Parisian luxury meets springtime chic in two new VIII Grand Bal watches from Dior, which pay tribute to the couture house's legendary founder.
Featuring galvanised steel dials tinted with either a slash of bold pink or delicate pale blue in a pleated pattern, the Dior Plissé Soleil watch is the perfect springtime accessory.
Pink was the colour of Christian Dior's childhood home at Granville in Normandy and, according to the couturier, "the sweetest of all the colours". He also had a soft spot for blue, declaring it "one of the prettiest colours".
The watches are the latest addition to the Dior VIII Grand Bal collection, which is a nod to the lucky number of the superstitious Monsieur Dior, referencing not only the date the house was founded - 8 October, 1946 - but also its location on the 8th arrondissement of Paris and the name of Dior's first collection, 'en huit'.
Even its name - Grand Bal - consists of eight characters and the watches are available in limited editions of 188 pieces.
First launched in 2011, the Dior VIII Grand Bal collection never ceases to amaze with its intricate attention to detail. In all the Grand Bal models, the oscillating weight mirrors the 'sweep' of a classic Dior ball gown.
The latest 36mm Plisse Soleil models in stainless steel feature a diamond-set bezel decorated with a white mother-of-pearl ring. The crown is engraved with the unmistakable 'CD' branding, while the white gold oscillating weight is decorated with white mother-of-pearl marquetry, finished with yellow hems and set with diamonds
Beneath the pretty coloured dials, with their distinctive pleated pattern, lies all the technical expertise we have come to associate with a Dior VIII Grand Bal timepiece, from the 'Dior Inverse 11 ½' calibre automatic movement to the 42-hour power reserve.
