There is a black ceramic and white ceramic version of the Chanel J12 Moonphase without precious stones, but most of the models come equipped with a girl’s favorite bling. There are six total J12 Ceramic models at launch. The pack is led by the limited edition of just five pieces in 18k white gold that is totally covered in diamonds. In fact, this is the first J12 I’ve seen that doesn’t have any ceramic in it. Chanel covers this model with 696 baguette-cut diamonds that measure up to a total of about 42.45 carats. I think most people would willingly give up the appeal of scratch-resistant ceramic for scratch-resistant diamonds.

Also limited is the only version of the bunch which has the Chromatic material, though it is mixed with a lot of 18k white gold. This J12 Moonphase also has a lot of diamonds, but not quite as much. The center link on the bracelet is in Chromatic ceramic, and the case “only” has 554 baguette-cut stones on it (about 30.19 carats). This Chromatic and 18k white gold model with diamonds is limited to 12 pieces.

The other four models are black or white ceramic J12 Moonphase models, with either no diamonds, or round-cut diamonds on the bezel, and on the dial. These versions of the J12 Moonphase with diamonds contain 54 diamonds on the bezel, and another 63 on the dial for a total of about 1.76 carats. One design touch that I quite like is on the white ceramic model with no diamonds. You’ll notice that the applied Arabic hour numerals which are typically black, are offered in a deep blue on this model to match the blue tone of the aventurine.

What is inside the watch? Chanel merely describes the movement as a Swiss Automatic. As Chanel typically uses ETA movements, my guess is that they are using a base ETA 2892 automatic movement with some type of module for the date and moonphase complications. It really won’t matter to the majority of Chanel buyers. While there will be some men wearing the black ceramic versions of the J12 Moonphase, I think it is safe to say that these are a new collection of complication-oriented J12 watches for women. I think there is a bit of a market to establish here, but this is a strong and attractive product. If it does well, it could usher in a whole new era of complication-focused beautiful luxury watches for women. Prices for the non-limited edition models are $8,900 in either black or white ceramic, and $23,450 in ceramic with diamonds on the bezel and dial. chanel.com