FLORAL FABLES

Laying of the gold leaf on the dial

The new timepiece collection from Dior is inspired by lush gardens

Dior’s jewellery and timepieces are treasures to behold. The shiny, colourful pieces – many of which are now collectors’ items – somehow always manage to exude a playful vibe, capturing the happy side of the House of Dior.

Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2017 @Morgan O Donovan
Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2017 @Morgan O Donovan

This season, Dior is taking its playful side even further, with a precious timepiece collection – Cherished Blossoms – that marks a sort of blending of the house’s jewellery and watches collections. With this new range, Dior is offering watches that are actually jewellery pieces, made of gold, diamonds and other precious stones.

Assembly of the oscillating weight
Assembly of the oscillating weight

The Cherished Blossoms collection was inspired by Christian Dior’s passion for flowers, a passion he inherited from his mother and that stretched all the way back to his childhood and the magnificent Dior family manor’s lush garden in Granville. When guests visited the Dior manor, Villa les Rhumbs, they often complimented Madame Dior on the beauty of her garden, to which she would reply: “My gardener is my son Christian.”

Dior Bal JAnuary 2017 @Adrien Dirand
Dior Bal JAnuary 2017 @Adrien Dirand

This love of nature and flowers served as inspiration for Dior throughout his life. In addition to Villa les Rhumbs, he identified the region of Caillan in Provence and the surroundings of his later home La Colle Noir, a château set between Grasse and Draguignan in Southern France, as having had immense influence on his work.

aesthetic check
aesthetic check

For the Cherished Blossoms collection, the House of Dior explored the legendary couturier’s passion for gardens to launch a limited edition collection of spectacular timepieces. The collection includes five models – Grand Bal Fête du Printemps, Grand Bal Jardins Imaginaires, Grand Bal Miss Dior, Grand Soir Botanic and Grand Soir Red Botanic – linked by their natural inclinations but still blissfully unique.

Dior Grand Bal Piece Unique Jardins Imaginaires N5, 36 mm
Dior Grand Bal Piece Unique Jardins Imaginaires N5, 36 mm

The Grand Bal Jardins Imaginaires range is particularly exciting, as its feature 10 stunning models adorned with gold and diamonds, with straps in such colours as yellow, orange or black. What makes this collection special is that each piece is unique. Only 10 Grand Bal Jardins Imaginaires pieces were made – each different from the next – making them true collector’s items.

Creation of the gouache
Creation of the gouache

Just as coveted are Grand Soir Botanic No. 12 and the Grand Soir Red Botanic No. 1, two brilliant gold affairs adorned with diamonds, pink sapphires and rubies. These two watches are also unique: there is only one of each available in the world.

Know How Mini Dress Miss Dior Spring Summer 1949 @Sophie Carre
Know How Mini Dress Miss Dior Spring Summer 1949 @Sophie Carre

The other two ranges – Grand Bal Fête du Printemps and Grand Bal Miss Dior – each feature 88 limited edition watches. The Grand Bal Fête du Printemps range celebrates the 2018 Chinese New Year, while the Grand Bal Miss Dior line is a tribute to Christian Dior’s love of flowers – and a beautiful nod to one of his first haute couture creations, the iconic Miss Dior dress.


A VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN PRINT IN SELECTIONS #47

Marwan Naaman

Over the course of a 20-year career, Marwan Naaman has written for the likes of Fodor’s, Modern Magazine, Monocle, Harvey Nichols and eHealth Insurance, in a variety of fields that range from travel, design and art to finance and medicine. He was editor-in-chief of A Magazine (formerly Aïshti Magazine) from 2002 until its closing in 2019. He’s currently editor of Cedar Wings, MEA’s in-flight publication.

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