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2027 marks the third year of The CHANEL J12 Boat Race, with the House as the first Title Sponsor and Official Timekeeping Partner of the historic Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge that takes place annually on the River Thames.  It is also a year of two milestones: the Centenary of the first Women’s Race in 1927, and the first sporting trophies ever created by CHANEL.

At the Presidents’ Challenge on September 30^th, CHANEL and The Boat Race are proud to unveil two new trophies for the victorious men’s and women’s crews in the Boat Race. They represent the shared philosophy of this long-term partnership: an uncompromising pursuit of excellence, achieved through collective effort, synchronisation and precision.

Imagined by Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the CHANEL Watch Creation Studio, the J12 Boat Race trophies are a tribute to the passion, commitment and human achievement at the heart of the event. Bringing together the House’s creative heritage and nearly two centuries of Boat Race legacy, the design balances respect for tradition with the timeless modernity, distinctive contrasts and ergonomic considerations that are signature to CHANEL creations.

Here, the familiar curves and volume of a traditional trophy are streamlined and resculpted to enhance the polished silver. It stands within a bold, contemporary rectangular frame: polished white with matte black lines for the Women’s trophy, and polished black with matte black lines for the Men’s trophy. These contrasting finishes reflect the Maison’s signature colours, while echoing the iconic black and white palette of the J12.

The frame’s edging is mirrored on the trophy’s contours, creating a visual transition between the frame and the trophy, as if joining the two in unison.  At the heart of the trophy’s silhouette is a narrative medallion — a crest-like seal crafted in gold-plated silver bordered in black – celebrating the victory and the encounter between CHANEL and The Boat Race. Equal in size, the Women’s and Men’s trophies were conceived for ease of handling, with frames crafted to enable the winners’ maximum comfort in the moment of the victory showcase.

To bring the design to life, CHANEL turned to internationally renowned British designers and makers of iconic trophies Thomas Lyte, holder of a Royal Warrant as Goldsmiths and Silversmiths to His Majesty King Charles III. Developed over almost two years and requiring more than 320 hours of workshop craftsmanship, the trophies set a new standard in design and savoir-faire. The first crews to raise these trophies will be the men’s and women’s crews at The CHANEL J12 Boat Race 2027.

For the Women’s Centenary, the order of the races will be reversed: The CHANEL J12 Men’s Boat Race will take place first on the Championship Course at 15:40, followed by The CHANEL J12 Women’s Boat Race at 16:40. The races are scheduled for 2.5 and 1.5 hours respectively before high tide.

When the first Women’s Boat Race was held in 1927, the Oxford and Cambridge crews were not permitted to compete directly against each other, hence each rowed separate races and were assessed on both style and speed. It would be another 50 years before women’s rowing would enter the Olympic Games, so the students who took to the water in 1927 were trailblazers. The 2027 Centenary celebrates their legacy and the generations of women who followed. The CHANEL J12 Women’s Boat Race 2026 was the fifth most-watched women’s sports production of the year, including coverage of the Paris Olympic Games.

Siobhan Cassidy, Chair of The Boat Race Company Limited:

“The Boat Race only takes place after the Presidents’ Challenge, a tradition dating back more than 200 years, where the Presidents of the previous year’s losing crews formally challenge their victorious opponents to defend their titles. It is this tradition that we are glad to uphold as we look forward to the next 100 years of the Women’s Boat Race. The Centenary is the perfect time to deepen our longstanding partnership with CHANEL, with the unveiling of the J12 Boat Race trophies. Our three organisations commit to precision and an unwavering standard of form and function that we are immensely proud to carry into the next 100 years.”

Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the CHANEL Watch Creation Studio:

“I was humbled and honoured to lead the creation of trophies for the winners of this momentous race. The ambition was to preserve the trophy’s symbolism as a beacon of victory, while reinterpreting and refining it for today. My guiding principle was to illustrate the relationship between CHANEL and The Boat Race through its design, to have CHANEL’s presence felt without overshadowing the significance of either the trophy or the race.”

Frédéric Grangié, President of CHANEL Watches and Fine Jewellery:

“Our ambition is to support and safeguard what makes this historic event so exceptional: its traditions, uncompromising standards and the remarkable collective endeavour it celebrates. The creation of these trophies embodies that commitment. Conceived with humility and respect for the heritage of The CHANEL J12 Boat Race, they unite CHANEL’s creative vision in tribute to the athletes whose precision, discipline and teamwork define every edition. We hope they will become enduring symbols of achievement for the crews who raise them, today and for generations to come.”

Read more about the partnership on The CHANEL J12 Boat Race page