A watch like a ball gown: Dior marks 15 years of the Grand Bal with new versions
Since 2011, the rotor of Dior's Grand Bal has spun on the dial side. For the anniversary come lily of the valley, hardstone marquetry and embroidery – plus a new making-of video.
Photo: Frédéric BISSON from Rouen, France / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Christian Dior · youtube.com
Dior introduced the Grand Bal watch line in 2011 as a tribute to the house's haute couture and to Christian Dior's love of grand balls. Its signature is the Dior Inversé calibre, developed with Les Ateliers Horlogers Dior in La Chaux-de-Fonds: the oscillating weight sits visibly on the dial side and moves like a skirt in a dance. According to The Blend Journal, gowns such as "Junon" from 1949 served as models; over 15 years the line has used gemstones, feathers, silk, gold thread and even scarab beetle wings.
For the anniversary, Dior is showing several new models. The Grand Bal Muguet in pink and grey echoes the pleats of the 1954 Muguet line – Christian Dior considered lily of the valley his lucky flower. The Muguet Fleuri, in openworked mother-of-pearl, is set with sapphires, emeralds, amethysts or tsavorite garnets. The two models are limited to 58 and 38 numbered pieces respectively, a nod to Dior's lucky number eight. They are joined by unique pieces such as the Jardin Parisien with lapis lazuli and opal marquetry and the Nuit des Indes with embroidered rotors.
On its YouTube channel, Dior shows the making of another version of the line, the Grand Bal Jardin d'Étoiles, under the title "Crafting the Dior Grand Bal Jardin d'Étoiles Watch".