When the Boy-Friend Meets Tweed : Technical Prowess by Chanel

The look crafted by Gabrielle Chanel was well ahead of its time – today, the gender issue seems more dominant than ever. While the fashion planet is aflame with enthusiasm for androgynous silhouettes, it’s been over a century since Chanel first released the garçonne look. Today, this timepiece is paying homage to Coco’s one true love Boy Capel by taking on the Mademoiselle’s favorite material to better anchor itself in the present day.

The Boy:Friend, a watch first released in 2015 as a couture nod to a number of previous successes – with lines inspired by the Première from 1997 and an octagonal shape tracing the lines of the N°5 flask’s stopper, itself modeled after the shape of the Place Vendôme – is today being released in a tweed version that uses another of the label’s codes as well: the color black. With a resolutely masculine character, the Boy:Friend, renowned and appreciated for the sobriety of its lines and the elegance of its wearing experience, is now fusing with tweed and black for a celebration of Coco Chanel’s very DNA. But for want of using the material themselves, Chanel’s ateliers preferred to release the iconic motif in steel.

To do this, months of preparation were necessary to match the complexity of tweed with another material while taking care not to lose any of its absolute charm; a true feat of technical prowess. Another brand new material was thus born from wrapping steel threads. “To recall the richness of the fabric, the tweed motif has to be marked by a precise and profound strike all while guaranteeing a great flexibility, and, in doing so, assuring for a comfortable wearing experience,” explains one of the artisans who developed this new breed of savoir-faire. The tweed motif thus preserves the original suppleness of the bracelet and makes the Boy:Friend even more exclusive in the meantime. Presented in three sizes – small, medium, and large – and accompanied by a bracelet that’s either black or gold-beige, the Boy:Friend’s uncommon look is awoken upon contact with a bezel that has the option of being encrusted with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds. This uncompromising style can be discovered in Chanel boutiques starting in July.