Dior's Chiffre Rouge watch has shattered conventional ideas about watches with its asymmetrical case design. The tourbillon model released in 2024 also inherits the originality that only an haute couture house can have.
Ref. CD08452X1461. The new Chiffre Rouge gold bumper model is equipped with a flying tourbillon based on La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. The back features an 18KPG micro-rotor engraved with a cannage pattern that blends seamlessly with the bridge. Automatic winding (Cal. CD.003). 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel + DLC x 18KPG case (41mm diameter). Water resistant to 100m. Recommended retail price: 19 million yen (tax included).
Text by Naoto Watanabe
Edited by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
A tourbillon model has been released for the Chiffre Rouge
One year has passed since the renewal of Dior's men's watch collection, "Chifr Rouge." The "Chifr Rouge Tourbillon," featuring the series' most complex mechanism, a flying tourbillon, has been announced. The new collection comes in two models: one with a DLC-coated stainless steel case and an 18KPG bumper, and the other with an 18KPG bezel featuring baguette-cut sapphires, amethysts, tourmalines, and rubies, creating a 60-level color gradation of seven colors.
Ref. CD08452X1462. A model with an 18KPG bezel and baguette-cut gemstones has also been released. The 18KPG bezel is set with sapphires, amethysts, tourmalines, and rubies, creating a 60-level hue change. A stunning color gradation is achieved. Automatic winding (Cal. CD.003). 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel + DLC x 18KPG case (41mm diameter). Water resistant to 100m. Recommended retail price: 27 million yen (tax included).
While tourbillons typically have a structure in which the carriage's rotation axis and the balance shaft (the central axis of the balance wheel) are coaxially positioned, this model deliberately places the balance shaft offset. Furthermore, by mounting lattice-like parts at different angles on the front and back of the carriage, the cannage pattern, Dior's signature design, is expressed. Furthermore, the cannage pattern on the dial has been changed from the traditional grooved engraving to a multi-layered, three-dimensional engraving, and the chamfering to match the carriage surface enhances consistency with flying tourbillons. When stopped, the unusual design resembles a conventional tourbillon with a bridge, but in reality, it is a conceptual design that shines with the originality unique to an haute couture house.
Unlike pocket watches, which are held in a fixed position in a pocket, wristwatches change position when worn on the wrist, so the tourbillon as a gravity compensation mechanism may have become a mere formality. However, this watch, in which the balance wheel slowly moves within the circular window frame while the carriage and dial handle mesh once every 15 seconds, is a watch that gives the tourbillon mechanism its unique value as "visual creativity."
