CHANEL’S PREMIÈRE SOUND WATCH IS THE FUTURE OF HORLOGERIE AND HEADPHONES

words by ELIYA WEINSTEIN

At CHANEL, timekeeping is about more than being present as time passes. The art of horlogerie is about moving seamlessly through life, integrating with the future, and anticipating what is to come. Inspired by this principle, Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of CHANEL Watchmaking Creation Studio, has created the PREMIÈRE SOUND watch. This latest timepiece advances cherished, timeless design by integrating it with the technological Zeitgeist.

The PREMIÈRE SOUND watch takes its shape from a House icon from 1987, the PREMIÈRE watch. An octagonal face, a nod to the stopper of the No. 5 perfume bottle, is completed with black lacquer and an 18K yellow gold coated case. The timepiece is centered with an onyx cabochon, fitted with a quartz movement, and is resistant to water up to 30 meters. It sits on a flexible chain bracelet designed after the strap of CHANEL’s best selling shoulder bags.

Preserving the freedom in femininity that makes the essence of CHANEL jewelry, the watch is transformed into a long sautoir necklace which may be connected in a click to any smartphone or audio device. Between the chain links coated in 18K yellow gold, is a black leather state-of-the-art headphone cable by Master & Dynamic, that provides high quality sound and noise canceling features at the touch of a button. The headphones can be adapted to a Lightning or USB-C jack, or completely detached from the necklace.

CHANEL’s quest for creative innovation redefines the meaning of connectivity in the modern context. With the ease of calling loved ones around the world, or facing the urban landscape with a personal soundtrack, time is no longer simply a passerby. With no sacrifice to aesthetics and elegance, the PREMIÈRE SOUND watch synchronizes its wearer to the world around them and allows each second to become a cherished gift.