Today I'd like to review the Chanel J12 GMT Matte ref. H3101 men's watch from a brand that typically makes things for women. No doubt you are probably familiar with the Chanel J12 family of watches. For at least a while in mid 2000s, the J12 was perhaps the hottest luxury lady's watch around. You could travel all over the world seeing the white ceramic versions on the wrists of ladies of all ages, shapes, and backgrounds. replica chanel Mademoiselle did a lot of important things with the J12 from a fashion perspective. It made the white watch "hot" for women, and it ushered in the incredible popularity of ceramic as a material for watches.
The J12 was originally released in white or black ceramic in (I believe) a few different sizes. Over the years Chanel expanded the J12 collection with additional sizes (smaller actually) and a few more complicated models such as a chronograph and later a GMT as well as moon phase model. Yes a tourbillon was also available, as well as unique J12 model with an Audemars Piguet movement in it. That was probably enough because http://www.dmincwv.com/ was selling J12s for their good looks and prestigious name. Wearing a Chanel watch is really a no-brainer for women, but what about for men?
There are some watch guys I know who make it a point to simply abstain from even considering any timepieces with a fashion house name. That means brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Ferragamo, and replica J12 38MM are simply out of the question. That is a shame because these brands make some good watches. Let's explore the bad side of buying a "fashion brand watch" before we talk about the good. First, you are of course getting something with a known fashion name which impedes you getting any street cred as an educated watch guy - no matter how good the watch is. Next, because it is from a (mostly) European fashion label, chances are that you are paying a lot for what you are getting a lot of the time. Last, there is often a feminine slant to most of these brands which doesn't make it the most manly of choices - and I believe that it is this last reason which prevents most men from exploring these watches.
On the plus side, fashion brand watches are often very well designed and of a high-quality. The element that some people dislike about these watches having known names is a plus factor to others. Also, and while this is not a universal rule, these brands often have access to really good suppliers or materials that only the biggest brands have access to. I'd say that in the end, it really depends on the person. Some people are totally OK (or even eager) with the idea of wearing a watch from a major fashion label, and others for equally legitimate reasons simply won't go near them. For that reason luxury fashion watches are among the most controversial items in the world of watches.
So assuming you are the type of person who is excited about wearing a Chanel, or at least interested in giving it a chance, there is a lot to enjoy about the J12 mainly because of the black ceramic material and the design. Though if you want to wear a white one that is OK as well. Having said that, Chanel has never released a matte version of their white J12. The black versions have a few matte models, and this is one of them. Matte-finished ceramic is actually more simple to produce than the polished ceramic but wasn't thought to be particularly stylish compared to the polished ceramic that is highly scratch resistant and never loses its color. Matte is also very hard, but the finishing leaves it just a bit less scratch resistant than polished ceramic - though it is still very hard.
As i discussed in the video portion of this review, I believe that Chanel began to release matte versions of the J12 for two reasons. First was because they wanted to see how they could appeal more to a male demographic. Matte ceramic is certainly a bit more masculine than polished ceramic. Second, and I have no way of verifying this, I believe that the popularity of people giving their cars matte-finished paint jobs was a factor Chanel may have considered. Regardless of why Chanel began to focus on matte versus strictly polished ceramic, how does it look?
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.
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