If your favorite cologne is Blue Deschanel, look no further. This year, Chanel will dress up J12 blue in matte blue ceramic to celebrate the watch’s birthday. 2025 has been a quarter century since the first J12 of black ceramic (and 22 years since the first white ceramic version), so it’s time for new colors. However, blue is not just a random color. In the Chanel universe, everything has meaning. Rather, we will return to the box of the 1932 Bijoux de Diamants collection. Today, Chanel interpreted the colours in new shades specifically for watchmaking. Fratello has chosen several models to highlight from the many celebration blue J12s. Choose the aromatic woody perfume, navy blue ensemble, or double denim outfit that best suits you.
Black, white, beige, red and gold were Gabriel “Coco” Chanel’s favorite colors, but the J12’s 25th anniversary is celebrated in blue. Black and white are too obvious, beige gold is very Chanel, but not novelty, and “normal” gold is not enough. It’s very blue! But why did Chanel choose blue as the colour for celebration?
J12 Blue Caliber 12.1 38mm Dial with Blue Sapphire for Index
Chanel dresses up J12 blue with matte blue ceramic
Arnaud Chastaingt, director of Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio, explains why this particular blue is the color of your choice. That dream proved quite difficult to realize given that the fact that they created the right kind of black blue or blue black required five years of development.
Of the nine J12 blue variations, here are some highlights
Of the nine J12 blue watches, the most versatile is the J12 blue caliber 12.1 38mm (25,500 euros). The bezel contrast matte blue ceramic case and baguette motif connect to the bright blue of 12 baguette cut sapphires that act as indexes. Within the case, it beats the automatic caliber 12.1.
J12 Blue Caliber 12.1 38mm
The 33mm version of this watch (24,500 Euro) is equipped with a Chanel Caliber 12.2. Both COSC certified moves show a black coating, have a power reserve of 70 hours and are made from Kenissi, Switzerland co-owned by Chanel.
J12 Blue Caliber 12.1 38mm
If you’re not a fan of baguette cut sapphires, there’s also the 38mm J12 BLEU, which embodies the very essence of this collection. This version (11,000 euros) has black Arabic numbers marked time. These three are limited editions, but Chanel hasn’t made it clear exactly how limited they are.
J12 Blue 42mm Sapphire
More, more baguette cut sapphires are also optional. There is a 38mm version with a bezel on a baguette cut sapphire that matches the one on the dial. This J12 BLEU (price on request) is a limited edition of 100 watches. Even more abundant are the 42mm and 28mm versions. This “mini and maxi” pair shines with blue sapphires that illuminate the bezel, dial and bracelet. Decorating these two J12 cases requires more than 110 hours of gem setting. The 42mm version comes with 170 baguette-cut sapphires and the 28mm model comes with 196 baguette-cut sapphires. According to Chanel, the blackened steel bezel and crown increase the depth of the blue. The 42mm version has an automatic caliber 12.1 inside a 200m water-resistant ceramic case, while the 28mm version has a quartz movement. Both watches (prices on request) are limited to 12 pieces.
Blue Tour Billon
But the party is beyond precious stones. There are also two J12 watches with tour billons. One of them, the 38mm 55-piece limited edition (price on request), features a 172-part caliber 5 with hypnotism and a fascinating flying tourbillon thanks to the 65-fesset solitaire diamonds in the center of the cage. Gabriel Chanel’s favorite gem illuminates the openwork blue dial and reinforces the shining 34 baguette cut sapphires on the bezel. This J12 also comes with a special finish. The sides of the case and the bracelet took 8 hours to hold the hand.
Another Tour Bjorn Watch is the J12 Blue X-ray. This time there is no matte blue ceramic, but instead there is a semi-transparent sapphire. This 38mm watch shows you the new shades of blue in this collection. According to Chanel, this blue evokes the colours of the sea and the sky on a sunny day. It took me over 1,600 hours to carve the case and bracelet of this model from a single block of synthetic sapphires. The white gold bezel is set in 196 bright blue baguette cut natural sapphires. Inside there is caliber 3.1 with colourless sapphires for the main plate and two bridges. The result is a seemingly visible movement. 12 baguette cut bright blue natural sapphires act as time indexes. The J12 Bleu X-Ray (price on request) is limited edition with just 12 pieces.
Chanel has yet to list all of the J12 BLEU models on its website, but you can find out more about the six details here.
