How Chanel is Pushing Boundaries of Jewelry Timepieces

Chanel has given its iconic Première watch a high-tech upgrade with the new Première Sound. Created by Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of Chanel's Watchmaking Creation Studio, the Première Sound merges jewelry design with innovative audio technology.

Debuting nearly 40 years after the original Première, the Première Sound takes the form of a long sautoir necklace nodding to Chanel's signature bag chains. It combines both a watch and wired headphones into one genre-blurring piece that stays true to the free spirit of the luxury house.

The recognizable octagonal case, reminiscent of Chanel No.5's signature stopper shape, houses a flexible bracelet-style chain. State-of-the-art sound capabilities include high-quality audio and passive noise canceling, allowing the wearer to enjoy pristine sound quality. Steeped in Chanel signatures yet pushing technological boundaries, the Première Sound reinvents the jewelry watch for today's connected women. It demonstrates Chanel's continued evolution while preserving the timeless codes of its lauded watchmaking tradition.

The Première Sound retains the iconic elements of the original Première watch, reinventing it as a high-tech necklace. Where the Première featured a flexible bracelet, the Sound transforms this into a sautoir necklace capable of connecting to a smartphone.

Equipped with headphones, the necklace includes a microphone, and remote for audio/video playback and call management. Yet it also keeps time as any Chanel watch would. If there was a time to embrace wired headphones again, Chanel makes a stylish argument with the Première Sound. Marrying jewelry design excellence with cutting-edge functionality, it allows the wearer to enjoy calls, music, and more in true high-fashion form. The piece underscores Chanel's ability to blend tradition with technology into a single sophisticated package that is perfectly suited for the modern global citizen.

Some other luxury brands that are innovating in wearable technology:

• Louis Vuitton - Developed connected watches and glasses with built-in cameras and other tech features. Their Tambour Horizon watch runs on Google's Wear OS.
   
• Gucci - Partnered with Volkswagen on the Gucci Edition Golf GTI concept car which has Gucci interior elements and connectivity features.
   
• Cartier - Known for premium watches, they've added smartwatch models like the Santos de Cartier SolarBeat that sync with smartphones.
   
• Prada - Created Linea Rossa eyewear with built-in audio and camera capabilities connected to smartphones.
   
• Burberry - Developed a smartband fitness tracker that tracks activity and biometric data.
   
• Tiffany & Co. - Created e-commerce tags attached to jewelry that can be tapped for product info when scanned by smartphones.
   
• Dolce & Gabbana - Introduced a smartwatch with Italian craftsmanship and advanced health/fitness tracking.
   
• Moncler - Partnered with MIT on concept smart jackets with sensors for health/safety monitoring.
   
• Versace - Developed touchscreen Versace Eyglo glasses with built-in cameras, navigation, and more.

In summary, many luxury brands are bringing high fashion design principles to wearables and connected products.