Unless you’re living under a rock, chances are, you’ve heard of the luxury brand stylish women around the world love: Chanel. From the suits to the little black dress and the familiar and luxurious scent of Chanel no. 5, the fashion house has must-haves that would appeal to your taste. The maison would not be missing out on fashion watches, too, although lesser known than its other collections. In fact, Chanel has dabbled into watchmaking since 1987 with its Premiere collection that featured the Chanel no. 5’s fragrance stopper. This time around, Chanel updates its repertoire with the Code Coco, familiar-looking to fans for its clasp that appears as if it is taken directly from Chanel’s 2.55 bag.
Release Date & Price
Release date: 2017
Price: US$5,200 – $11,000
The clasp isn’t the only code a Chanel lover would recognize from the watch—besides the 2.55 bag, the house takes its quilted motif seen on handbags, jewels and apparel from Chanel since 1955 to put on the Code Coco. It is also present with another Gabrielle Chanel favorite: the diamond. Code Coco watches are currently offered in four varieties, differing in amount of diamonds and in color.
Specifications
- Materials: Steel diamond/Steel black ceramic diamond
- Case: Steel
- Bezel: Steel
- Dial: Black lacquered, set with ~0.05 ct princess cut diamond
- Dimensions: 38.1mm x 21.5mm x 7.8mm
- Strap: Steel
- Movement: High precision quartz
- Water resistance: 30m
Pros
Code Coco may borrow its design from the 2.55 bag that has been around since 1955, the number taken from the date Chanel has designed the latter, but it appears modern and ingenious, perhaps a testament to the Chanel 2.55’s timelessness. The bracelet should be coiled around the wrist, and closing it would give you the satisfying sound of a click, akin to a bag’s clasp. Twisting the clasp will give you a few tricks too, including hiding the time from view, because the watch can be snapped in front instead of behind the wrist. It is svelte and elegant, and is the perfect accompaniment to your 2.55 bag.
Cons
The quartz movement makes us categorize the Code Coco as a fashion watch, which it is not shy about, but for long-time followers of horology, the movement may not justify the price despite its being low maintenance. The dial is also wanting of indicators, although its absence makes the wearing and removing of the watch seamless.
Compare With
- Greubel Forsey Art Piece 2 Edition 2
- Piaget Altiplano 18-karat White Gold and Alligator
- TAG Heuer “Monaco” by Bamford Watch Department (39mm)
- Richard Mille RM53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough
Image credits: Departures (featured image), aBlogtoWatch, Sandras Closet, Away In Style, Watch Journal, Chanel, Bagaholicboy (article images)
