At Watches & Wonders 2025 in Geneva, Arnaud Chastaingt—director of the CHANEL Watchmaking Creation Studio since 2013—presented the Maison’s latest creations, drawing on nearly 12 years of visionary leadership that has reshaped the brand’s horological identity. His tenure has imbued CHANEL timepieces with a distinctive yet versatile style—rooted in couture heritage yet boldly forward‑looking—that remains unmistakably CHANEL. The Time Place Magazine secured an exclusive glimpse into the man and the mind behind CHANEL’s horological renaissance.
25 years after its creation, the J12 surprises us once more. For the first time in its history, the CHANEL watch icon embraces colour. Can you tell us about this project?
The J12 was born in the 21st century in black, it then dressed in white three years later and finally reveals itself this year in blue ceramic. This creative impetus is inseparable from a technological feat, as in 2000, for the first time in the field of luxury watchmaking, the watch case and bracelet were made of ceramic. CHANEL has truly elevated this material to the rank of a precious material. Designed through a constant dialogue between the Creation Studio and the ceramic department, the J12 BLEU is the latest demonstration of our watchmaking Manufacture’s know-how.
First black, then white, and now blue. How would you define this new colour?
The duality of black and white is obviously an essential code in CHANEL’s aesthetic vocabulary. But colour has always been omnipresent in CHANEL creations. Blue has always been part of the House’s colours, imprinting its vibrations in fashion, fragrances or jewellery, but it is revealed today in a unique hue for CHANEL watchmaking. In optics, black and white are not considered as colours—they are shades. Black is the absence of colour and light. As such, I dreamed of giving a colour to black, illuminating it with blue. I dreamed of a blue with a rigorous elegance, not quite black and not quite blue. Five years of development were required to obtain this ceramic colour, and the ultimate choice of this shade of blue was sparked by emotion. In Haute Horlogerie, I wanted to make this matt blue ceramic resonate with the radiance of blue sapphire baguettes. This new ceramic dress adorns eight J12 creations but is also unveiled on the MONSIEUR SUPERLEGGERA BLUE EDITION watch.
In 2025, you pay tribute to another world that Gabrielle Chanel changed forever: Beauty. Vibrant with colour and energy, the BLUSH capsule collection unveils an ensemble of precious and bold creations. For the first time, CHANEL adopts the palette and textures of make-up and applies them to contemporary watchmaking.
A century ahead of her time, Gabrielle Chanel changed the codes of fragrance and cosmetics by launching the N°5 perfume and a remarkably streamlined make-up range in the 1920s—as if these powders and lipsticks, housed in black lacquered cases, were withholding colour to better reveal it. A multi-faceted duality that I decided to apply to watchmaking.
The aesthetic language of the CHANEL Beauty creations is fascinating and visually very inspiring. I love the strict elegance of these objects, their sophisticated architecture and bold geometry; the radical black lacquer that illuminates the texture of a vibrant red or powdery pink. There is an aesthetic dimension to the pattern of the artistic composition in these CHANEL creations. In Haute Horlogerie, these palettes, pencils, brushes, pigments and textures naturally led me to establish connections with artistic movements such as dripping art or pop art.
THE LION OF MADEMOISELLE collection is clearly part of the Haute Horlogerie 2025 collection. This icon of the Gabrielle Chanel bestiary gives CHANEL time a more majestic and precious look than ever by offering multiple ways to wear it. Can you tell us about these creations?
Born under the sign of Leo, Gabrielle Chanel adopted the feline as her animal totem. An emblem of protection, a symbol of strength; the lion, whether represented in the precious objects of the rue Cambon apartment or on the mother-of-pearl buttons of tweed jackets, lends its image to a sculptural and powerful collection made up of five jewellery-watches and two watchmaking pieces.
The representation of the lion is an integral part of Mademoiselle’s inner world. The lion symbol now shines through all the Maison’s creations and has become one of the iconic codes transmitted by Gabrielle Chanel. It is an inspiring symbol; I love its authority and elegance. The mastery of animal sculpture technique is at the heart of this Haute Horlogerie collection. I see animal sculpture as an art in itself. From the initial drawing to modelling, the sculpture of a CHANEL lion appears; this requires a perfect balance between rigorous anatomical knowledge of the animal and true artistic sensitivity. THE LION OF MADEMOISELLE collection features five jewels that tell the time, a men’s watch, and a clock.
