The CHANEL Watch Manufacture

In La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the heart of the watchmaking world, lies the CHANEL Watch Manufacture. Starting with the launch of the emblematic PREMIÈRE in 1987, every timepiece imagined by the Creation Studio has come to life in this unique place that brings together the passion of expert craftsmen, the excellence of traditional savoir-faire and the precision of innovative technical tools.

Presentation of the CHANEL Watch Manufacture

Since the very beginning, this is where CHANEL has developed and assembled all its watches.

From the first designs to the final checks, the creation of a new CHANEL timepiece involves the close collaboration of many complementary métiers driven by the same impetus. An in-depth dialogue takes place between the Creation Studio in Paris and the master watchmakers in Switzerland.

From the Parisian Creation Studio...

Each piece begins as an idea that takes shape at the Watch Creation Studio, directed by Arnaud Chastaingt and located at Place Vendôme in Paris, steps from rue Cambon, the epicenter of the CHANEL universe.

Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the Watch Creation Studio

...to the Swiss Manufacture.

The creative gestures of the designers are followed by the skill and meticulousness of the master watchmakers, who realize the ambitions of the Creation Studio at the CHANEL Watch Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

CHANEL Watch Manufacture

A meeting place for creation, savoir-faire and technology

Technique in service of creation: This principle is essential to the partnership between the Creation Studio and the CHANEL Watch Manufacture, and characterizes CHANEL watchmaking, where creation defines allure and style.

The drawing

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The artistic and technical intentions of the Creation Studio are expressed in a drawing that outlines each characteristic of the new watch.

The design

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After making a 3D model, the design department at the CHANEL Watch Manufacture translates the creative vision into a file that includes all the piece’s specifications, such as regulations, durability and reliability. This file can contain up to 500 plans depicting the architecture of the new watch, down to the smallest detail.

The prototype

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The technical teams then produce a prototype, the piece’s first incarnation. A tangible representation of the designs drawn by the engineers, this initial example validates their choices and harmonizes volumes and curves to properly capture the Creation Studio’s intention.

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The drawing

The artistic and technical intentions of the Creation Studio are expressed in a drawing that outlines each characteristic of the new watch.

Advanced technology and artisanal virtuosity

Every stage of the development and production process is handled within the CHANEL Watch Manufacture. Here, the traditional savoir-faire of passionate people meets the precision of innovative technological tools.

This balance of past and future, of human proficiency and industrial accuracy, ensures the excellence of CHANEL watches.

Explore the different areas of expertise at the CHANEL Watch Manufacture