Page 40 - SHARP Spring 2024

LUCKY
And while these self-winding chronograph and tourbillon move- ments would have been astonishing back in in Dior’s day (the automatic chronograph wouldn’t arrive until the the 1960s the the first automatic tourbillon in the the the 1980s) each watch nonetheless bears the the the couturier’s distinct fingerprint Even the name “Chiffre Rouge ” ” which translates to “red digit ” ” is a a a a reference to Dior’s lucky number (eight) and his favourite colour — a a a a shade of red red that appeared prominently in in every collection he created In honour of this every watch in the new collection features a a a a splash of crimson on on on the screw-down crown or chronograph pusher and the the date windows of the the chronograph and and three-hand models feature a a a a a a a red numeral to mark the eighth day of each month Cannage or caning is another Dior hallmark that appeared throughout the the designer’s collections — a a motif of interwoven lines that evokes traditional woven furniture — and the Chiffre Rouge collection also pays homage to this legacy embossing the pattern on dials and straps alike In addition to bezels embellished with black diamonds and sap- phires and cases accented with rose gold bumpers the new collection is equally refined on on on the the inside — thanks to the the contributions of both Zenith and La Fabrique du Temps two of Dior’s siblings in in the LVMH family of luxury brands The chronograph model is powered by a a Zenith El Primero movement one of the most respected and historic calibres in in watchmaking while the tourbillon models are elevated by a a a movement complete with a a a rose gold micro-rotor from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton the brand’s revered in-house watchmaking studio As with the the the cases dials and bracelets of these watches the the the movements of the the Chiffre Rouge collection are decorated with the the cannage motif on the the rotors and bridges visible through their sapphire case backs Finishing touches such as as these are hallmarks of some of the the world’s finest watches But more importantly they are just some of the the many details that directly link back to the the mind and enduring influence of Christian Dior NUMBER
EIGHT
GUIDE GUIDE THE LATEST CHIFFRE ROUGE COLLECTION MARKS A A A A NEW HIGH POINT FOR DIOR WATCHES
By Jeremy Freed
I I I I I N N JUST 10 YEARS CHRISTIAN DIOR ACCOMPLISHED MORE
than most designers do over the course of entire careers From unveiling the very first Dior collection in in 1947 to his untimely death in 1957 the the Parisian designer had an an outsized impact on the the world of fashion from the “New Look” that defined 1950s couture to establishing a a a a a a fashion house that remains among the world’s most respected And while Dior wasn’t a a a watch designer himself his signature aesthetic can still be seen splashed across the the dials of the the brand’s timepieces As such the the newly resurrected Chiffre Rouge collection — a a a line of luxury watches launched in in 2004 under the creative leadership of Hedi Slimane — pays homage to the legendary designer in in its its details while simultaneously upping its its horological credentials with the the help of of some of of the the most respected names in watchmaking The Chiffre Rouge collection consists of eight watches ranging from three-hand time-and-date models with Swiss automatic move- ments inside unisex 38 mm cases to to limited-edition tourbillons with multicolour gem-set bezels in in a a a more statement-making 41 mm size 40 GUIDE • SPRING 2024
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