A moment with Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the CHANEL Watch Creation Studio

dorelationship. It was the word most used during my conversation with Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the CHANEL Watch Studio, at Watches & Wonders Geneva. Perhaps the vocabulary was lacking to express what Chastaingt really wanted to say; after all, he is French and speaks a romantic language. There is a possibility that he is referring to the French word “création”, the feminine noun used to describe the act of bringing something into existence. If he had spoken French, I’m sure the nuances he was trying so hard to convey to me would have been even more impactful. Throughout our conversation, you could tell he was a deep thinker from his responses, and for a moment, I wished I could have spoken French to understand his opinion, even during those 30 minutes. Interviews, especially at the beginning, can be awkward and tense. The moment of silence after jokes can be deafening and even disconcerting. However, our conversation about my expedition to Boncourt, Switzerland to visit another brand’s ceramic manufacturing facility just before Watches & Wonders helped us click right off the bat and naturally into the interview about the CHANEL J12, which, coincidentally, is also made of ceramic.

This year is an important one for the CHANEL J12, one of the watchmaking icons of the turn of the millennium 2000. The focus and key message is on the fluidity of the watch for both men and women. Rather than defining watches through masculine or feminine codes, CHANEL approaches them as creations, fluid objects that belong naturally on any wrist shaped by proportion, movement and personal expression. The CHANEL J12 was the brainchild of Jacques Helleu, who began his career at CHANEL in 1965 as artistic director of perfumes and beauty products. Making the leap from the house’s legendary N°5 perfumes to watch design may seem like an impossible leap, but that did not deter Helleu from beginning CHANEL’s horological journey in 1987. In fact, it reinforces Chastaingt’s claim about crossing boundaries within CHANEL. “Although we were born from fashion and haute couture, we are a house with diverse creations; we do not think in terms of categories,” shares Chastaingt. With the responsibility of elevating CHANEL’s watchmaking vision on his shoulders, Chastaingt speaks to us about the qualities of an icon, developing the design philosophy of the CHANEL Watch Studio and the perpetual influence of Gabrielle Chanel to this day.

He has spent 13 years shaping watchmaking at CHANEL. How has CHANEL influenced your design philosophy and vice versa?
I have a very long history with CHANEL. Since I was young I have been fascinated by this house which, for me, was the luxury house par excellence. CHANEL was a dream for me and you can’t imagine how happy I was when they offered me the opportunity to be director of the CHANEL Watch Creation Studio. It was very easy for me to work for CHANEL because it is a creative house with a deep respect for savoir-faire. We share the same philosophy.

And to your question about my influence on CHANEL. Well, the history of CHANEL is very long and I am only writing a small part of it. I have to know my place and be humble about the history of the house. My objectives and goals were to elevate the vision of CHANEL when it first entered the world of watchmaking in 1997. We were a haute couture house without any classic watchmaking code, with the vision of bringing to life a creation that is CHANEL. Style and excellence are part of CHANEL’s DNA and my job is to develop this equation with the freedom offered to me in this role.

If we could remove all the technical limitations of watchmaking for a moment, what would a purely “emotional” CHANEL watch look like?
I would say that if you are a designer, it is almost impossible to separate yourself from the technicalities. However, I think sometimes it is important to keep some distance. I am fascinated with ceramics, as I shared before, but I don’t want to understand it completely because it can break my naivety and creativity. I’m not a technician and I don’t want to be; My job is to dream without limitations and inspire. I am very fortunate to have an exceptional technical team that loves creation and understands that it is in service of creation. A watch is very complex and full of limitations, and although my ideas are bold, the team sees them as opportunities to show off their know-how and not as challenges to overcome.

The CHANEL J12 has become one of the most recognizable watches of the 21st century. In your opinion, what defines a true icon?
Commitment, in a creation, is not synonymous with success. when I think of [iconic] creations, I know that they are born from real creative acts. The CHANEL J12 was born from Jacques Helleu’s obsession. There were no commitments, no marketing briefs, or market research on what women wanted in their watches. I wanted a black 38mm watch. I didn’t work for CHANEL at the time, but I was surprised to see CHANEL break any kind of code or rule about women’s watches with the CHANEL J12, and it became more than a watch; It was a lesson in style. And of course, following the success of the watch, and based on the authority of the black or white color palette, it is recognizable on the wrist.

The evolution of CHANEL J12 is subtle in proportions, finishes and details. How do you recognize the moment when a change is “enough”?
I don’t know, to be honest; It’s just a feeling. I remember working on the classic CHANEL J12 in 2019; It was my most exciting creation and also my most difficult to date. The CHANEL J12 was very important for my career because I was in love with it when I was a student. So when I started working at CHANEL [gasp]The CHANEL J12 was more than an icon; Perhaps it was the creation that showed me that the world of watchmaking could be a territory for designers. I remembered this project because, three years earlier, I had thought that it was easier to start from scratch than to rework an icon like the CHANEL J12.

Do you feel like it is a burden or a responsibility?
It is my responsibility; My obsession is to ensure that the CHANEL J12 remains attractive and contemporary, both today and tomorrow. As I reworked his design, I quickly realized that humility would be the key to my creative process. I had to stop any design dreams I had. I thought to myself: “I wanted to change this or that, no. Humility. The icon is bigger than me.” My creative approach was surgical, more like a surgeon than a designer. We focused on and identified the strengths and weaknesses of the CHANEL J12 to ensure it remains contemporary.

There’s a quote behind you that says, “In greatest strength lies gentleness.” How do you think this statement resonates with Gabrielle Chanel’s personality?
It is a definition that she can give herself. She was obsessed with comfort her entire life. I think he was dreaming of the comfort that men had in his time. The sensuality of the ceramic makes the J12 a comfortable watch, and it’s comforting to know that it’s unbreakable. [slams wrist on the steel coffee table]unlike a steel or gold watch.

CHANEL is, above all, a fashion house. How do you navigate the intersection and boundaries between fashion and watchmaking?
I see limits and borders as enemies of creation. I love the fact that we are special and were born different from the other maisons you see here on Watches & Wonders. Just as there are people from all walks of life in the world, we are proud of our roots in high fashion and culture. Beyond haute couture, we have a philosophy and heritage that is the equation I mentioned earlier: style and excellence. We have to stay within the equation, regardless of what objects we are designing for CHANEL.

Although we were born from fashion and haute couture, we are a house with diverse creations; We don’t think in terms of categories. If you remember, one of my creations from last year, the J12 Blush, was inspired by makeup. Maybe one day watches can inspire fashion and jewelry trends. We don’t think in terms of categories; We are just a house with different creations.

If you could design a watch for Gabrielle Chanel herself, what would it be like?
It is difficult to answer your question, but I am sure that Gabrielle Chanel will refute the definition of a watch as an instrument for measuring time that must be worn on the left wrist. When I started at CHANEL, my first task was to find the watches she wore. We managed to do it within our beautiful heritage. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the design of the clock because it was always facing the other way in the photographs. What we did know, however, was that the strap was white, which was not a classic option at that time. And from there we understood that it was a masculine watch, and for a woman to wear it was a brave act of freedom.

So at CHANEL, if I want to wear time on a ring, on a belt, on a glove, under the Queen chess piece, on a necklace or on an earpiece, although I can’t speak for Gabrielle Chanel herself, I’m sure she would be proud that we’ve kept that act of freedom in these creations.

Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up on our June/July 2026 issue.