For 2023, Paris, France-based Chanel released the first tourbillon-based version of the men’s Monsieur collection watch. The limited-edition piece is known as the Chanel Monsieur Tourbillon Meteorite, and in the future, there will likely be further versions of the Monsieur Tourbillon. Let’s look at the debut version and discuss the Chanel Caliber 5.1 movement inside of it. While Chanel is mostly associated with women’s watches (and other items), the fashion house has had some notable men’s watches, the most important of which is the ceramic Chanel J12 that was originally designed as a men’s watch even though Chanel has primarily produced women’s versions of the popular J12 timepiece family. Please read my review of the Chanel J12 42mm matte black ceramic men’s watch.
In 2016, Chanel started a new, even higher-end focus on men’s watches with the Monsieur. It debuted in various 18k gold cases with a Caliber 1 movement that was developed for Chanel by the esteemed Romain Gauthier. That movement was adapted and turned into the Caliber 5 tourbillon that first appeared in a women’s J12 Diamond Tourbillon 38mm jewelry timepiece. The Caliber 5 is back in a slightly more skeletonized form and is known in this watch as the Caliber 5.1. Manually wound and operating at 3Hz with 72 hours of power reserve, the Caliber 5.1 movement features an off-centered display for the time (with minutes and hours) along with a flying tourbillon at the 6 o’clock position on the dial. While somewhat simple overall, the movement’s main attraction points are its elegant overall design (with a notable theme of repeating circles) and high-quality execution. Over the tourbillon is a cap in the shape of a three-dimensional lion. This same lion character originated in the first Monsieur watch and is an important animal for the Maison. The lion was Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s favorite animal as well as her zodiac sign (Leo).
As the name of the watch implies, most of the face is created from a cut piece of natural meteorite, a popular and beautiful organic material found in watches across the style spectrum. The dark gray meteorite matches well with the mostly matte black ceramic case. In addition to black ceramic, the 42mm wide, 30-meter water-resistant case uses elements of steel for the construction, which make for nice, polished lines around the case. This Monsieur Tourbillon Meteorite watch is the second Chanel Monsieur product to be made from ceramic, despite the material being iconic for the company. The first Chanel Monsieur in ceramic was the interesting and sporty Chanel Monsieur Superleggera Edition watch. It has a similar, albeit slightly different ceramic case.
Paired to this higher-end Monsieur Tourbillon watch is a relatively pedestrian strap produced from black nylon and black calfskin leather. With that said, the quality and comfort of the strap are very high, and you have to love the buckle shaped like the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle cap (which itself is modeled after the architectural shape of Paris’ Place Vendome). The buckle of this Monsieur watch is a testament to the larger DNA of the entire house of Chanel. Note that the strap is placed on quick-release spring bars with a small “C” for Chanel branding marks.
Rare and exclusive, tourbillon watches by Chanel are positioned as an exotic treat within the house. Mention of this watch isn’t even on the Chanel website, a somewhat common practice with their most high-end creations. It is also a fair bit of money for a relatively standard tourbillon mechanism, even if the movement is special to Chanel and has a lovely design to it. Chanel offers great brand appeal and style in exchange for the premium pricing of watches such as this. As a limited edition of 55 pieces, the Chanel Monsieur Tourbillon Meteorite watch has a retail price of 120,000 Euros. Learn more at the Chanel website.
