Point of View: Are the New Dior Chiffre Rouge Models Any Good, or Just Another Set of Overpriced Fashion Watches?

For quite some time, Dior watches have predominantly been considered ‘fashion watches’ by the majority of the watch community. Recently however, the brand launched five new watches to add to its Chiffre Rouge range, a line-up which was first unveiled back in 2004 under heavy influence from Hedi Slimane, the then designer for Dior Homme. Introduced in the early noughties, the initial Chiffre Rouge models were chronographs using a movement from LVMH owned Zenith’s El Primero, which also formed the base for other chronograph wristwatches such as the legendary Rolex Daytona.

Since then, additions to Dior’s Chiffre Rouge collection include models such as the limited gold and diamond 103 and the rather interesting M01, which showcases the oscillating weight on the dial rather than the caseback. But the Chiffre Rouge has also disappeared completely from the scene time and again.

In this article, we are going to run through the new additions to the Chiffre Rouge collection – and decide whether Dior is on track to headline LVMH watches any time soon.

Blacked Out

The first two additions to the collection are the Black Ultramatte and Black Ultramatte Diamonds time and date variants. Rather refreshingly, both models have 38 mm cases, which I have to say is a rare feat for a new sports model these days, and something I very much enjoy seeing. The cases are constructed from stainless steel coated in black DLC, albeit with minimal evidence of high-end finishing techniques. The Black Ultramatte version has a matching DLC-coated notched bezel and ‘bumper’, as Dior describes it. It surrounds the red screw-down crown located at 4 o-clock in the traditional Chiffre Rouge location. 

Meanwhile, the diamond-set version takes things a step further, combining the sultry darkness of the case with the setting of 60 black diamonds all around the bezel, totalling 1.2 carats. Rather interestingly, the ‘bumper’ on this model is rose gold, which I have to say seems a rather random, uncorrelated choice when considering the black and red colour scheme already present.

The dials are made from black brass with a stamped cannage grid-like pattern for depth and perspective. To match the red screw-down crown, Dior’s designers added a red central second hand and a red border to the date window. As well as this, a particularly nice touch is the red printed ‘8’ on the date wheel, representing Christian Dior’s lucky number. The hands and indexes are all finished in a black gold colour to continue the theme.

Both the Black Ultramatte and the Black Ultramatte Diamonds versions use a Sellita SW300-1 movement which Dior refers to as the calibre CD.002; an automatic winding movement displaying the hours, minutes, central seconds, and date. The movement runs at a frequency of 4 Hz, with 50 hours of power reserve, and the watch also has a neat 100 metres of water resistance.

Dior also brought out another blacked-out watch for its Chiffre Rouge collection: the Ultramatte Chronograph, this time powered by the CD.001 chronograph movement based on the El Primero 3600, just like the good old days. The CD.001-powered chrono remains consistent with the aforementioned CD.002 watch’s 100 metres of water resistance but outperforms it with its calibre’s 5 Hz frequency, something undeniably rare and impressive.

The Chronograph case follows in pursuit of the regular Ultramatte style, but offers a larger 41 mm size with chronograph pushers at both 2 and 4 o-clock positions, alongside a relocated crown at the classic 3 o-clock position. Naturally, it has three chronograph sub-registers on the dial, two of which have matching red hands.

Affordability

The Black Ultramatte and its diamond-set edition retail for 7,900 euros and 16,000 euros respectively, which isn’t exactly cheap considering the pretty inexpensive movement they house. As you would expect, the Ultramatte Chronograph is naturally relatively more high-priced due to its El Primero movement with a price tag of 13,500 euros. That being said, it is also higher-priced than the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster itself, which not only do I find peculiar and unreasonable, but also highlights the confusion between the different offerings amongst the LVMH brands. We all know that when it comes to fashion, Dior is renowned for being tremendously expensive due to its position at the top of the food chain. However, the brand doesn’t exactly retain that same position in the watch world, and so it may find this technique ineffective.

Flying Tourbillons

The flagship of the Chiffre Rouge additions are of course the two new flying tourbillon wristwatches: the Tourbillon Black and Rose Gold and the Tourbillon Rainbow-set. 

Both these models feature a 41 mm case made once again from DLC-coated stainless steel, which in my opinion is not the ideal choice of materials for a watch as prestigious as a flying tourbillon, especially with a rainbow-set bezel. On the plus side, both these models do feature the rose gold bumper which this time is matched to the hands and indexes for what is a more consistent and appropriate look in my eyes. 

Whilst the black and rose-gold model features a matching DLC-coated steel bezel, the rainbow edition unsurprisingly features a bezel set with a rainbow spectrum of gem-stones. Dior has tried to separate themselves from the pack by using a range of different stones in the spectrum as opposed to simply a range of different coloured sapphires. All 60 stones consisting of sapphires, amethysts, rubies and tourmalines total 2.87 carats. Despite this impressive work, I do find rainbow bezels extremely overdone and a fairly easy decision for manufacturers these days as there is little risk involved and the outcome is almost guaranteed relative popularity. For me this takes away the true meaning of the rainbow as it is no longer unashamedly audacious and risky as it were when Rolex introduced it on the Daytona back in 2012. It would have been nice to see a different choice of colours for this baguette-set bezel to bring Dior away from the crowd.

In the spotlight is the CD.003 automatic movement from La Fabrique du Temps, featuring a rose gold micro-rotor at the 12 o-clock position and a single speed (one minute) tourbillon at the 6 o-clock position. The tourbillon cage is structured in the same cannage style as the dial and designed to line up with it at periodic intervals throughout its rotation. The tourbillon bridge is neatly hidden from view in order to create a floating appearance, bestowing upon it the ‘flying tourbillon’ name.

The movement runs at a 4 Hz frequency. Despite being higher than other flying tourbillon time-only wristwatches, such as the Audemars Piguet Ref. 26730, it does come at the expense of the power reserve which is a somewhat low 40 hours. The success of this particular trade-off is perhaps more subjective and individual to the prospective wearer. This new movement makes Dior only the second fashion maison under the LVMH umbrella to have movements created in La Fabrique du Temps. Importantly, this indicates that the brand is undeniably making a crucial advance to increase the quality of the movements it uses, as well as offering something more complicated and impressive to its lineup.

Both models are limited to just 20 pieces each, meaning they – and their prices – aren’t communicated on the website. All things considered, you could certainly expect to pay a very high figure for them.

What next?

These new updates from Dior in the Chiffre Rouge line-up have certainly brought about several improvements, more specifically in the movement department. Using movements made in La Fabrique du Temps with high frequencies and complications is certainly a big step in the right direction. However, the use of entry-level movements in the time and date models does bring a certain amount of inconsistency to the new line-up, even though the widely used Sellita movements also used in Dior watches are highly valued in the watch industry.

Whilst it is clear that LVMH is attempting to bring Dior watches out of the ‘fashion watch’ market through technical innovations on its higher models, there is still lots of work to do in the design and identity department. Aspects such as the design and finishing of the cases, as well as the co-ordination of colours and materials, still more closely reflect that of fashion watches rather than high-end watchmaking. A good example is the use of DLC-coated steel instead of perhaps black ceramic, especially for the flying tourbillon models.

What is Dior’s long-term plan? It seems to us that the brand still lacks a real strategy. The fashion house Louis Vuitton also entered the mechanical luxury watch business as a newcomer, but it had a strategy right from the start – and since the watch division was founded in 2002, they have not only continuously built watches, but also constantly worked on improving their quality. With CEO Jean Arnaud at the helm, there is now also a person behind the brand who has an incredible passion for watches and boundless ideas. But who is actually responsible for Dior’s watch division?

Dior entered the watch business in 2004 with El Primero movements from Zenith, withdrew from the business a few years later, came back, disappeared again, and is now celebrating a comeback with a product range that is not entirely comprehensible. Inexpensive Sellita movements for the three-hand models, iconic El Primero movements for the chronographs and tourbillon movements from the high watchmaking forge La Fabrique du Temps. But why not put the entire watchmaking expertise in the hands of master watchmakers Barbasini and Navas? After all, La Fabrique du Temps serves as a think tank, currently producing movements for Louis Vuitton, Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth. So why not for Dior too?

So, with that, how does LVMH intend to go about accelerating the evolution of its Dior wristwatches? And what is next for its staple Chiffre Rouge line-up? Whatever the answer may be, for now, they remain overpriced fashion watches in my mind.

dior.com