Watch Paparazzi

Actor Kristen Stewart spotted wearing Chanel

Cannes has become something of a second home for Kristen Stewart, and the festival's relentless Mediterranean sun provided an inadvertent wrist reveal during a photocall appearance. Raising her hand to shade her eyes, Stewart put on full display a Chanel Première Chaîne in yellow gold with a diamond-set bezel — one of the house's most architecturally distinctive timepieces.

The Chanel Première was introduced in 1987, conceived by Jacques Helleu, the artistic director who shaped Chanel's fine watchmaking identity for decades. The watch's octagonal case is deliberately shaped after the Place Vendôme as seen from above — a quietly intellectual design move that places the piece firmly in the tradition of Parisian haute horlogerie. The Chaîne configuration pairs that case with a bold interlocking yellow-gold bracelet, a direct reference to the chain strap of the 2.55 quilted bag. The example on Stewart's wrist features a black lacquer dial with gold bâton hands and a diamond-pavé bezel, consistent with reference H3253 — the large size in 18-carat yellow gold with diamond surround. Movement is a Swiss quartz calibre, appropriate for a watch that prioritises jewellery-watch aesthetics over mechanical complexity.

Among collectors, the Première Chaîne occupies a specific niche: it is unapologetically a fashion-house watch, yet the use of 18-carat gold, genuine onyx or lacquer dials, and VS-quality diamonds in the bezel gives it legitimate fine-jewellery credentials. It is the kind of piece that holds its own on the wrist of a front-row guest at a Chanel Haute Couture show — which is precisely the context it was designed for.

Stewart has served as a global ambassador for Chanel since 2013, appearing in campaigns for fragrance, beauty, and ready-to-wear. Her watch choices at public appearances consistently reflect the house's own archive, making her sightings reliable signals of which Chanel references are currently being promoted. The Première Chaîne in particular aligns with the ambassador role: highly visible, immediately identifiable as Chanel, and photogenic under any lighting condition.

Retail pricing for the H3253 sits at approximately $17,400 USD, reflecting the weight of 18-carat yellow gold and the diamond bezel. On the secondary market, pre-owned examples trade close to retail given limited grey-market supply — Chanel boutiques control distribution tightly — with lightly worn pieces typically appearing between $13,000 and $16,000 USD depending on condition and box-and-papers status.