Kevin O’Leary, a renown Canadian investor and businessman and Shark Tank star, was the winning bidder for a piece unique Chanel BOY.FRIEND watch at Phillips New York Watch Auction: XI, held during 7 – 8th December 2024.
The auction estimate for this watch was $70,000 – $140,000. After an “intense bidding war,” Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” emerged the victorious. Bidding via the phone, he acquired the watch for $222,250. The proceeds, including the buyer’s premium, will go to TimeForArt, “a philanthropic initiative that supports contemporary artists.”
“Here it is—the Chanel Boy.Friend, a watch so rare it brought grown collectors to tears,” O’Leary quipped on Instagram. “The competition was fierce, but no one messes with Mr. Wonderful.”
Key Features
Functions and Operation
Central hours and minutes.
Crown at 3 o’clock for manual winding and time setting.
Dial
18K white gold dial in Grand Feu enamel and decal in shades of pink, violet, and blue.
Black hour and minute hands.
“Make-up was an essential of feminine allure for Gabrielle Chanel. This unique wristwatch features a representation of Mademoiselle Chanel with the iconic accessories that she loved to wear: pearl earrings, long necklaces in accumulation, and cuffs in duo.”
“The CHANEL Watch Creation Studio was inspired by the bright colours and portrait style of the Pop Art artistic movement to design the dial of this piece. The dial, in shades of pink, violet, and blue is realised thanks to the traditional “Grand Feu” enamel technique, produced at Cadraniers de Genève, property of F.P. Journe. This technique consists of dropping liquid enamel on the 18 karat white gold dial, then baking the dial at 800-degrees Celsius. This delicate operation is repeated several times, requiring extreme precision and expertise to obtain the expected colour and finish. The motif of the dial is revealed by 12 clichés manually pad-printed on the dial. Each cliché has been designed by the CHANEL Watch Creation Studio and corresponds to a specific motif and colour: the black outline of Gabrielle, beige skin, blue hair, red nails, touches of white, etc. Some clichés are pad-printed using ink, while others are in “Grand Feu” enamel.”
(Catalogue Essay from the Phillips New York Watch Auction: XI catalogue.)
Case and Strap
Case is made from stainless steel and features black coating.
Bezel features 38 baguette-cut diamonds (approximately 1.58 carats).
Diameter: 37 mm.
Solid caseback screwed to the main case. “IT’S CHANEL TIME FOR ART !” and “PIECE UNIQUE” are engraved, along with other typical watch text.
Water resistant up to 30 metres.
Watch comes with a leather strap fitted to a Chanel deployant clasp made from stainless steel.
Movement
Powered by calibre 3, a mechanical manual winding movement that drives the hours and minutes.
Our Thoughts
Chanel was founded in 1910 by Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, better known as “Coco” Chanel. She is among the most influential personalities of our times, and her namesake brand among its most iconic.
Though Chanel is renown for its fashion (haute couture, ready to wear, handbags, leather goods, accessories, etc.), jewellery, fragrance (especially Chanel N°5), makeup, and skincare, they have made impressive strides in watchmaking, a division they established in 1987. Their watch collections include J12, Première, BOY.FRIEND, Code Coco, Monsieur De Chanel and fine watchmaking. In addition, they own stakes in Bell & Ross, F.P. Journe, MB&F, Romain Gauthier, and others in the horological ecosystem, such as G&F Châtelain (cases and buckles).
The dial of the piece unique BOY.FRIEND watch depicting Coco Chanel is a beautiful work of art. It is a superb initiative by Phillips to donate the proceeds to TimeForArt. I am sure this rare watch will be a phenomenal addition to Kevin O’Leary’s world class watch collection.
Additional Details
Name: Chanel BOY.FRIEND
Reference: H10908
Case Number: MZB 36095
Case, dial, movement, and buckle are signed.
Watch comes with a presentation box featuring outer packaging, and a Chanel warranty card.
Sold for $222,250 at the Phillips New York Watch Auction: XI, held during 7 – 8th December 2024. All proceeds, including buyer’s premium, donated to TimeforArt.
Please visit the Phillips website for information on this watch.
Please visit the Chanel website and Instagram page for information on their watch collections.
