You might wonder what makes ChanelвЂ™s latest J12 timepieces so different from the rest of its coveted brethren at first glance. All clothes are from ChanelвЂ™s fall/winter 2021 collection.

All watches and jewellery worn throughout the shoot are by Chanel. AВ 1971 Heuer Monaco 1133B worn by Steve McQueen, that sold at auction in 2012 for $799,500 USD.(On him) Steel and ceramic J12 watch white gold Coco Crush ring (on her) steel, ceramic and diamond J12 Calibre 12.2 Edition 1 watch Coco Crush earrings in gold white gold with diamonds rings in white gold with diamonds Beige Gold Beige Gold, white gold and diamond Toi et Moi ring. The original 1969 Monaco was also released in a grey-dialled version, the 1133G. But itвЂ™s in fact modelled on the вЂњMcQueenвЂќ version, which hadВ a subtly different dial, from a couple of years later. The Calibre 11 looks to be a carbon copy of the very first Monaco, the 1133B, pictured, from 1969. Not for the faint-hearted, but for those at the crossroads this video should help. But the Calibre 11 is pretty much a dead ringer for the 1971 McQueenвЂ¦ decisions, decisions, decisions! I used the backdrop of the city of Monaco вЂ“ thanks to TAG Heuer, who hosted us there for the 2017 Monaco Formula One Grand Prix вЂ“ to dive deep on this one. So youвЂ™re getting a Monaco вЂ“ great! But are you sure youвЂ™re making the right choice about which one вЂ“ the Calibre 11 (left) or the Calibre 12 (right)?Д«oth have their merits, and both have a surprisingly legitimate connection to the original model, so which one would it be? The Calibre 12вЂ™s metallic starburst dial is more faithful to the very first blue-and-grey metallic dialled models in 1969. The only problem was, when I went to pull the trigger, there was an unexpected dilemma, a crossroads with two signposts вЂ“ one pointing to a version powered by the Calibre 11 (reference CAW211P) and the other running off the Calibre 12 (reference CAW2111). HowвЂ™s that working out for me? Hmmm, there have been occasional slip-ups, and some redefinitions of what is вЂњiconicвЂќ (Nomos makes modern classics, right?) but acquiring a TAG Heuer Monaco was to be a satisfying tick of the square-watch box. Watches whose aesthetic, technological and for-the-good-of-humankind breakthroughs still resonate today.

The unquestioned cornerstones of modern watchmaking. At some point on my watch journey, I made a resolution to resist all the shiny new things that get paraded in front of us daily and just start collecting the icons.