A branding clash is quietly playing out in the watch world, as Breitling S.A. and Chanel face off over their respective Premier and Première watch lines. What is now surfacing in a series of U.S. trademark proceedings, as exclusively reported by TFL, is a reciprocal dispute over how far the luxury brands’ rights in “PREMIERE” extend and whether one can limit the other’s use of the term in connection with the marketing and sale of watches.
> The overlap between the two brands is not new: Chanel introduced its Première watch in 1987, weaving the design into its broader visual identity through references to the N°5 perfume bottle and the chain straps of its quilted handbags. Breitling, meanwhile, says its use of “Premier” on watches dates back to the 1940s.
The parties have operated alongside one another in the U.S. market for years without obvious conflicts. However, against the backdrop of Chanel’s continued activity in the watch category, the similarly named watch collections appear to have become increasingly difficult to maintain without issue. That tension is now surfacing in a series of escalating trademark proceedings between the two brands.
From Coexistence to Conflict
Breitling first signaled its intent to challenge Chanel’s “PREMIÈRE GALON” trademark application in October 2025, when it filed a 90-day extension of time to oppose the mark with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, although that extension ultimately expired without a formal opposition being filed. Chanel responded two months later by filing its own extensions of time to oppose Breitling’s pending “PREMIERE” and “BREITLING PREMIERE” applications for registration.
The dispute escalated further in March 2026, when Breitling formally opposed Chanel’s “PREMIÈRE GALON” application on the grounds that the mark encroaches on its asserted “PREMIERE” rights. Around the same time, Breitling sought additional time to challenge Chanel’s “PREMIERE CHANEL” application.
In May 2026, Chanel then went a step further when it filed an opposition to Breitling’s application to register the “PREMIERE” word mark. In that filing, Chanel argues that its own longstanding use of “PREMIERE” for watches predates any rights Breitling can claim in the mark and further asserts that Breitling “has never used and can claim no rights” in “PREMIERE” prior to its 2023 application filing date.
Chanel has also answered Breitling’s “PREMIÈRE GALON” opposition, denying that Breitling possesses trademark rights in “PREMIERE” that predate Chanel’s own use of the term. Taken together, the proceedings point to an escalating battle not simply over coexistence, but over which party can claim stronger rights in “PREMIERE” itself.
Who Controls “Premiere”?
At the center of the dispute is a fundamental disagreement over what “PREMIERE” signifies in the watch market and, more importantly, how much control either party can claim over the term. Breitling’s opposition to “PREMIÈRE GALON” reflects an expansive view of its rights, with the company arguing that “PREMIERE” is the dominant, source-identifying element within Chanel’s mark and that “GALON” does little to alter the overall commercial impression or avoid consumer confusion. Chanel’s filings, meanwhile, reject the premise that Breitling possesses superior or exclusive rights in the term, particularly given Chanel’s own decades-long use of “PREMIERE” in connection with watches.
The result is a dispute that extends beyond any one application. At stake is not only whether Chanel can register “PREMIÈRE GALON” or whether Breitling can secure registration for “PREMIERE,” but whether either party can meaningfully limit the other’s continued use of the term in connection with the marketing and sale of watches in the U.S.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Trademark oppositions are a routine feature of brand protection, but the dispute between Breitling and Chanel reflects a broader point of friction as fashion houses deepen their investments in watchmaking. As those brands move further into a category long shaped by specialist watchmakers, overlaps in product naming and branding are becoming harder to avoid – and increasingly likely to end up before trademark tribunals.
Against that backdrop, Breitling’s challenge is not simply about blocking a similar mark; it is testing whether longstanding parallel uses of “PREMIERE” can continue to coexist as fashion and watch brands increasingly converge on the same commercial territory.
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