Chanel Launches Boy•Friend Watch with NYC Pop-up
Pop-up boutiques are very hot these days, especially with companies that want to draw attention to a new product or line. The latest brand to use this ploy to launch its latest collection is Chanel, which opened a pop-up in the New York City Meatpacking district over the weekend to show off the Boy•Friend line of watches for ladies. The boutique was open to the public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 11 though Sunday, September 13 and gave guests a multimedia peek into the world of the Boy•Friend watch.
Following in the tradition of founder Gabrielle Chanel, who borrowed freely from masculine style to add an edge to her feminine creations, the octagonal shape of the Boy•Friend watch recalls the bottle design of Chanel’s legendary Nº5 perfume as well as the Place Vendôme which houses the Chanel jewelry boutique.
The Boy•Friend is a big, bold item that looks more like a men’s evening watch than the typical feminine timepiece. It comes in two sizes: medium and large. The medium measures 34.6mm x 26.7mm and has a quartz mechanism with date counter. The large model is a sturdy 37mm x 28.6mm with a manual-winding movement and small seconds counter. The Boy•Friend comes with a case in 18K white gold or 18K beige gold and an alligator strap in black, navy or red.
Prices for watches with no diamonds start at $12,500 for the medium model going up to $14,500 for the large size. A medium model in beige gold with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds having a total weight of 0.71 carat adorning the bezel and another 48 totaling 0.28 carat on the buckle is priced at $22,000. A large model in beige gold with 66 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.92 carat) on the bezel and 48 (0.28 carat) on the buckle is $25,000. 18K white gold models with the same diamond adornments are $24,000 for the medium version and $27,000 for the large size.
Chanel Boy•Friend watches are in stores now.
