The Refreshed, Red-Dialed Dior Chiffre Rouge Chronograph

Warning lights go off for serious watch geeks when they get wind of a new model from a fashion or luxury brand. While Dior is best known for its haute couture, its first men’s watch, the Chiffre Rouge, cannot be dismissed as a fashion watch – far from it. Embracing an edgy, contemporary and admittedly polarising spirit, the Chiffre Rouge is a bona fide mechanical watch with refined finishes and solid horological content. Among Dior’s recent releases is this refreshed take on the Chiffre Rouge Chronograph decorated with insignia colours and patterns of the Maison and powered by sister brand Zenith’s high-frequency El Primero chronograph movement.

Although Dior has been in the watch business since 1975, it has predominantly catered to women. The brand’s mechanical watchmaking journey didn’t start until 2004 when Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane oversaw the creation of the sleek and sporty Chiffre Rouge. With its black case, unusual asymmetrical profile and a bright red pusher or crown protruding from the case at 4 o’clock, there was nothing demure about the Chiffre Rouge. Produced for about a decade, the Chiffre Rouge was revived in 2024 in three-hand, tourbillon and chronograph models.

The black ultra-matte DLC-coated steel case has a 41mm diameter and a substantial thickness of 14.3mm. It features the signature asymmetric ‘bumper’ on the right side of the case, housing the pushers and crown. Pursuing the asymmetry, the projecting cylindrical red chronograph reset pusher at 4 o’clock is countered diagonally by a notched area running between 9 and 12 o’clock on the otherwise smooth bezel. The black start/stop pusher is rectangular and positioned in the lateral flank of the upper lug, while the large, engraved screw-down crown – reminiscent of the cap on the Eau Sauvage perfume bottle – features Dior’s iconic cannage pattern and the CD monogram. Using a matte finish on the top surfaces, the ‘bumper’ is polished, creating a rather sleek liquid effect. The case is water-resistant to 100 metres.

Regarded by Christian Dior as the “colour of life”, red has always played a starring role in the Chiffre Rouge. While first presented last year in black, this new limited edition comes with a powerful red dial with a pronounced gradient effect, appearing almost black as it reaches the periphery. Embossed with Dior’s cannage pattern, this omnipresent motif used across the brand’s products is said to be inspired by the rattan weave of the chairs at Christian Dior’s first show in 1947.

The two slightly recessed counters – 30-min elapsed times at 3 and running seconds at 9 o’clock – have snailed interiors, and the 12-hour totaliser appears inside the cannage at 6 o’clock. Respecting Christian Dior’s lucky number 8, the round date aperture with a triple circular red frame reveals a red number 8. Perhaps not the easiest to spot, the central chronograph seconds hand is red too. Luminescence is subtle, with a strip of lume inside the hour and minute hands and on the peripheral indices above the applied and elongated black gold-coloured hour markers.

The black rubber strap, which is embossed with a cannage pattern and has a black DLC folding clasp with micro-adjustment, features a branded quick-release system that’s larger than most and easy to use – it’s a small thing that shows the overall attention to detail.

Benefitting from the synergies of the LVMH group, the watch is equipped with Zenith’s famous El Primero high-frequency chronograph movement capable of measuring 1/10^th of a second. With a movement of these specs, it’s a bit of a shame that the dial is not equipped with a precision seconds track. The rotor is decorated with a cannage pattern, and the movement boasts a 48-hour power reserve.

The Dior Chiffre Rouge Chronograph with this gradient red dial is a limited edition of 100 pieces and retails for EUR 15,000 or USD 17,000. More information at dior.com.