There are plenty of watches masquerading as jewellery, but a watch masquerading as jewellery that fastens with a handbag clasp? Enter the new Code Coco, so named because of the different codes you must decipher before you can fully appreciate Chanel’s latest piece of wrist candy.
The French fashion house is full of codes, from the quilting known as matelassé on its handbags to the camellia flower, Coco Chanel’s favourite bloom, and several of them are very clearly visible on the new Code Coco watch.
The first striking detail about this watch is the clasp that features on its face, an exact replica of the fastener on the brand’s signature 2.55 quilted bag, created by Mademoiselle Chanel in February 1955. This piece will appeal to jewellery and watch lovers alike, not to mention fans of the 2.55 who will want to wear their Code Coco on the same arm as their handbag. The sinuous stainless-steel bracelet is comprised of tiny squares that recall the famous quilted design.
The “Code Coco” watch above all stands out with the way that it fastens around the wearer’s wrist. Rather than using a classic folding clasp, this timepiece furls around the wrist until its two ends meet. In fact, the watch bezel – available in steel or studded with diamonds – is located at one end of the strap, which curls around the wrist to encase the dial at the other end, fastening the watch closed with a click.
This swivel clasp can be positioned horizontally or vertically, masking or revealing the time as the wearer pleases. A rectangle of black lacquer runs down the middle, divided in two by the clasp. On one side is the discreet, petite dial, devoid of numbers or markers, on the other a single square diamond.
Hidden behind the stainless-steel case is a high-precision quartz movement for effortless maintenance, and you can choose between two models – with our without diamonds around the bezel.
The French luxury label is also offering an exceptional 18-karat white gold version of its new watch. The case is set with seven princess-cut diamonds, the two dials are set with 136 brilliant-cut diamonds and one princess cut diamond, the bezel is set with 30 baguette-cut diamonds and 34 princess-cut diamonds, the clasp is set with 15 baguette-cut diamonds and the strap is set with 301 princess-cut diamonds.
After the “Première” and “J12” models – now icons of the watch world – Chanel’s “Code Coco,” is a timepiece that is set to shake up the codes of watchmaking whilst referencing the French fashion house’s heritage.
Source: The Jewelry Editor