Chanel's Boy.Friend Watch Mans Up (Even More)
Gabrielle Chanel loved Place Vendôme. For 34 years, she lived in a third-floor suite inside the swanky Ritz, which occupied a corner in the Parisian square at No 15. “The Ritz is my home”, the fashion designer told her stylish friends and guests, who hung out in her abode surrounded by a personal collection of Chinese coromandel screens, rock crystal chandeliers and Baroque-style mirrors.
Like those beautiful objects, Place Vendôme naturally influenced the stunning creations of Chanel and, even after her death, the brand’s former Artistic Director Jacques Helleu. For instance, it inspired not only the shape of the octagonal bottle stopper on the highly iconic No. 5 perfume, but also the case of the Première – the luxury house’s first timepiece for women.
That unmistakable octagon, which was derived from the aerial view of Place Vendôme, can also be found on the case and strap buckle of the Boy.Friend – the chunkier, manned-up sister of the ultra-feminine Première – which was launched two years ago to rave reviews from fashion editors, watch connoisseurs and fans of the brand.
What made the Boy.Friend so desirable was, in true Chanel style, its simplicity. “We removed all the numbers to take away any element of this watch being an instrument, which in turn softened its design,” explained the brand’s International Watch Director Nicolas Beau. “For us it was all about a balance, treading the line between the two genders.”
The Boy.Friend, which comes in white gold, beige gold (an exclusive alloy imbued with a rosy hue that sits between yellow and pink gold) and, most recently, steel, also scores points for its variety. The latest to join that range is a gorgeous model adorned with a flexible, tough girl-worthy blackened steel bracelet. There are three sizes: A smaller quartz-powered 21.5x27.9mm, a medium 26.7x34.6mm with the option of 64 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel, and a larger manual-winding 28.6x37mm.
