New Chanel Watch Has An Embroidery Surprise

There's been so much talk about how the Apple Watch will revolutionize timepieces and the technology behind making them that it's easy to forget that the history of watchmaking involves much simpler, handmade innovations. Chanel hopes to take some of the spotlight away from Apple's latest gadget by introducing its latest collection of Mademoiselle Privé watches with hand-embroidered dials. The first of its kind from the luxury brand's Horlogerie, these luxurious timepieces are created with Paris's oldest embroidery studio Maison Lesage. The exquisite collection made its debut this week at Baselworld 2015 in Switzerland.

"For almost a century, the House of Lesage has been producing embroideries for all of the major names in Haute Couture and Prêt-à-Porter," Chanel's website says. "This is the first time the House’s know-how has been used in the creation of a watch dial." Using a needlepoint-painting technique, colored silk threads and miniature pearls are embroidered on a silk background, producing unique and truly artistic designs. Of course, this isn't the first time that the brand has featured extra craftsmanship in its timepieces. In the past, Chanel has introduced hand enameled dials and black lacquer screens to its luxury watch collection.

The Mademoiselle Privé watch is encased in 18 karat white gold and set with 562 brilliant cut diamonds. The strap is made of black satin and an 18 karat white gold folding buckle set with 80 diamonds. These limited edition timepieces — which can cost upwards of $59,000 — are available at Chanel.com.

See how Chanel creates the Mademoiselle Privé watch in the video below:

Image: Chanel