Chanel's Diamond Chess Set: A $4M Wearable Game

Chanel's latest capsule collection, Chanel Coco Game, unveiled at the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva, features a $4 million diamond-set chessboard as its centerpiece. This unique set allows the winner to claim the black and white queens, each housing a secret timepiece that can be worn as a pendant watch.

The collection, comprising 14 designs, draws inspiration from popular games such as dominoes, Scrabble, and coin tosses, reflecting Coco Chanel's signature black-and-white aesthetic. Arnaud Chastaingt, director of Chanel's watchmaking studio, developed these playful pieces, many requiring new in-house techniques. Notably, a J12 design features Coco Chanel as a pixelated video game character, requiring meticulous laser-cutting for its seconds hand.

The chessboard itself presented the most significant technical challenge, with development taking approximately three years. It was sold ahead of the fair to a UK-based client as an art piece. The collection also introduces a novel 'tweed setting' technique for diamonds, designed to mimic the texture of Chanel's iconic tweed fabric, a patent for which is pending.

This innovative collection, including pieces like the J12 X-Ray, highlights Chanel's creative freedom and its ability to 'play with time.' The brand anticipates appealing to clients in their forties, who may share a nostalgic connection to the 1990s video games that inspired some designs. The insights gained from these limited editions are expected to influence future Chanel watchmaking.