INSIGHT: A brief history of time – as seen by Chanel
It’s a paradox that a luxury house as conspicuously feminine as Chanel should always have had a gender-bending streak. So here comes a quick bit of fashion history – and before you watch geeks roll your eyes and change the channel, let me say that this will help explain everything about Chanel’s watches. Including why they are not to be dismissed as mere “fashion watches”. I’ll be brief. By the simple fact of launching herself into business (as a milliner) in 1910, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel flew in the face of expected gender roles. As she added clothes to her repertoire, she appropriated masculine elements: using jersey fabrics (previously reserved strictly for men’s underwear); putting chic women into trousers, and into the striped jumpers of Breton sailors; turning masculine tweeds into feminine jackets; and making suntans fashionable (previously, only outdoor labourers got tanned). The perfumes, too, always had an air of not-quite-conventional femininity; since the beginning (No.5 was launched in 1921) masculine notes – wood, leather, smoke – have been blended with feminine florals. Blurring the gender lines So when Chanel introduced the Boy.Friend watch collection in 2015, it was simply business as usual, playing on the idea that women borrow…
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One of the finest openworked watches on the market right now (and one that, paradoxically, didn’t make our list of skeletonised watches) is the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked from Audemars Piguet. Visually, this pink gold case with predominantly steel movement architecture is everything you’d expect — that classic RO case and bracelet looking boss, with a deep, complex openworked dial. And while legibility is the main concern here (there’s not a heap of contrast between the movement and those gold hands, compared to earlier versions with a grey movement finish), it quickly becomes apparent that the titular double balance, nestled at eight o’clock is the star of the show. What, I hear you ask, precisely is a double balance? Well, the role of a balance is to regulate the accuracy of the watch. This watch offers not one, but two balance wheels — which is good, as more mass equals more accuracy. What’s more, the balance wheels are set against each other to hopefully offset any variance in its twin. The case measures in at 37mm across, making it a solid, and solidly opulent, choice for more slender wrists. But regardless of whether it’s worn by a king…
By now, you’ve seen the news everywhere. Phillips auctions touting their upcoming sale with headlines like “Phillips to Sell Steve McQueen’s Rolex Submariner”, and lines that read as “a historically important and previously unknown Rolex Submariner owned and worn by Steve McQueen.” (copied directly from the Phillips Auctions website at time of writing). As soon as this hit the news, I had to read and re-read what was being presented, as I – and numerous collectors and industry professionals – couldn’t help but question some of the details of what some would interpret as an intricately woven tale of a long-lost watch brought back from the dead. While there are a handful of hard facts about this watch that’s coming up for sale, there are quite a few missing puzzle pieces that stand between the watch and its educated buying public. Before we get into the nitty-gritty about this watch, there is some air that needs to be cleared. Through my investigation I spoke with numerous collectors, auction specialists, as well as a few people who have actually seen the watch in person prior to its restoration. The most interesting bit, and not surprising given how big and rightfully well-respected…
