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Chanel J12 Watch, 33 Mm
Ref. H6419
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Stepping up in Chanel's range
The J12 arrived in 2000 as Chanel's assertion that a fashion house could build a serious watch, and the all-ceramic construction was the argument: a material seven times harder than steel that resists scratching in daily wear while remaining smooth and cool against the skin. At 33mm this sits as the women's proportion of the range, close enough to the wrist to read as jewellery without losing the sporting clarity that defined the original. The 46 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel and the twelve diamond hour markers do something precise here — they catch light against a dial and case that otherwise absorb it, so the watch shifts character between shadow and direct light in a way a plain dial never would. The integrated bracelet tapers toward the clasp in a single unbroken line, the ceramic continuing without interruption from case to wrist.
- Reference
- H6419
- Brand
- Chanel
- Collection
- J12Case Size: 33 mmCase Thickness: 12
- Case size
- 33mm
- Case thickness
- 12.94mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Quartz
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Ceramic bracelet
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
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.
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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