Victoire de Castellane has talent. And memory. It was by remembering her childhood and the days when she accompanied her mother to Dior that she forged her perfect knowledge of the codes of the famous fashion house. Thus, among the decorative elements of 30 avenue Montaigne, in Paris, the future artistic director of Dior Joaillerie had noted the installation during parades of Napoleon III golden chairs with a seat in woven straw.

From his first fashion presentation, in 1947, Christian Dior invited his guests to sit on gilded chairs in the Second Empire style, with a cane seat. © © Association Willy Maywald / ADAGP – Paris 2022. DR

It was on seats of this type that the guests, journalists and clients, sat down to attend the presentations. This was notably the case on February 12, 1947, when Christian Dior revealed his talent to the world for the first time, inventing the flower woman through his inaugural collections Corolle and En Huit. After being inspired by the cane motif of these chairs to design the My Dior jewelry line in 2012, Victoire de Castellane this time had the idea, and the desire, to integrate it on a strap and a watch dial. . Thus was born La D My Dior, resembling an ornate ribbon encircling the wrist.

La D My Dior watch. Gold case. Diameter 25 mm (available in La Mini D My Dior 19 mm version). Bezel set with 50 round-cut diamonds (0.50 ct). Gold crown with CD logo, set with 13 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.03 ct). Dauphine shaped hands. Quartz movement. Water resistance 30 m. Swiss-made. Price upon request. © DR

For Victoire de Castellane, the genesis of this new piece corresponds to the Maison’s desire to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the La D de Dior collection in style. This emblematic watch, launched in 2003 and imagined around a concept of absolute aesthetic purity, gave birth in two decades to multiple variations, often daring, always refined. Over time, gold or steel versions with a diameter between 19 mm and 38 mm appeared; surfing between quartz or mechanical movements; daring to invite ornamental stones on their dial; venturing into the world of fine jewelry. There were bracelets in leather, satin or Milanese mesh metal. And bright colors, fluorescent, or even absolute black, as with the Black Ultramatte last year.

The La D My Dior watch is distinguished by the hand-engraving of the Satine pattern and the caning lines on the strap. © DR

Christian Dior drew his inspiration from the most varied fields, often linked to his childhood memories in the family home of Granville surrounded by a vast garden filled with flowers. Superstitious, he also watched for the signs of fate and possessed his favorite numbers, colors and symbols. So many references that we have found over the past twenty years on the watches created by the Dior watchmaking department, building multiple bridges with the codes of haute couture. It is in this register that the caning motif on the seat of the Second Empire style chairs admired by Victoire de Castellane during her childhood falls. To obtain the desired effect, specialists in the art of engraving work long and meticulously the metal using a tapered point, both on the dial and on the bracelet. During two days of work, the craftsman begins by engraving the Satine pattern all along the bracelet, evoking a silky fabric. Then he draws the lines of the caning that must respect the rigor of the geometry in order to achieve a perfect result.

Watch La D My Dior Satine. Steel case. Diameter 25mm. Textured bezel. Crown with CD logo, set with 13 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.03 ct). Dauphine shaped hands. Quartz movement. Water resistance 30 m. Swiss-made. €4,200 (version with gem-set bezel: €7,200). © DR

Dior has chosen to offer this new piece in five variations, each of them having its own personality depending on the material chosen, the diameter and the presence, or not, of diamonds on the bezel. We thus find La D My Dior with a steel case 25 mm in diameter. While the crown is set with 13 brilliant-cut precious stones, the bezel offers a textured metallic surface to the eye in harmony with the decor of the dial. The piece is also produced in two steel versions, either 19 mm or 25 mm, with a bezel set with 40 or 50 diamonds respectively. Finally, using these two diameters and the principle of the gem-set bezel, the watch is fashioned in gold to crown the collection with brilliance.