Watches

An Icon Needs Icons – Chanel J12 text Chanel  images courtesy Chanel  Some objects do not seek relevance. They become it through endurance, restraint, and purpose. The Chanel J12 has always been a part of that rare category. A statement beyond the hour, it’s a feeling, a texture, a philosophy worn on the wrist. Unisex by design, it transcends conventional boundaries, meant for anyone who understands the subtle power of presence. With its new campaign, Chanel once again reminds us that true strength does not need to announce itself. It reveals itself over time, appearing wherever confidence meets enduring presence. But how do you bring an icon to commercial life again? How do you make it feel relevant today and resonate as it once did? You simply need icons! I couldn’t think of a better fit than Gisele Bündchen starring in this campaign. Her connection to the house goes back to the 1990s, during Karl Lagerfeld’s era, a time when femininity was being reimagined as powerful, assured, and instinctive. She has always embodied that balance: commanding presence without force, authority without hardness. She does not perform strength; she simply lives it. It is no surprise, then, that she is at the heart of this campaign alongside Clément Chabernaud. His steady presence anchors the story in a modern take on masculinity, and this campaign speaks softly but resonates deeply. It invites reflection—on material, on movement, on the kind of strength that does not need armor. I keep coming back to the J12 because it moves through time with a kind of effortless presence. Softness can be radical. Elegance can be resilient. Icons endure, not by trying to follow the moment, but by staying true to themselves. Watching Gisele and Clément together, it feels as if they are in a deep sea conversation where time has paused. Not contrasts, but parallels. That is what makes it resonate. It is not about gender or spectacle, but about shared values and a sense of inner calm. The new J12 signature, In the Greatest Strength Lies Softness, feels deeply aligned with the object itself. Ceramic that is smoother than silk yet stronger than steel—resistant to time, wear, and expectation. There’s a certain poetry in how the watch reconnects with its original element: water. Calm on the surface, immense beneath. It mirrors the people chosen to wear it. More than twenty-five years on, it still feels contemporary, not because it chases the moment, but because it was created to endure. Perhaps that is its true appeal: it asks nothing of us but to notice, to feel, and to consider what lasting presence really means.