Fellow writer James Stacey and I differ with Ariel in our preferred size of watch. In Ariel’s hands-on, his take was “I love the feel of the Chromatic on my wrist, but would love for a 43-45mm wide size.” Me? I find 38mm to be just right, but read on and see if you agree or not.
By my measurements, this is 38mm, 41 at the widest part of the bezel, and 46.6mm lug to lug. A slender 10.2mm thick at the center of the domed crystal, tapering to 9.5mm at the edge. The bracelet is 18mm tapering just slightly down to 17mm, 5mm thick with sprung deployant clasp. Crown is domed, unsigned and 6.5mm. 141 grams in weight including the bracelet, similar to steel watches of the same size. It’s also available in 41mm, and in 33mm quartz versions.
The movement is, I believe, the tracteur ETA 2892, my all-time favorite. Tough, accurate, easy to service, and thinner than the 2824 to boot. You’ll find it as the base for much more expensive watches, from all sorts of brands, as well as being used for modules from Dubois Depraz. For example, the Omega 1120 and IWC 30110 are lightly modified 2892s. There are some decent pictures of it in the RGM 151P review.
The white ceramic J12 came out over a decade ago and has had a huge impact. Every day I see people, most often women, wearing white ceramic watches and brands such as IWC have introduced ceramic models as well. The Chromatic series takes ceramics, naturally porous, and adds molten titanium, filling up the pores and infusing into the material. Sounds like Hublot’s “magic gold” process. I’m not about to destructively test a loaner watch, so we’ll assume that the material will age as promised, namely extremely strong and scratch-resistant.
Chanel does great finish work, with flawless detailing and polishing. Ceramic bezel, of course, though no lume pip. This is a dress diver, not a tool diver.
Elegance is all about restraint, and that’s the key to appreciating this watch. It’s not too large, or too shiny, or even too flashy with its shades-of-grey color palette. It’s restrained. Understated.
The dial is chock full of details to appreciate: Circular finish under the applied (polished) numerals. The vertical brushing in the center section. The unusual placement of the railroad-track. The minute markers on the rehaut. The date window. The simple branding. The center crosshair.
One thing that did disappoint me a bit is the hands. They’re rhodium-plated for finish and corrosion resistance, which I like, but are simply shaped and uniformly polished. A bit of a matte finish or anhedral shape would have made them more readable.
Darn near every dive watch uses a circular screw-down caseback; it’s simpler to make and quite robust. Chanel manages a 200m rating with a curved shape that keeps the watch slim. An impressive piece of engineering that almost no one will appreciate, and one of the reasons why you rarely see 200m ratings less than 12mm thick.
The bracelet has a unique design too, the pins are snap-fit. Perfect finish, even on the bits not normally visible.
The J12 is a pleasure to wear. That super low profile is great for long sleeves.
The finish does, as you can see, show fingerprints due to the mirror finish and complete lack of pores or roughness. The bezel is a bit slick, and I’d prefer a lume pip, but it works for cooking and parking meters, my two main uses.
The constant changes as the light plays across the varied finishes are a delight.
Legibility is very good too.
I was expecting a blingier watch, but in person it’s actually really not. Hard to explain, but the size and color palette combine for a non-attention-getting watch. The weight feels the same as steel, too.
Other than the long-discontinued Zenith Rainbow Elite, there are few dress divers like this. It’s a finely made watch, sized for classic tastes, and made from materials that can take a beating. I like it a lot.
voir plus imitation montre et Replique Rolex Sea Dweller
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