Written by: Lisa Pearson

The name Chanel is synonymous with haute couture, classic handbags, elegant fragrances and a glamorous collection of cosmetics and accessories. The brand’s founder Coco Chanel who long lives in the hearts and closets of fashionistas worldwide, was once a revolutionary in the fashion industry. Chanel came from humble beginnings in an orphanage, became a seamstress, and slowly worked her way to the top of her fashion empire.

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." Coco Chanel

Chanel was a pioneer in many ways; she was the first to name a fragrance after herself a designer, and the first to incorporate the details of menswear into a collection of women’s wear. Many years later in the year 2000, Chanel would be the first to create a ceramic watch which would later create a fashion craze among celebrities and consumers alike. It would be quite fair to say that Chanel has designed many successful watches before their ceramic J12 timepiece however, eleven years later; it still remains as their most popular watch.

Ceramic watches in general became popular for a number of reasons. First, even if the timepieces are created by a high-end designer, the prices are still affordable despite the quality craftsmanship. Second, the ceramic watches offer much more bang for the buck with its scratch and fade resistant ceramic properties. It is also available in a variety of colors that are unique to only ceramic timepieces. Chanel’s J12 model was their first unisex timepiece which was wildly popular with both sexes. Lastly, the quality of ceramic watches is known to be more consistent throughout due to the design process involved with ceramics.

The Chanel J12 series has six styles within its collection; Chromatic, Jewelry, Classic, Chronograph, GMT, and Marine which are all sporty and distinct with a luxe feel. With such variety from style to style in the J12 collection, there is sure to be a watch to match the style of any stylish man or woman. Each timepiece is a reminder of what Coco Chanel first sought out to convey with her collection of hats and women’s wear-casual elegance. That is probably one of the main reasons why the Chanel J12 watch continues to be their most popular watches despite its release over 10 years ago.

The first ceramic watch, the Chanel J12

Chanel set such a trend with their J12 ceramic watches and ceramic watches overall have become so popular that just about every watchmaker features a ceramic watch in their line of timepieces.