Dior is getting serious about watches. Gone are the seasonally changing straps in tune with catwalk collections that were the main attraction for its fashionable quartz timekeepers. The colours of the catwalk and fun were the name of the game chez Dior. But over the past few years Dior has changed its approach to watchmaking and more than ever, this year's collection shows a more a grown up and up-market approach to the business of timekeeping. Gone are the heavily logo-ed watches with snap-on and off straps as easy to change as a pair of shoes, and its place a collection that is positioned to be on a par with Dior's haute couture that is known for creativity underpinned by technical expertise. The families are Christal with the Swarovski crystal inserts, La D de Dior, the all round retro looking ladies's model and Le Chiffre Rouge for men. Think tourbillons, mystery movements and finely worked dials, all enhanced with the frisson of the creative powerhouse of Dior. The design styles range from Art Deco, to the traditional and quietly quirky. The materials span from turquoise to jade and iolite or lacquer. The result is a slightly an eccentric but fascinating melee, as one would expect from a couture house.
