Key Highlights
- Limited to 5 pieces worldwide
- 1,096 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling approximately 10.44 carats
- 18K white gold Mademoiselle sculpture set in a diamond tweed-effect suit
- Chain of 300 diamonds, 46 onyx beads and a 0.50-carat centre diamond
- Pompon of 256 onyx beads with a 64-diamond base
- High-precision quartz movement, 10 mm dial, 30 m water resistance
- Black lacquer and white gold — the two canonical colours of the House
What Sets It Apart
Five collectors in the world will own this piece. That constraint is not a marketing posture — it is the natural consequence of what this object demands in craft and time. The Gabrielle Long Necklace belongs to CHANEL’s Haute Horlogerie line, where the boundary between jewellery and watchmaking dissolves entirely. For GCC collectors who move between high jewellery houses and horological ateliers, it occupies the rare space that Van Cleef & Arpels and a handful of others have defined — sculpture that also tells time.
The Story Behind the Silhouette
The pendant is a three-dimensional portrait of Gabrielle Chanel in her most recognised stance. Her suit, in the House’s tweed vocabulary, is rendered not in fabric but in 731 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing approximately 4.44 carats. Black lacquer marks the hat, the slingbacks and the trim — the two colours of the House stated without compromise. This is an object shaped by a very specific iconographic commitment: it does not invoke Chanel’s aesthetic broadly, it depicts her founder with precise biographical fidelity.
The Craft of Execution
The chain alone carries 300 brilliant-cut diamonds alongside 46 onyx beads and a centre diamond of approximately 0.50 carat, spanning 350 mm. Below the pendant, a pompon of 256 onyx beads terminates in a black-lacquered base set with 64 additional diamonds — a counterweight that is itself a complete jewellery object. The 10 mm case houses a high-precision quartz movement, with hours and minutes functions and 30 metres of water resistance. In the COLLECTION N5 and broader CHANEL universe, technical disciplines have long coexisted with decorative ambition; here they are inseparable.
Character on the Body
At 100 mm pendant length and 350 mm of chain, the necklace falls with considered presence. The interplay of white-gold brilliance against the matte depth of onyx is legible at distance; the sculptural figure becomes intelligible on closer examination. Pieces of this order are rarely worn daily — but they are made to be worn, not archived. The quartz movement ensures functional accuracy without requiring the space a mechanical calibre would occupy within a 10 mm dial diameter.
Its Place in the CHANEL Line
CHANEL’s Haute Horlogerie programme has consistently placed the founder’s personal iconography at its centre. The Gabrielle Long Necklace is among the most literal expressions of that commitment — a wearable monument to Mademoiselle’s physical presence rather than simply her codes. Alongside the House’s fine jewellery and beauty work, including the ROUGE ALLURE VELVET collection, this piece confirms that CHANEL treats every discipline as a vehicle for the same singular identity. The edition of five ensures it remains precisely that: singular.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many diamonds does the CHANEL Gabrielle Long Necklace contain?
The necklace incorporates a total of 1,096 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing approximately 10.44 carats in aggregate, distributed across the pendant sculpture, the chain, and the pompon.
How many pieces of the Gabrielle Long Necklace are available?
The Gabrielle Long Necklace is strictly limited to 5 pieces worldwide, placing it among the most exclusive creations in CHANEL's Haute Horlogerie universe.
Does the CHANEL Gabrielle Long Necklace contain a timepiece?
It does. A high-precision quartz movement with hours and minutes functions is housed within the black-lacquered 18K white gold case, with a dial diameter of 10 mm and 30 metres of water resistance.
What materials are used in the Gabrielle Long Necklace?
The piece is crafted in 18K white gold throughout, with black lacquer on the case, bezel, dial, hat, and slingbacks. The chain integrates 300 brilliant-cut diamonds, 46 onyx beads, and a centre diamond of approximately 0.50 carat, while the pompon is composed of 256 onyx beads finished with a diamond-set base.
What is the significance of the Gabrielle silhouette on this necklace?
The pendant reproduces Gabrielle Chanel in her iconic pose, the silhouette rendered in 18K white gold and dressed in a diamond-set tweed suit — a sculptural homage to the founder's personal style executed by the House's artisans in its signature two colours of black and white.
