Presented for the first time at the 2016 Baselworld show last March, Chanel’s Boy·Friend Tweed is now available. The latest version of the watch with its masculine styling, which is typical of the fashion house, pays homage to one of Chanel’s signature materials: tweed.

Every aspect of this timepiece seems to be an eloquent homage to a fashion concept imagined by Gabrielle Chanel. Her appropriation of the male wardrobe for feminine use was the initial inspiration behind the Boy·Friend watch in 2015. The great designer’s decision in the 1920s to make use of the comfort of tweed, a fabric that remains closely associated with the fashion house, is now reiterated by the new model, the Boy·Friend Tweed.

The production of a tweed effect bracelet required months of development, and the result is a technical tour de force that succeeds in presenting a precisely articulated tweed motif without sacrificing the flexibility of the original bracelet. A braided trim was added to emphasize the contours of the bracelet, which recalls the trim on jackets made by the French fashion house.

Three versions including one set with diamonds
The use of steel for the Boy·Friend Tweed’s octagonal case, bezel and crown creates a clear contrast with its understated black guilloché dial. The model is equipped with a high precision quartz movement that shows hours, minutes and, on the medium model, the date. All of the models are waterproof at depths of up to 30 meters.

There are three versions: a medium model with a 26.7×34.6 mm case, and two small models with 21.5×27.9 mm cases, one of which is inset with 62 diamonds with a total weight 0.37 carats.

This article was first published in Malaysia Tatler.