Style Edit: Chanel’s iconic J12 watch turns a distinctive blue, and stars like Park Seo-joon, Chen Bolin, William Chan, Sammi Cheng stepped out for the dazzling launch in Hong Kong
The J12 Bleu was inspired by Coco Chanel’s love for the colour back in 1932; now in 2025 – a quarter century after the J12 first appeared – the new and unique shade is modern and stylish in dramatic ceramic and sapphire
Drawing its inspiration from high-performance yachts and motor vehicles, the J12 boasted a bold, unisex aesthetic and represented a daring step forward in horological material use: it was crafted from ceramic, an important addition to the fine watchmaking canon that combines exceptional toughness and scratch resistance with a pleasingly soft, lightweight quality.
Now, a quarter of a century later, the existing black and white versions of the J12 are joined by a new iteration in a dazzling shade of blue – and to mark the occasion, one of Hong Kong’s most instantly recognisable landmarks also received the blue treatment.
On June 20, the Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui was illuminated in the dramatic shade seen on the new J12 Bleu, accompanied by an event lit up by performances from ØZI and Tyson Yoshi, and with Chanel ambassadors Park Seo-joon, Chen Bolin, William Chan, Sammi Cheng, Angela Yuen and Amy Lo in attendance.
Blue has long been a key hue in the Chanel palette. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel favoured it in her couture creations and also in her jewellery pieces. In her personal life, she liked decorative items in a blue so deep as to approach black – and it’s this profound shade that is recalled in the new shade developed for the J12 Bleu, in a process that took five years of research.
The unique hue is brought to life on nine watches in the new collection, including everything from a tourbillon version to models with blue sapphires spread across the bezel, dial and bracelet.