A New CHANEL Watch: The J12 Diamond Tourbillon Caliber 5

The year 2022 marks a new chapter in the story of CHANEL’s legendary J12 watch. 

Combining CHANEL’s haute horlogerie aesthetic with the House’s first cutting-edge flying tourbillon, the new CHANEL J12 Diamond Tourbillon profiles the Caliber 5 movement, designed in Paris and assembled at the CHANEL Manufacture at La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland.

“I wanted to endow the J12 watch with a diamond,” says CHANEL Watchmaking Creation Studio director Arnaud Chastaingt, the visionary mastermind behind the timepiece. 

“Set at the centre of the tourbillon, the solitaire diamond follows the mechanism of the movement, giving time a rhythm that is precious and meditative—almost hypnotic.”

The diamond features a bespoke 65-face cut to maximize its brilliance. “Diamonds were Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite gemstone,” Chastaingt says. “Setting a diamond at the centre of a tourbillon was a creative decision, and its achievement was a technical tour de force.” 

More diamonds sparkle on the tourbillon cage, bezel, and hands, their brilliance echoed by intricate bevelling. The exposed mechanism is adorned with a lion’s head, a signature of the CHANEL Haute Horlogerie Manufacture.

Faithful to the CHANEL Fine Watchmaking aesthetic code, the architecture is constructed as a series of circular bridges, finished in the House’s signature sophisticated black.

The watch is available in two choices—a matte black ceramic and steel or a glossy black ceramic embellished with baguette-cut diamonds and 18-karat white gold. Each edition is limited to 55 pieces.  

“This creation is a perfect illustration of the exceptional savoir-faire that enables our watchmakers to challenge conventional codes and make the most daring creative dreams come true,” Chastaingt says.