Introducing Dior reintroduces its iconic Chiffre Rouge collection

Since its inception in 1946 by the visionary couturier Christian Dior, the house of Dior has epitomized elegance and luxury at its finest. With its rich heritage and innovative designs, Dior remains an influential force in the world of fashion, captivating generations of style enthusiasts worldwide. Nevertheless, Dior isn't typically synonymous with watchmaking, but that narrative may soon shift. The renowned French fashion house recently unveiled plans to revive its Chiffre Rouge watch collection, two decades after its inaugural launch.

Since 1975, the brand has been producing watches and operates its own development and manufacturing center in La Chaux-de-Fonds, named Les Ateliers Horlogers Dior SA. While the brand takes watchmaking seriously, its collection primarily caters to feminine tastes.

The first Chiffre Rouge timepiece was created by “Hedi Slimane” the creative director of Dior's menswear in 2004. It marked the brand's inaugural venture into automatic watches. Initially targeting men rather than women, later on the collection eventually faded from the brand's catalog. However, the last new Chiffre Rouge model was launched in 2015, only to resurface in 2024, captivating watch enthusiasts once again. This release comprises eight models, five of which will be mentioned in this article, while one will be launched this summer and two later this year.

The 38mm time-only and 41mm chronograph Chiffre Rouge watches will form the foundation of the collection, both feature a black PVD-coated stainless steel case, 100m water resistance, red accents throughout the timepiece, an oversized crown positioned at 4 o’clock, and notches on its bezel between 9 and 12 o’clock. Another unique feature of this collection is the bumper, affixed to the side of the case, accentuating its delicate asymmetry. Available in various coatings, including stainless steel with black DLC coating or pink DLC coating for the limited edition of 300 pieces, the Dior Chiffre Rouge which boasts an elegant bezel adorned with 60 black diamonds. And two more beautiful tourbillon models that are both 20-piece limited editions, one of them is adorned with a rose gold bezel set with a rainbow of sapphires. These defining features instantly characterize the collection's silhouette and character, yet upon closer examination, further intricate details await appreciation.

The black dials showcase the iconic Cannage pattern found in Dior bags. In the collection's cornerstone models, the time-only and chronograph versions, a date window with a red frame is positioned at 4 o’clock. Notably, the number eight on the date wheel is highlighted in red, said to be Mr. Dior's favored numeral. The chronograph variant includes a standard 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o'clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock, and a small seconds sub-dial at 9 o'clock, and both variants have no numerals on their indices.

The time-only Chiffre Rouge watches are driven by a Sellita SW300 base automatic movement, which has been adapted and rebranded as the Dior CD.002. Meanwhile, the chronograph and tourbillon models utilizes the renowned El Primero 400 movement from Zenith. This modern rendition of one of the earliest automatic chronographs operates at a high frequency of 5Hz, offering 50 hours of power reserve, and has been modified to create the Dior CD.001. The rubber strap varies in design based on the chosen variant,  a “macrocannage” pattern for the 38mm and a “microcannage” pattern for the 41mm. The clasp on the buckle bears the 'Dior' signature in the upper corner.

For more information please visit Dior’s official website.