Of course it depends on the application, but the matte ceramic drastically alters the look of the J12. For sure it looks more manly, but the overall composition of the watch is changed. The details of the bracelet and case come out more, and I do think it is an interesting alternative. The downside is that once again you have a material that people could easily confuse for something cheaper, such as plastic or coated aluminum. Of course ceramic is neither of these things, nor will the color scratch off, but unlike beautifully polished metal, these don’t have the appearance of a traditional luxury watch.
Ceramic has sort of been transformed into a luxury material, but aside from being tricky to manufacture into precision-sized parts, is an inexpensive material. I’ve never worried about someone seeing my watch and thinking it is plastic, but a piece like this is the exact opposite of wearing a solid gold watch. Though whatever it lacks in bling it makes up in stealthy style. Really that is what matte black ceramic is all about, an understated sense of style that looks pretty nice when mixed with the J12 frame.
The J12 GMT differs a bit from the standard J12 in terms of the dial and bezel. Unlike the rotating diver’s style bezel you’ll find on most J12s, the GMT has a very thin fixed bezel that is actually in steel. That loss of bezel space opens up the dial quite a bit, so it looks like a large watch. The flange ring around the dial has a 24 hour scale for the GMT hand. Now the case is still just 41mm wide, but because of the thin bezel allowing the dial to be wider, this wears like a larger timepiece. The case is also water resistant to 100 meters.
It would not be a J12 without a familiar dial that includes squared hands and revolving applied Arabic numeral hour markers. While there isn’t a huge amount of lume, the applied SuperLumiNova does a good job and the dial retains a reasonable level of legibility. Of course there is the addition of the fourth hand for the GMT indication. Tipped with a red arrow, it serves its purpose well enough getting close enough to the 24 hour scale.
Inside of the J12 GMT Matte is a Swiss automatic movement and I believe it is an ETA 2836-2 with a GMT hand. Most GMT watches at this price level use the ETA 2893 GMT movement. Though this watch doesn’t contain a 2893. Why? I am not really sure. The different between the 2893 and the movement inside of the watch is how the GMT time is set. In a 2893, the GMT hand moves when you pull the crown out all the way and you set the local time. When you pull the crown out a bit, just the hour hand of the local time moves. Alternatively, in this watch when you pull the crown out a bit just the GMT hand moves (in one hour increments). It isn’t a matter of which is better or worse, but that they are each a bit different.
I’ve always really liked the bracelet on J12 watches. Simple and sporty, they are comfortable and classy along with being smooth to the touch. The bracelet uses a form of butterfly clasp where each end is closed using a spring versus locking. It makes the watch easy to take on and off, but it probably isn’t up to par with being called a sport watch. This is a sporty casual watch with a hearty helping of fashion sense. No doubt many people will be taken with the concept and Chanel already has a long list of fans. How many of them are men? That is hard to say, but with a watch like this I don’t think they will find it to hard to locate takers. Though there is certainly a premium for the piece. Retail on the Chanel J12 GMT Matte ref. H3101 is $7,150. chanel.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Chanel
>Model: J12 GMT Matte reference H3101
>Price: $7,150
>Size: 41mm
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Fashion label lover who wants a versatile men’s watch and enjoys the look of matte black ceramic.
>Best characteristic of watch: Design is now iconic and easy to live with.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Expensive and because it comes from Chanel, many men will instantly dismiss it.
