When Fine Watchmaking becomes a power game
Some collections are meant to be looked at and some look back at you. This year at Watches & Wonders 2026, Chanel did not simply present watches. The House unveiled an entire universe, that of Coco Game, where the hour becomes a pretext for a display of creativity and craftsmanship rarely matched in luxury watchmaking. From a diamond chessboard worthy of the greatest museums, to secret timepieces concealed beneath high jewellery camellias, to a J12 reinvented down to its very proportions, Chanel delivers a 2026 edition that erases the boundaries between fashion, art and precision mechanics.
The Chessboard: the one-of-a-kind piece that redefines the word “exceptional”
At the heart of the Coco Game collection stands a truly breathtaking piece – a unique chessboard where each of the 32 pieces is a miniature sculpture in its own right. Vendôme column in black ceramic for the rooks, snow-set white gold horses for the knights, couture mannequin busts as bishops-the universe of Gabrielle Chanel is summoned square by square, in 18-carat white gold and high-resistance ceramic, punctuated by 9,236 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling approximately 110.94 carats.
The real surprise, however, lies with the two Queens. Whether white or black, Mademoiselle conceals beneath her iconic slingbacks a 25 mm dial driven by a high-precision quartz movement-and can be worn as a sautoir on a chain of white gold, diamonds and onyx. The chessboard itself rests on an obsidian base, its ceramic surface bordered by a row of 516 diamonds. This is less a watch than a playable work of art.
Nœud de Camélia: Mademoiselle’s favourite flower, kept secret
As early as 1913, Gabrielle Chanel had claimed the camellia -the flower that dandies wore in their buttonholes -and made it one of the most powerful emblems of her style. White on black, black on white: a radical contrast that runs through the Nœud de Camélia collection today, comprising four wrist watches and one secret ring.
Here, Haute Couture and Haute Horlogerie speak to each other in the most intimate way. A bracelet embroidered with sequins by the Lesage atelier, cascades of diamonds sculpted by light, dials concealed beneath a central diamond-each piece is simultaneously a lesson in restraint and opulence, where the time reveals itself only to those who know how to look.
The J12 in 28 and 42 mm: an icon freed from format
Since its launch in 2000, the black ceramic J12 has upended the codes of traditional watchmaking. In 2026, the Watchmaking Creation Studio pushes the experiment further by breaking free from conventional case sizes -the same icon now comes in 28 mm and 42 mm, asserting its unisex character with even greater confidence.
Among the new references, the J12 fitted for the first time with a textured black rubber strap stands out, as does the limited edition Golden Black – a mini J12 in 28 mm and a maxi in 42 mm where polished or matte black ceramic is brought to life by yellow gold-plated indices, in a contrast as elegant as it is radical. The J12 Superleggera in 42 mm rounds out the picture with an openly sporty and sleek aesthetic, referencing the racing cars that inspired its name.
Première Galon in white gold, Mademoiselle Privé and Monsieur Lion: Chanel’s feminine and masculine constellation
The Première, born of absolute creative freedom in 1987, reinvents itself in 2026 in white gold. Its rigid bangle bracelet in twisted galon that couture element Chanel used to structure her suits -confirms that this watch remains one of the most elegant objects one can wear on the wrist.
On the secret side, the Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Lion duo elevates the sculpted lion’s head -eight hours of craftsmanship per piece -by concealing the time beneath a set Chanel button. As for the Monsieur Lion Tourbillon Edition Noir, it beats at the heart of its matte black ceramic case the fully in-house Calibre 5.1, with a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock-at the centre of which a lion’s head laser-engraved in a block of titanium keeps watch in silence.
Chanel, or the art of making a watch a manifesto
With its Watches & Wonders 2026 collection, Chanel confirms a position unique in the watchmaking landscape that of a House which has never chosen between fashion and mechanics, between jewellery and watchmaking, between art and function. From the diamond chessboard where the time hides in the base of a sculpted queen, to the J12 reinvented at its extremes of size, every piece tells the same story that of a creativity which refuses compromise. By making play the guiding thread of this edition, Chanel reminds us that in Haute Horlogerie as elsewhere, the best moves are always the ones nobody saw coming.
