A Stitch in Time: Two of Our Favorite Fashion Watches from COUTUREtime

Watchonista is at COUTURE this weekend and while the show is about jewelry and watches, we would be remiss if we didn’t discuss timepieces from two of the world’s biggest fashion houses: Dior and Gucci.

For decades, fashion watches were treated as an afterthought. Some, like Dior, had their timepieces manufactured by respected watchmakers, such as Bulova. Others merely licensed off their names and the resulting watches had very little in common with the stylistic direction of the brands.
 

But for many luxury brands, the trend over the last decade has been to bring the design of fashion and accessories together under one roof. And each house has at least one example of an amazing complication or superlative example of métiers d’art. The result? Some of the most interesting looking watches you will see at COUTURE.

When it comes to diversity, Dior has got its competition beat. The watch collection features a wide range of timepieces, all of which reference the luxury brand’s fashion heritage.

The big news from the La D de Dior collection are three Gem Dior watches designed by Victoire de Castellane. These stone-cold beauties feature a new 30mm case, in a bold, asymmetric shape that references the crystalline structures of uncut gemstones stones, as if they came straight from the mine.

The unusually shape and highly polished 18k gold bezel frames either a slice of malachite or chalcedony gemstones. Any watchmaker will tell you how difficult it is to work with these materials, making this watch a wonderful showcase for the jeweler’s skill as well as the dress and watchmaker’s art.
 

The atelier is also unveiling the Dior VIII Montaigne collection. These three, limited to 88 pieces timekeepers were inspired by Christian Dior’s fascination with the constellations. Each model represents a different phase of the moon: crescent, half and full moon.

The dial is truly a work of art. The night sky is delicately recreated with gold threads and diamonds. And the fine details don’t stop there: The hour and minute hands are facetted; the curved sapphire glass recalls the contours of the moon; and the case-back is decorated with a crescent moon pattern. The well-proportioned, 18k yellow gold 33mm case is set on a luxurious black alligator strap with a yellow gold prong buckle studded with round diamonds.

And unlike many jewelry watches, the Dior VIII Montaigne houses a nice reference CD153552A001 Automatic 
movement with a 42-hour power reserve.