Chanel’s Secret Watches are Actually So Cool

Last year, the Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio released the Mademoiselle Privé Bouton collection of seven luxury ‘secret’ watches, drawing on a plethora of historical references.

Back in the day, early womens' pendants, brooches and wristwatches had covers or lids so women could tell time, without being rude enough to check it in public. These secret watches are a throwback to a bygone era, with a modern, high-jewellery finish.

Rather than your typical watch look, these look like a wide cuff that fastens with a button—the ‘bouton’ in the name. Far from a button, however, the small dome hides a petite white-gold watch dial, set with 142 brilliant-cut diamonds and running with a high-precision quartz movement.

The staple of the collection, Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Perle has a tweed cuff flecked through with gold and silver thread, a gold calfskin trim and a black calfskin lining. The actual "watch" part is concealed by half a large white Australian pearl.

The four mid-range pieces in the collection share the same tweed cuff, but each has a different button at its heart, reminiscing on different symbols of importance to the fashion house's founder, Gabrielle Chanel herself.

The excluse Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Camélia features a camellia made of small diamonds. It is hard to get your hands on, however, as only fifty-five pieces were produced of this design.

The Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Byzantine is yet more exclusive: Only five pieces were made. The centrepiece is a Byzantine cross made of diamonds, and to say it's stunning would be an understatement.

The Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Lion—Chanel’s spirit animal—features a regal-looking lion in gold. Just like the Camelia watch, fifty-five of these were produced by the fashion house.

Calling upon the namesake herself, the Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Camée is a profile of Chanel, carved from agate. Another more exclusive option, only five of these were made.

The collection is rounded out by two high-jewellery pieces. Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Ganse de diamantes has a cuff made of white gold with a black coating, a diamond-set gold rim, and the same half pearl as the Bouton Perle. In total, this cuff contains approximately 4.87 carats of diamonds.

Finally, the Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Serti Neige is a truly spectacular piece of jewellery. The watch is snow-set with 1,963 brilliant-cut diamonds on the cuff and 316 more diamonds on the yellow gold trim. The button features the same cushion-cut and pear-cut diamond Byzantine motif as the Bouton Byzantine, rounding out at an unbelievable total of 45.10 carats. Only one of these exists in the world, making it a truly unique piece.

While each of the featured symbols on these watches marks a special significance in Chanel’s life, the button itself also reflects the fashion house throughout history. In Chanel's early stages, buttons were a repeated motif throughout the brand's different designs.

Much of Chanel's early fashion design inspiration came from naval and military clothing, and the buttons were one of the elements she experimented with and incorporated into her designs the most. Using them both functionally and decoratively, Chanel made buttons something beyond practicality -- something chic. Needless to say, these watches pay tribute to her well.

We are enamoured by these secret watches and do not doubt that Chanel herself would be delighted by them too.

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