Chanel’s precious archives are part of the living vocabulary of the Maison. With the confidence of those who know exactly who they are, Chanel brings signature elements from its past into the present, with the Première Galon being the latest demonstration of this fluency.
The original Première of 1987 borrowed the quilted chain from Gabrielle Chanel’s iconic bag and transformed it into a leather bracelet. The Galon raids another wardrobe staple: the braid, in the same galon trim that Mademoiselle used to structure her suits, highlight edges, define pockets and wrists. It’s the sort of detail that transforms cloth into couture.
In this case, the translation from fabric to precious metal is genuinely compelling in its restraint. The 18kt yellow gold bangle employs a twisted braid motif, but there’s nothing overwrought here. The design retains its couture DNA whilst functioning as a thoroughly modern bracelet, a rigid bangle that slips on rather than clasps, creating an entirely new way of wearing the Première. It’s a bold departure from the leather chain that has defined this collection for nearly four decades.
From the left, the riginal Chanel Première watch from 1987 with its distinctive quilted chain bracelet and the new
Chanel Première Galon in its three versions, all set on 18kt yellow gold.
The dial has been stripped of indicators entirely, presenting a black lacquered surface of remarkable purity. It’s a move that acknowledges what we all know but rarely admit: watches of this ilk aren’t really about telling time. They’re about telling stories. And the Première has always had a good one to tell, from its octagonal case echoing the stopper of the No5 perfume bottle to its deliberate rejection of masculine codes when it debuted.
Naturally, because there are as many braids as there are versions of the Chanel suit, the Galon arrives in three iterations. The first features the yellow gold case with an onyx cabochon crown and the braided bracelet in its pure form. Move up and you encounter 52 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the case bezel, with another 80 adorning the bracelet, totalling precisely 0.76 carats. At the apex sits the Galon Diamonds, a jewellery piece in earnest: 573 brilliant-cut diamonds scattered across the bracelet and clasp, 108 more blanketing the dial and one nestled in the crown. The total count reaches 682 stones and approximately 5.43 carats.
Equally covetable as a watch or as a piece of jewellery, the new Chanel Première Galon draws from the Maison’s rich, iconic codes.
All versions house high-precision quartz movements. The dimensions remain compact at 19.7 x 15.2 x 7.5mm, water-resistant to 30 metres and available in four sizes to accommodate different wrists.
The Première Galon represents Chanel’s continued willingness to reimagine its own iconography. It’s not simply a new bracelet option for an existing watch. It’s a fundamental rethinking of how the Première might be worn, transforming it from timepiece to bangle, from watch to jewel. Once more, Chanel proves it is a maison that knows its codes well enough to bend them without breaking what makes them matter.
Author: Julia Pasarón
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