DOWN MEMORY LANE

Chanel’s international watch director Nicolas Beau reminisces the last 30 years

On 30 years being a major milestone…

Thirty years old in watchmaking is considered young because to be old, you’re expected to have lasted one or two centuries. What Chanel has achieved in 30 years is amazing though—from the Première to the Calibre 2, we have built up all the know-how and savoir faire in the house.

On the significance of the Première…

In 1987, women’s watches were either men’s watches with a reduction in size or jewellery watches. Première was the first watch designed for women—its growth was amazing and the success huge. In a way, Chanel is proud to contribute to the opening of the watch industry for women.

On what gap to bridge…

Well, the missing stone was probably the movement department. People know Chanel as the fashion house but some people don’t know we do watches. We needed time to build the trust between us and the clients. The movement creation department is a new adventure for us.

On being a movement maker…

Since we don’t have any history, we can make movements with freedom. After all, we want clients to see the beautiful object on the wrist, not be obsessed with the technical aspects of the movement.