Actor Kim Cattrall spotted wearing a Chanel

On the wrist of Kim Cattrall during the 2023 comedy film 'About My Father' sits one of Chanel's most enduring horological statements: the J12 in white high-tech ceramic with diamond hour markers. The sighting is brief but unmistakable — the all-white ceramic bracelet and sunray dial are signature visual codes that Chanel has carefully maintained through the model's 25-year history.

Launched in 2000 and designed by Jacques Helleu, the J12 was a genuine industry disruption. Chanel chose zirconium oxide ceramic — the same material used in aerospace and medical implants — for both case and bracelet, producing a material harder than steel that resists scratching and retains its lustre over decades. The 2019 redesign introduced an updated in-house Calibre 12.1 movement, replacing the base Eta-derived ebauche, and refined the case proportions slightly. The white 38mm version with diamond indices, reference H5702, runs on this automatic movement, offering approximately 70 hours of power reserve and displaying hours, minutes, seconds and date.

Among collectors, the white J12 occupies an interesting dual position. It is simultaneously one of the most copied watches in history — a fact that sometimes creates unfair scepticism — and a genuinely well-engineered, manufacture-backed timepiece since Chanel acquired movement maker Kenissi (shared with Tudor and Breitling). The diamond-set dial variant appeals primarily to the fashion-forward buyer rather than the tool-watch purist, but its ceramic construction commands respect across the spectrum.

Kim Cattrall, whose Samantha Jones character on 'Sex and the City' was defined in part by her unapologetic taste for luxury, brings a natural authenticity to wearing a Chanel J12 on screen. In 'About My Father,' she plays the patrician future mother-in-law, and the watch functions as deliberate costume shorthand for old-money glamour with a contemporary edge.

Retail for the H5702 sits at approximately $7,400 USD. Grey-market availability is consistent, typically trading at a modest discount to retail, reflecting strong supply and stable but unspectacular secondary market demand. It remains a cornerstone Chanel reference.