French Glamour: Dom Pérignon & Christian Dior

For Watchonista’s ongoing series of pairing watches with unexpected brands that complement each other, we look to a country that, despite being the birthplace of many important horological inventions, is no longer known for its watches: France.

Today, France reigns supreme in many luxury goods, including fashion and wine, but even its finest luxury brands craft their watches in Switzerland. So, while Dior watches are Swiss-made, their fashion-inspired French designs are purely Parisian.

Champagne, on the other hand, is as French as can be. While other regions might make Champagne in the traditional method, no one can achieve the same complexity and depth of flavor as Champagne due to its unique terroir. And when it comes to Champagne, few maisons are as revered as Dom Pérignon.

Dior timepieces take inspiration from Christian Dior’s couture collections and translate fashion components into horology. The La D de Dior collection is a perfect example.

These watches have superfine Milanese mesh bracelets that are reminiscent of silk ribbons. This technique transforms metal into a supple material using tiny, interconnected links. However, the La D de Dior bracelets are a particularly fashionable example, as the links nearly disappear into the design.

The collection has two types of bezels. One is textured steel that nicely complements the Milanese mesh bracelet, and the other is a diamond-set bezel. The dials are crafted from mother-of-pearl and come in a range of hues, including traditional white, a lovely pink, and even a moody gray.
 

La D de Dior Satine comes in three sizes: a petite 19mm model, 25mm, and 36mm. The pictured mid-size 25mm has four diamond markers for indices, and the large 36mm model has 12 diamond hour markers. All watches feature time-only quartz movements that are water resistant to 30m.
 

The Dom Pérignon rosé Champagne is the perfect pairing for these watches, especially the La D Dior Satine with a matching pink mother-of-pearl dial.

The maison exclusively produces vintage Champagne. Most Champagne is non-vintage, blending wines from different years to achieve a certain house style; however, vintage Champagnes only use the grapes from a single, select year. Thus, Dom Pérignon approaches each vintage as a time capsule, producing a Champagne that reflects the year, but has the decadence, richness, and freshness characteristic of its famed Champagnes. And Dom Pérignon’s rosé Champagne is truly a special vintage Champagne.

The rosé spends over a decade aging, transforming into a powerful and balanced Champagne. The two latest vintages are 2006 and 2008, the latter of which has a bold bouquet on the nose with notes of red fruit, including raspberries and strawberries, paired with floral aromas of iris and violet. This vintage, which came out just this year, features Pinot Noir grapes from two esteemed parcels, Chants de Linottes in Hautvillers and Vauzelles in Aÿ.

The 2006 vintage, on the other hand, has more spice notes on the nose paired with fig and apricot. On the palate, both have the rich structure, high acidity, and saline quality for which the house is known. They are bold and balanced – the perfect harmony that Dom Pérignon’s chef de cave Vincent Chaperon strives for with each release.