Fake watches: People say that at the age of twenty, you are sure of everything, particularly yourself! The aphorism is apt with regard to the J12 X-Ray, an exceptional anniversary piece launched by Chanel to celebrate the 20th birthday of the iconic J12, born in 2000 and for that reason often described as the first watchmaking icon of the 21st century.
Full transparency
At twenty you have nothing to hide, and you are not afraid to take risks. You can finally be who you really want to be; you can seamlessly share with the world, just like the beautiful J12 X-Ray.
Nothing remains of the dial except the plane: a geometric central circle stamped with a delicate railway minute track, the hours marked with baguette diamonds that seem to float, suspended, above the heart of the watch. The central movement seems to hang in the void, inside its completely transparent case. The sapphire case, its bezel set with 46 baguette-cut diamonds, transforms into a bracelet that is also cut from translucent sapphire, a major watchmaking first.
Everything flows from the style: the style dictates the form of the movement. Technical considerations are fully included in the form and style. Swiss Luxury Fake Watches For Sale
The Caliber 3.1
Two years ago, Chanel introduced the Boy∙Friend Skeleton Caliber 3, which was awarded Best Watch for Ladies at the GPHG 2018. The Caliber 3, a product of Chanel’s Watchmaking Creation Studio, entirely designed and manufactured by Chanel movement division of Chanel’s own Manufacture, caused a sensation by overturning one of the most fundamental axioms of watchmaking. Here, style is not dictated by technical requirements (form does not follow function), it is the other way around. Everything flows from the style: the style dictates the form of the movement. Technical considerations are fully included in the form and style.
The Boy∙Friend Skeleton Caliber 3 embodied a rare convergence of aesthetics and technique, form and function,
making it impossible to discern where one ends and the other begins.
The mechanical Caliber 3.1 that powers the new J12 X-Ray follows the same philosophy. It is a direct descendant of the Caliber 3 but, although the parentage of its gear train and adjustment mechanisms is clear, its architecture has been completely revised, and more than half of its 158 parts are completely new.
Given the design studio’s intention to present the movement as if it were suspended in mid-air, they brought to the Caliber 3.1 not only a new circular shape and a lightness in its design, but also a new material, which would give three of its essential components the desired degree of transparency. The central minute bridge, the base plate (ie the back of the watch, on which the movement rests) and the gear train bridge are also made of sapphire.
The challenges of the sapphire
Created from aluminum powder, fused at a high temperature and then cooled –
this is how crystals are formed – synthetic sapphire starts out as a carrot-shaped ball. To begin with, the material is thick but perfectly transparent, with no air bubbles, cracks or inclusions. Best Replica Watches Toppest Quality
It is worth noting that synthetic sapphire is the hardest material in the world (9 on the Mohs scale) after diamond (which scores a 10). But it is also very light: 1.5 times lighter than ceramic and four times lighter than white gold.
This hard block is machined into the desired shape using a diamond wheel,
a lengthy process as each pass shaves only 5 to 6 hundredths of a millimeter. The geometric shapes with their ultra-precise tolerances thus created are then polished with a diamond slurry, a
n oil-based paste containing microscopic diamond particles,
to achieve the highest possible transparency. This part of the operation must be handled extremely delicately,
as the components involved are almost impossibly thin, between 0.5mm and 1mm.
The assembly stage presents watchmakers with even more challenges. Assembling the watch requires patience and uncanny dexterity,
as traces of oil or dust must not be allowed to mar its absolute transparency and crystalline purity. The simple act of inserting the rubies (which are necessary for the watch’s moving parts to work properly) into the sapphire is particularly demanding and demands a whole new level of skill. For these reasons, it takes up to a week to put together a single move.
Sapphire case and bracelet: a first
The J12 X-Ray’s case, made from a single block of machined, polished and drilled sapphire,
comes with an 18K white gold bezel set with 46 baguette-cut diamonds (5.46 ct).
There are one or two other watchmakers who have made watches with sapphire cases,
either in one piece like this, or made up of several elements. But Chanel fake is the first to combine a sapphire case with a bracelet also made entirely of sapphire.
Composed of a total of 12 sapphire links, each consisting of three elements, individually polished and held in place by white gold pins, this beautifully supple bracelet features a deployant clasp set with 34 baguette-cut diamonds (1.96 ct).
Light, comfortable and robust
The transparent bracelet, which is light, flexible and comfortable, as well as being very robust,
as only a diamond can scratch it, is a perfect match for its transparent case.
In a perfectly executed display of harmony: brilliant-cut diamond crown,
suspended baguette-cut diamond markers, minute track: everything converges towards the center of the watch and its heart, which beats discreetly at 6 o’clock.
The term “icon”
The term “icon” is overused in the watch industry, it’s true. But as far as the J12 is concerned, there is no argument against it. The X-Ray version, completely different and yet completely faithful to the original, is the latest incarnation.
Once again, we can only applaud the genius of Jacques Helleu’s original design for the J12, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Since its introduction, this watch has earned the right to be called an icon. The J12 has the ability to completely morph (solidifying its Haute Horlogerie credentials in the process), while remaining the same. Even when you can see through it.
