worn this close to dress cuffs.
- Reference
- H6401
- Brand
- Chanel
- Collection
- BOY·FRIEND
- Case size
- 27.9mm
- Case thickness
- 6.2mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Rectangular
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Manual
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Origin
- Swiss made
Learn more about Chanel
Gabrielle Chanel opened her first shop in 1910 and spent the following decades removing things from women's clothing — corsetry, ornament, the assumption that formality required discomfort. The jersey suit, the little black dress and No. 5 came from that.
The watches are made in-house, not licensed. Chanel opened its own watch manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1993 and has since taken stakes in the movement maker Kenissi, giving it access to genuinely serious mechanics.
Two designs define the output. The Première of 1987 took its octagonal case from the stopper of the No. 5 bottle and its chain-and-leather bracelet from the quilted handbag. The J12 of 2000 was made almost entirely from high-tech ceramic at a time when almost nobody was doing it, and it changed what a fashion house's watch could be taken seriously as.
More recently the Monsieur and the Code Coco have carried in-house calibres, including a jumping-hour movement developed by Chanel itself.
The company remains privately owned by the Wertheimer family.
- 1910
- Gabrielle Chanel opens her first shop in Paris.
- 1987
- The Première introduces the octagonal No. 5 case.
- 1993
- Opens its own watch manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
- 2000
- The J12 arrives in high-tech ceramic.
- 2016
- The Monsieur brings a Chanel in-house calibre.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (5,018), Stainless Steel Watches (3,307), Watches Under 37mm (1,760), Women's Watches (1,688), Leather Strap Watches (1,092) and Dress Watches (565).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 27.9mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Chanel's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is hand-wound, so it needs winding every day or two but never a battery.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £3,960, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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