How to Wear Your Watch Like a Fashion Editor: Chanel’s Kiss Me Necklace

Chanel’s Kiss Me pendant watch swings in with new season energy, gleaming with gold, bold beryl and glossy black titanium

No matter how old I get, September will always feel like the start of a new school term. I can’t shake the sensation of stepping out in gleaming patent shoes, clutching a pristine pencil case, with freshly-sharpened pencils and entirely un-smudged rubbers awaiting their debut on my desk. These days, my new season accessories hit a little differently, but the ethos remains the same – we all wanted the Magic Steps shoes with a secret locket compartment, exotic fluff y-top pens that weren’t the ubiquitous ones from W.H. Smith, and stationery that felt ultra-special, diligently saved over the summer for that all-important first day.

The ultimate incarnation of exclusive, fresh-start style? Chanel’s limited edition Kiss Me watch pendant, of which there are just five in the world. Inspired by the iconic lipstick that Chanel first unveiled in 1954, this secret watch transforms an everyday beauty staple into an exceptionally precious, time-telling jewel. Crafted from glossy black titanium, the case echoes the silhouette of the original lipstick, which was inspired by the clean contours of the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. À l’intérieur? A black lacquered dial accompanied by seven carats of baguette-cut golden beryls.

The Kiss Me watch is one of several pendant designs that the maison unveiled at this year’s Watches & Wonders showcase, and features a chain accented with onyx, diamonds, and rhodolite beads. “Gabrielle Chanel never designed a watch, but if she had? She’d have worn it as a pendant,” said Arnaud Chastaingt, head of Chanel’s watchmaking division, when unveiling the collection in April. For some of the pendant designs, Arnaud found inspiration in the silhouette of Coco herself, or the gold buttons upon Chanel’s signature tweed ensembles, but the Kiss Me watch is the most true to life echo of a Chanel icon – it even closes with a similarly familiar, supersatisfying click.

Flaunting the same high-gloss gleam as my nostalgic Mary Janes, the Kiss Me watch will slip seamlessly into any aesthete’s wardrobe for the incoming autumn/winter season. For so many of us, cooler climes signal a return to a more sedate colour palette, and monochrome tones make for an easy transition. Turn to Gucci and Prada for smart blazers that will upgrade your workwear wardrobe, yet prove just as useful over denim at the weekend. Stack wrists high with bracelets by Alaïa and Saint Laurent – September is fashion month after all – and continue the monochrome theme with Bottega Veneta’s ultra-modern white mules. Pop a Smythson croc embossed notebook and a Montblanc pen in Khaite’s snake print shoulder bag and you will immediately feel ultra-composed walking into any Q3 conversation.

Lastly, match your lipstick to your watch and apply a swipe of Chanel’s Rouge Allure Luminous Lip Colour in Pirate Red; it suits everybody. And if you’re daunted about tackling this new chapter? Simply heed Coco’s most famous piece of advice. “If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack.”

Images Supplied

Fashion Edit by Charlotte Marsh-williams

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia September 2025 Issue.