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Hermès H08 Monopusher Chronograph

When Hermès first released its new Hermès H08 Monopusher Chronograph collection in 2021, it was an immediate hit. Sure, it was yet another brand’s take on the whole steel sport watch thing, but it felt like a very honest and totally Hermès take on it all. The shape was different, the numerals were designed in-house, and it featured an automatic movement from Vaucher, a manufacturer in Fleurier partly owned by Hermès.

At Watches & Wonders this year, Hermès introduced its first complication to the Hermès H08 Monopusher Chronograph collection, the H08 Monopusher Chronograph. It skillfully takes the design codes established in the H08’s three-handers and integrates them into a more complicated watch. The case is made of a new composite of carbon fiber and graphene powder that gives the 41mm shape a layered texture and makes it lightweight and comfy on the wrist. The wide bezel is made of titanium that’s brushed in a sunburst pattern; there’s a slightly polished chamfer that breaks up the bezel and mid-case. With 100 meters of water resistance, it’s still a sports watch, too.
It’s always fun to see a monopusher chrono, but it works particularly well from a design-driven firm like Hermès. It leaves the basic design of the H08 mostly undisturbed, with all three functions of the chronograph – start, stop, and reset – built into the single pusher in the crown at 3 o’clock. And even the crown has well-executed details: it’s PVD coated with an orange ring that hints towards its functionality.

It takes only a slight push to activate the chronograph, but it still has a nice, tactile engagement. That’s thanks to a vertical clutch chronograph module from Dubois Dépraz that’s been placed on top of Hermès’ H1837 automatic movement (again, by Vaucher). You’ll see the bridges and rotor decorated with a repeating “H” motif through the sapphire caseback – it’s a detail I’ve always found a little corny, though I suppose it could be worse. The movement beats at 4 hertz and has 46 hours of power reserve.
Nowadays, a monopusher chronograph is an anachronism – and deliberately so – but then again, that applies to the entirety of the mechanical watch. But until 1934, when Willy Breitling invented the two-button mechanism, the monopusher was the only game in town. Nowadays, the functionality of the two-button version – which is easier to use and allows you to stop and then restart timing an event – means that this format vastly outnumbers that of the monopusher. Still, a monopusher has a sort of antiquated appeal for those of us with a tendency to view the past through rose-colored glasses. With the H08 Chronograph, the monopusher feels like a choice driven primarily by design and the desire to maintain symmetry. But it’s a nice, nostalgic touch for a watch that otherwise feels thoroughly modern.

The dial takes many of the cues from the existing Hermès H08 Monopusher Chronograph collection but adapts these for a chronograph by placing a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock. The grained finish that gives the H08 a more industrial look is still on the dial but is now reserved for just the hour track and subdials. The font is familiar, too, with the 0 and the 8 serving as inspiration for the case of the H08 itself. There’s the ever-controversial date window 4:30 – again, it uses Hermès font, and at least it blends in, with the date wheel rendered in the same matte grey as the dial. Always one to play with colors, the accents of the hands and hour markers are in Hermès’ signature orange, which matches the comfortable rubber strap. The strap also has a textured weave pattern in the middle, a wink towards Hermès’ history of craftsmanship. High-end rubber straps are a world in themselves, but I think Hermès’ H08 strap is perhaps the best execution this side of the Aquanaut’s grenade strap.
Alongside the chronograph, Hermès also released four new colors (blue, orange, green, yellow) of its three-hander H08 in a new, glass fiber composite case. Compared to the chronograph, these 39mm watches were more my style, in size, function, and wearability (the new composite material feels even lighter than the existing H08 options). For me, the shape of the H08 case works better at the 39mm size and starts to feel a bit wide with the chronograph. Further, the module build of the chronograph means this isn’t exactly a thin watch – we didn’t get that measurement from Hermès, but after wearing it a bit (and with the standard H08 measuring 10.6mm), I’d bet it’s around 13mm. But the lightweight case material and rubber strap combo make it super easy-wearing. I appreciate Hermès building out its sport watch collection, and starting with a well-executed chronograph certainly makes sense.
Unfortunately for those looking to pick up the new Hermès H08 Monopusher Chronograph, it won’t be available until sometime in 2024. It’ll have a retail price of about $15,000. It’s a punchy ask – about the same as the new Daytona, for example – but with the insides from Vaucher and the outsides distinctly Hermès, it doesn’t feel out of line with the rest of the market. And from a fashion-forward house, I wouldn’t imagine that this is necessarily being cross-shopped with what we’d think of as its traditional chronograph competition. Still, I think the original H08 collection found an audience because it represents such a value proposition compared to its sport watch competition. A touch over $5,000 (in titanium), and readily available? It’s an easy sell.

While the new H08 Chronograph might not represent quite the same value proposition, it’s a worthy addition to one of the few genuinely new sport watch collections of the past few years.

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Hermès Slim d’Hermés Cheval de Légende

In order to bring the spirit of a drawing made for a silk carré onto the face of a watch, the Parisian maison has called upon the creative know-how of the métiers d’art and thus presents a duo of limited editions.

Five years before the Hermès Slim d’Hermés Cheval de Légende was born in 2015, artist Benoît Pierre Emery imagined the Parisian maison’s emblem in “a celestial ride done in gold stippling on silk” affixed to a carré. More than a decade later, this drawing of the animal’s almost mysterious silhouette is used to decorate the dial of a watch, the Slim d’Hermès Cheval de légende, offered in two versions, each limited to 24 pieces. For this unique creation, Hermès called upon a rare expertise which, like any other art, requires meticulous skill.

Because it has a face that is wide open to the world, defined by a thin bezel here lined with 52 baguette-cut diamonds, the Hermès Slim d’Hermés Cheval de Légende lends itself magnificently to the talent of the craftsman who, on a white enameled disc, has carved tiny alveoli to nestle beads in rose gold or bluish enamel. The dial is then fired so that the high temperatures amalgamate and fix these small marbles, thus materializing the contours of the galloping horse designed by Benoît Pierre Emery. At the center of this delicate picture, two long, slender hands, typical of the collection, mark the hours and minutes. The time information is provided by the H1950 caliber, an extra-thin automatic manufacture movement with a micro-rotor winding system that guarantees a 48-hour power reserve, housed in a white gold case measuring 39.5mm in diameter. This pair of watches by Hermès is worn on a matte alligator leather strap, chantilly colored for the variant with gold beads or sapphire blue for the model with enamel beads, closed with a pin buckle.

The Hermès Slim d’Hermés Cheval de Légende was released about three years ago in late 2015, and I’ve always held it in high regard due to its original & whimsical design, quality, and price of $7,650. The Slim d’Hermes provides so much solid value in an industry and category that seldom does so. Even so, the difference between those watches that reach truly “timeless” status and, well, everyone else lies in an enduring appeal that can transcend ephemeral trends.

So, the question here is, has the French fashion house & watchmaker done this with the Slim d’Hermes? Funny enough, it’s probably too early for me to make that call. But, three years in and I am hard pressed to find a dress watch at this price point that excels in so many aspects while having a design that doesn’t rely on being derivative. Quality in finishings, perfect proportions, and a dial that perfectly utilizes the underrated art of typography come together and result in the one dress watch I’d ever need.

The purpose of this article isn’t really to serve as a typical “review” that we do, but rather as a rundown of the piece I spent several weeks with followed by an extensive survey of the “slim dress watch” landscape across similarly priced watches and those priced somewhat lower and higher than its $7,650 price tag. I think time and distance is necessary when evaluating a simple time-only piece that contends to be a “modern classic” and that is one reason I held off for so long before reviewing the Slim d’hermes three years after its initial release.

The Hermès Slim d’Hermés Cheval de Légende was a hit when it came out in 2015, but there’s been a lot of Hermes news since that’s overshadowed this humble dress watch by now. Most notably, the relationship between Apple and Hermes is stronger than ever, with the latest Apple Watch Series 4 Hermes edition retaining its status symbol reputation. Of course, it’s a deserved, if somewhat tenuous, reputation as being the smartwatch priced at around $1,500 (that’s about a $1,000 premium over the standard Apple Watch).

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Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur Only Watch

For the Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur Only Watch 2023 charity event, Hermès has created a unique piece of its ARCEAU Le temps voyageur watch.

This one-off timepiece created for the 10th edition of the prestigious charity event offers a unique reading of the world’s hours. Highlighting the bright colours of Only Watch 2023, the black dial takes inspiration from an imaginary map created by Jérôme Colliard for the Planisphere d’un monde équestre silk scarf.

Against an intense black background, continents, oceans and meridians stand out in relief and depth, adorned with subtle finishes: lacquered, transferred and powdered silver tones.

The unique version of the Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur watch houses the «travelling time» mechanism exclusively developed for Hermès. It displays 24 time zones by means of a circular disc. The mobile counter and the home time indication at 12 o’clock are driven by a module comprising 122 components and measuring just 4.4 mm thick in all, integrated with the Hermès H1837 mechanical self-winding movement powering hours, minutes and dual-time functions. For the tenth edition of Only Watch, the Arceau watch is wearing the event’s flagship colours: red, blue, green and yellow.

Combined with Hermès orange, these luminous shades adorn the cities disk in a light to dark gradient. The Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur 41 mm-diameter case, enhanced by a matt black DLC-treated titanium bezel and an orange-yellow crystal seal, highlights the blue lacquered mobile counter with luminescent hands and powdered Arabic numerals. The watch is provided with a matt Mykonos blue alligator strap with cactus green lining, crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops.

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Hermes Heure H copy watch

In 2021, French Hermes debuted a new watch collection known as the H08 (aBlogtoWatch hands-on here). The H08 was conceived by Hermes’ creative director Philippe Delhotal and featured a sporty look, an interesting cushion-style case, and a comfortable everyday wearing style. For 2023, Hermes revisits the still-fresh H08 with a series of new models that feature new materials and a tweaked look. In this article, I will focus on the Hermes Heure H copy watch “Colors,” which include four new models accented in either blue, green, orange, or yellow. The new models keep the 39mm x 39mm case size proportions but are lighter in weight and also sportier thanks to the use of a glass fiber composite case material, as well as a polished black ceramic bezel material. The composite case material was mostly chosen for its aesthetic given its interesting surface texture. Hermes explains that the glass fiber material is also coated with aluminum and slate powder. This likely enhanced the coloring of the grooves in the material, creating a more dramatic sense of color and an eye-pleasing organic texture. While composite materials are now commonly used in luxury watches, the formulation and style of these materials can vary greatly. Here, Hermes has adopted not only an attractive type of composite material but, for now, one that is also unique to its products. The watch case itself is Hermes Heure H copy watch resistant to 100 meters and has a flat AR-coated sapphire crystal over the dial. The crown is produced in matching black ceramic to complement the bezel material. Hermes maintains a playful but highly legible dial that uses the “revolving” style of hour markers similar to other Hermes models of the past. Special emphasis is placed on making the dial look instrumental, including the legible inner track for the hour markers and the idea proportions for the hands. Note how the date indicator is elegantly positioned so as not to break up the flow and symmetry of the hour markers. This is Hermes showing off that it can make not just a good-looking luxury watch, but a good-looking luxury tool watch. For me, a natural competitor would be something like the Patek Philippe Aquanaut — only the Hermes (while certainly not cheap) is worlds more affordable.

Color accents find their way on the Hermes Heure H copy watch dials, as well as for a ring around the periphery of the face. Most of the color is found on the included 21mm-wide textured rubber strap, which is very comfortable and has a titanium folding clasp. On the rear of the watch is a smoked sapphire crystal that allows for a view of the automatic movement inside the watch. The movement is Hermes’ “in-house” caliber H1837 which is produced in Switzerland by Vaucher. The movement is rather thin at 3.7mm-thick, and operates at 4Hz with about 50 hours of power reserve. As you can see, the aBlogtoWatch team enjoyed wearing these fun watches when we met with Hermes at Watches & Wonders 2023 where the new H08 watches were being debuted. Hermes produces less expensive versions of the H08, but the H08 “Colors” are the entry-level models that debuted this year. Other new H08 pieces include the H08 Chronograph, as well as a version of the H08 that matches the style of these new Colors models but with an 18k rose gold (versus glass fiber composite-cased) and a black ceramic bezel. aBlogtoWatch will cover these new pieces in separate articles. Just a few years ago, it was a challenge to get traditional watch enthusiasts excited about otherwise fantastic watches produced by luxury fashion houses such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, etc. I never felt that these timepieces deserved any less fanfare than those from “watch houses,” but there was a strange prejudice from the often conservative collector community because these “fashion maison” companies seemed to primarily market their women’s goods. I am proud to say that the perception has finally changed. Gone are the days when such statements as “That’s not a real watch brand” are common, and more often than not, watch collectors are just as enthused about these watches as they are from traditional watchmakers. That’s a good thing because companies like Hermes not only use the same manufacturing and movements as those from “traditional watchmakers” but also often boast far more beautiful and contemporary designs. The Hermes Heure H copy watch pieces aren’t for everyone, but these are excellent and comfortable watches that mix traditional utility with a beautiful design and focus on trendy materials and style.

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Hermès Heure H Watch

This skeletonized moonphase version of the Hermes Slim (Slim d’Hermès) is a particularly nice high-end timepiece that is also probably easy to miss. aBlogtoWatch has reviewed versions of the Hermès Heure H Watch in the past, and it is among our favorite contemporary dress watches out there. The Paris-based luxury house does something really nice with these watches, and the Vaucher (which Hermes owns part of) Swiss Made movements, which are contained within them. This particular Hermes Slim is noteworthy for the skeletonized dial and movement, along with the inclusion of a moonphase indicator complication. What Hermes doesn’t do a good job explaining is that, while this is said to be a titanium watch, the bezel is actually polished platinum. The 39.5mm-wide case is made from sandblasted titanium, but the polished bezel material is different and not well-described. That Hermès Heure H Watch makes the watch the scratch magnet you expect it to be but also adds to the level of luxury since a platinum bezel is certainly going to cost more than a titanium bezel. Holding the watch in your hand, you feel the interesting mixture of the very lightweight titanium mixing with the notably heavy platinum. It makes for an interesting effect. Around the periphery of the mostly skeletonized dial, you see the distinctive numeral font that the Slim collection of watches employs — designed for Hermes by designer Philippe Apeloig. The dial itself is open and mostly shades of gray to match the overall theme of this “cityscape” timepiece. The exception is the blued hands, as well as the ruby palettes in the movement. Hermes always does pretty nice hands, and, even though they are blue in color, you can see the very thin hands actually have two textures. On one half they are satin-finished, and the other side polished. In fact the hand-finishing sort of matches the case’s dual-finishing style.

Inside the watch is the Hermès Heure H Watch automatic micro-rotor movement that operates at 4Hz with about two days of power reserve. It indicates the hours and minutes (no seconds), and offers a “double” moon phase indicator window. The moon shapes are actually small applied discs of reserve-printed transparent material (perhaps sapphire crystal) that have photo-realistic images of the moon on them. The effect is handsome and complements the otherwise highly industrial look of the timepiece with something a bit more organic. Hermes opts for a simpler style of skeletonization where the bridges are given technical finishes, as opposed to loads of hand-finishing, as is the case in some other high-end skeletonized watches. That said, I think the price of this watch is on the fairer side and corresponds well to the level of finishing and detailing provided in this Hermes wristwatch product.Hermès Heure H Watch Water-resistant to 30 meters, the case has a sapphire crystal over the top and back and wears very elegantly on the wrist as an “alternative” dress watch from an otherwise very acceptable name in luxury. That means you don’t just get this watch because it says “Hermes,” but the fact that it says Hermes helps onlookers take an interesting piece of horology a bit more seriously than they otherwise might, given the name recognition.

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Hermes Heure H mini watch

For Watches & Wonders Digital 2020, Hermès launches this brand new version of the successful “Slim d’Hermès” or “Hermes Heure H mini watch” (as we call it). The modern dress watch family that comes with excellent looks now includes a new GMT system. Hermès once again worked with Geneva-based Aghenor to develop a module with a novel approach to indicating two time zones on the same dial. Not a limited edition, the Slim d’Hermès GMT debuts in 18k rose gold. While the Hermes Heure H mini watch is probably going to be marginally thicker than the time-only Slim, the GMT module apparently only adds 1.4mm of thickness to the movement. The case itself remains the 39.5mm-wide size that fans of the Slim expect in this dress watch package. We also see Hermès, like many other brands, focus on dark blue colors as their palette of choice for this year. Don’t miss the best feature of the Slim collection which are the stencil-style hour markers designed for Hermès some time ago by designer Philippe Apeloig. The Hermes Heure H mini watch system is interesting given the asymmetric dial layout, as well as the unique windows that show the AM/PM time for both the home (H) time and the local (L) time. This is represented as a light or dark color in the small windows near 2 o’clock on the dial. The face also has subdials for the date, as well as for the GMT hand. The GMT function has its own dedicated pusher to adjust one of the time zones in one-hour increments. This is just one more flavor of practical mechanical travel watch in a crowded, highly dynamic space. We must applaud Hermès for wishing to not only have a GMT watch, but also for having its own take on it. Inside the Hermès Slim GMT watch is the H1950 automatic micro-rotor-based movement that is produced for Hermès by Vaucher. On top of the slim automatic movement is the Aghenor module for the Hermes Heure H mini watch complication. The movement operates at 3Hz with 42-hours of power reserve. Attached to the watch is a blue alligator Hermes leather strap.

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Hermes Heure H Replica Watch

The end of the year is fast approaching, and brands are furiously announcing their champions for the upcoming holiday season. Stainless steel sports watches continue to feature brightly and, in this round-up, we take a look at Chopard’s new Alpine Eagle and A. Lange & Söhne’s Odysseus. Still on the subject of stainless steel sports watches, we also discuss how watch-lovers and collectors should approach the ridiculously high prices that some of these watches are commanding in the secondary market.

From around the web, we have a remarkable story of a woman discovering a $250,000 Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona buried underneath the cushions of her sofa. Next, we take a look at how marquetry dials are made. And finally, we have a close look at Akrivia’s Chronomètre Contemporain “Hermes Heure H Replica Watch” that is going to be auctioned off at the upcoming Only Watch auction.

Renowned luxury brand Hermès and watch movement specialist Jean-François Mojon of Chronode have united their powers once again to produce the latest in a series of whimsical, expensive, and rare watches donning that special “H,” called the Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur. We took a hands-on look at Watches & Wonders 2022.

Hermes Heure H Replica Watch likes to say its Arceau Le Temps Voyageur brings with it two invitations to travel — for one, here, in the real world, and for two, on an imaginary journey within Hermès’ world, specifically into an “equestrian planisphere.” First, and likely more fascinating for us watch nerds, is the way Mojon’s creation blends a GMT and a worldtimer. At the top of the dial in the flange ring is a three-wide aperture labeled “Home Time,” and on the left-hand side is a small, neatly shaped pusher linked to the subdial that displays “Local Time.”

Press on the pusher and something surprising happens: What probably appeared to have been a heavy and therefore fixed dial used to tell time suddenly makes a jump — it is extremely rare, after all, that we see a subdial move on a watch’s face, and so there is no reason to expect one to do just that. The dial moves, and along with it its small red triangle, which might require a second, closer look to spot, advances with it and points to the next city or, should we say, the next time zone named on the periphery of the dial. A new timezone must mean a new time, too, and that’s exactly what happens: As the subdial moves, its hour hand also advances by an hour.

As this happens, the “Home Time” aperture remains unchanged, of course. Just because the owner of the Hermes Heure H Replica Watch is traveling, time back at home must have remained the same. To change the home-time indication, the crown can be used, and that is when all indications — the hours and minutes on the subdial and the hours in the home time aperture — can be adjusted. This is typically the tactile and fun experience higher-end Hermès watches have been consistently delivering for years. What helps achieve this level of consistency is Hermès’ desire to allow its designers and watchmakers (internal and external to the company) to practice their creativity, as well as Hermès’ involvement with a selection of Swiss movement, dial, and case manufacturers, including those primarily owned and operated by Parmigiani Fleurier. Since 2006, these facilities have developed and harnessed their truly outstanding know-how to create movements, cases, and dials of rather more novel designs. Without this flexibility and the company’s stake in these facilities, consistently producing watches with such unique features would likely be impossible. The same goes for the case: The 41mm-wide gray version of the Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur sports a platinum and black DLC-coated titanium exterior, a combination that is exceedingly rare, if not unique. The 38mm blue variant offers an all-steel case. Likewise, in true Hermès fashion, the so-called Arceau case features a horizontally asymmetrical design in that the top lugs are of a completely different execution than the lower ones. At the top, they resemble welded wire lugs, a bit like those on a Panerai Radiomir, while on the lower side of the case they are short and stubby.

A fun aspect of the Hermes Heure H Replica Watch is to see how long it takes for one to notice that the map behind the satellite time display is an imaginary one and has nothing to do with any of our maps of Earth’s continents and oceans. Hermès added this playful detail “to make the link between one’s personal travels and the brand’s equestrian world.” Fans of Hermès will know that the company started out in 1837 as a saddle workshop in the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris, dedicated to serving European noblemen, and the world of equestrianism remains very close to all things Hermès. The imaginary world map, or “planisphère d’un monde équestre,” was created by artist Jérôme Colliard for a silk scarf of the same name, inspired by a giant globe created by the French graphic designer for the 2016 Saut Hermès showjumping competition in Paris. Hermès explains: “This map of an imaginary world, inspired by antiquity, features whimsical drawings and names evoking riders’ love for their mounts, seemingly drawn from the archives of a geographer of invisible lands.” Both dials are galvanized, laser-engraved, and lacquered for a refined and elaborate result. Certain parts, like the flange ring with the city names, are either sandblasted or satin-brushed, adding a tasteful, matt split frame to the shiny dial and sub-dial. Legibility remains excellent thanks to the high contrast between the sub-dial and its delicately shaped and in fact lumed hands, while home time is also easy to find and read where normally one would find the 12 o’clock marker. All this is powered by the Hermès H1837 caliber produced by Vaucher and fitted with a module that is coming from Chronode to operate the moving sub-dial and the world time display. Power reserve is short at just 40 hours, but at least it’s matched to a more stable 4 Hertz frequency and a full-size self-winding rotor. Water resistance is rated at 30 meters, which is virtually splashproof, at best, but then again, no true Hermès fan would take an Hermès leather strap swimming, anyway.

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Hermes Heure H diamond-set watch

In mid-April 2021, much of the luxury Hermes Heure H diamond-set watch industry participated in a novel event known as Watches & Wonders 2021 — an entirely digital trade show dedicated to brand presentations and new model debuts. A physical version of the event is due to take place later in 2021 in Shanghai, China, which, as of now, is the only planned in-person event for the Watches & Wonders show (which replaces the legacy SIHH exhibition name that much of the industry is already familiar with). Today, the aBlogtoWatch team recaps the overall themes and trends we saw from Watches & Wonders 2021, as well as the new models that we feel are the top 10 timepieces of the show.

Watches & Wonders 2021 was challenging for its exhibitors because, in addition to having to prepare new watches and news, they also had to adapt presentations for a digital format. This includes a range of Zoom-style presentations, discussions, and meetings. While such tools are effective at giving the watch industry a chance to present new watches during the pandemic when people cannot physically meet, the overwhelming sentiment from the luxury watch industry is that in-person meetings and events are crucial to the long-term success of their businesses. Why is this, exactly?
It goes to the heart of why many people wear and enjoy watches, in the first place. Wearing Hermes Heure H diamond-set watch is a social experience. We wear watches to express something about ourselves, and the ability to truly appreciate a timepiece is limited if you cannot see the physical products in person. This is doubly correct, not only in giving consumers an opportunity to evaluate new products but also in regard to why many consumers buy luxury watches: as an accessory when socializing in public. Thus, the limitations of the pandemic have illuminated some of the core elements of what allows a luxury watch industry to thrive.

That said, Hermes Heure H diamond-set watch sales to hobbyists during the pandemic have thrived. These are consumers who purchase watches, in large part, for personal pleasure and enjoyment. Most of this behavior was online already, and so the pandemic amplified the experience of being a modern watch hobbyist in that members of this larger group a) learn about new watches online; b) research potential new acquisitions online; c) actually purchase watches online; d) socialize with other timepiece enthusiasts online; e) and, in many instances, resell no-longer-wanted watches online. Watch hobbyists have been extremely active during the pandemic, especially considering the fact that mainstream luxury buyers have not been very active, for the above-mentioned reasons. How has this “new reality” manifested itself in regard to the new products and directions we saw from luxury brands at Watches & Wonders 2021, and otherwise?

Luxury watch brands today, for the most part, attempt to carefully listen to the market when it comes to deciding on watch products to release. The current mentality is that novel designs and original thinking are too risky. It takes several years of marketing effort to promote new designs and saturate the market with information and validation sufficient to allow mostly conservative buyers to feel comfortable buying and wearing something new. The desire to receive quick market results (faster sales) and to limit the production of inventory that doesn’t sell as immediately has translated itself into a strange situation in which fresh faces and new ideas are particularly hard to come by. While Watches & Wonders 2021 certainly had its share of attractive, desirable, and interesting products, almost everything released had the look and feel of a product that came before it (either recently or in the distant past). This was to be expected given current market trends, but the new releases from Watches & Wonders 2021 felt so “safe” that a large quotient of the watch hobbyist community collectively lamented what they saw as a “lack of innovation” from brands this year.

The Hermes Heure H diamond-set watch is a bit more forgiving, given that we understand much of the business context around which new watch releases are based. The vast majority of brands are nowhere near pre-pandemic sales figures and are also trying to work with substantially smaller budgets across all areas ranging from marketing to research and development. At the same time, watch brands (like movie studios) are holding back “big hits” for when they feel the public is most likely to act. If consumers are seen as still being cautious, a brand will not want to release an ambitious new product or idea to a public that simply isn’t ready for it yet. Playing it safe is what much of the luxury watch industry does well, but for the last couple of decades, watch media professionals and collectors have been delighted with the swathe of fresh ideas from smaller, mostly independent brands that helped balance out the staunch conservatism displayed by most of the older brands — or those owned by risk-averse corporate entities. These are companies less interested in promoting new ideas and novel concepts, and much more interested in the bottom line and business stability. Accordingly, the pandemic has seen some of the independent brands with futuristic ideas falter, unable to compete in today’s less open-minded consumer environment. Thus, old-style conservative watches are here to stay for the time being, and areas of “innovation” mostly take the form of new colors, materials, and messages tangential to the products themselves, such as being tied to political messages like sustainability and diversity. All of these decisions are related to fragile businesses that are doing their best to wait out the pandemic and experience a return to normalcy (which, in large part, simply means socializing and global travel).

Many of the new Hermes Heure H diamond-set watch released at Watches & Wonders are either upgrades of previously successful watches or line extensions designed to look at though they were part of the collection all along. At many brands, it can actually take expert eyes to notice which watches are new and which have already been part of the collection for a while. This is what brands have decided is a good working model during the pandemic, and it does have a logic behind it for brands who are mostly interested in surviving versus thriving.

The luxury watch industry is never very far from the collective social sentiment in the world, and so these trends and practices are being experienced in many industries right now. Those who lament the lack of innovation are mostly retailers and media professionals who need novelty to create new conversations. Market data does seem to suggest that consumers are still happy lapping up retro-redo models or incremental upgrades over previous years’ models. As long as that remains the fact, expect iteration versus innovation, and extension versus evolution to lead the decision-making process at many of the brands that make our favorite timepieces.

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Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur 41mm

Renowned luxury brand Hermès and watch movement specialist Jean-François Mojon of Chronode have united their powers once again to produce the latest in a series of whimsical, expensive, and rare watches donning that special “H,” called the Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur. We took a hands-on look at Watches & Wonders 2022.

Hermès likes to say its Arceau Le Temps Voyageur brings with it two invitations to travel — for one, here, in the real world, and for two, on an imaginary journey within Hermès’ world, specifically into an “equestrian planisphere.” First, and likely more fascinating for us watch nerds, is the way Mojon’s creation blends a GMT and a worldtimer. At the top of the dial in the flange ring is a three-wide aperture labeled “Home Time,” and on the left-hand side is a small, neatly shaped pusher linked to the subdial that displays “Local Time.” Press on the pusher and something surprising happens: What probably appeared to have been a heavy and therefore fixed dial used to tell time suddenly makes a jump — it is extremely rare, after all, that we see a subdial move on a watch’s face, and so there is no reason to expect one to do just that. The dial moves, and along with it its small red triangle, which might require a second, closer look to spot, advances with it and points to the next city or, should we say, the next time zone named on the periphery of the dial. A new timezone must mean a new time, too, and that’s exactly what happens: As the subdial moves, its hour hand also advances by an hour. As this happens, the “Home Time” aperture remains unchanged, of course. Just because the owner of the watch is traveling, time back at home must have remained the same. To change the home-time indication, the crown can be used, and that is when all indications — the hours and minutes on the subdial and the hours in the home time aperture — can be adjusted. This is typically the tactile and fun experience higher-end Hermès watches have been consistently delivering for years. What helps achieve this level of consistency is Hermès’ desire to allow its designers and watchmakers (internal and external to the company) to practice their creativity, as well as Hermès’ involvement with a selection of Swiss movement, dial, and case manufacturers, including those primarily owned and operated by Parmigiani Fleurier. Since 2006, these facilities have developed and harnessed their truly outstanding know-how to create movements, cases, and dials of rather more novel designs. Without this flexibility and the company’s stake in these facilities, consistently producing watches with such unique features would likely be impossible. The same goes for the case: The 41mm-wide gray version of the Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur sports a platinum and black DLC-coated titanium exterior, a combination that is exceedingly rare, if not unique. The 38mm blue variant offers an all-steel case. Likewise, in true Hermès fashion, the so-called Arceau case features a horizontally asymmetrical design in that the top lugs are of a completely different execution than the lower ones. At the top, they resemble welded wire lugs, a bit like those on a Panerai Radiomir, while on the lower side of the case they are short and stubby. A fun aspect of theHermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur is to see how long it takes for one to notice that the map behind the satellite time display is an imaginary one and has nothing to do with any of our maps of Earth’s continents and oceans. Hermès added this playful detail “to make the link between one’s personal travels and the brand’s equestrian world.” Fans of Hermès will know that the company started out in 1837 as a saddle workshop in the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris, dedicated to serving European noblemen, and the world of equestrianism remains very close to all things Hermès. The imaginary world map, or “planisphère d’un monde équestre,” was created by artist Jérôme Colliard for a silk scarf of the same name, inspired by a giant globe created by the French graphic designer for the 2016 Saut Hermès watch showjumping competition in Paris. Hermès explains: “This map of an imaginary world, inspired by antiquity, features whimsical drawings and names evoking riders’ love for their mounts, seemingly drawn from the archives of a geographer of invisible lands.” Both dials are galvanized, laser-engraved, and lacquered for a refined and elaborate result. Certain parts, like the flange ring with the city names, are either sandblasted or satin-brushed, adding a tasteful, matt split frame to the shiny dial and sub-dial. Legibility remains excellent thanks to the high contrast between the sub-dial and its delicately shaped and in fact lumed hands, while home time is also easy to find and read where normally one would find the 12 o’clock marker.

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Replica Hermes Heure H

Since the introduction of its first in-house mechanical movements in 2012, French luxury goods manufacturer Hermès has progressively moved to improve upon some of their most established designs while serving up interesting new products. For Baselworld 2017, which is much closer than you think, the brand is introducing a new line of four Hermès Cape Cod watches for men featuring an assortment of dial and strap combinations that deliver a variety of visual updates to choose from. While the Cape Cod design has endured for over 25 years, these new models offer a chance to explore some of these visual updates, while briefly considering where high fashion brands like Hermès fall within the watchmaking spectrum. While the debate over fashion house legitimacy in the world of horology rages on, pieces like the Hermès Slim D’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel Platine demonstrate the brand can easily hold its own. When taking a look at the most recent in-house Hermès Cape Cod TGM models, I also can’t help but compare it to another fashion-centric favorite of mine – the Cartier Tank. Still, the new Hermès Cape Cod watches for men bring something a little more youthful and creative to the mix with their “square inside a rectangle” designs and the kind of versatility that centers around some of the best straps and leatherwork in the business.

The flagship model of the collection is the Hermès Cape Cod TGM Manufacture. It features a mechanical self-winding movement, and it’s also the most visually conservative out of the bunch. The Hermès H1912 is an in-house 28-jewel automatic caliber that operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), offers 50 hours of power reserve, and delivers a simple time-only display with a date. There’s a range of finishing that Hermès carries out and this includes circular graining and snail patterns on the mainplate along with the brand’s signature “H” engravings on the bridges and the rotor.

It’s a thin movement coming in at just 3.7mm thick and 23.9mm in diameter, and it’s fitting for a watch of this size. Like some of the other movements used in Hermès watches, it was developed by movement supplier Vaucher, which is 25% owned by Hermes and 75% owned by the Sandoz family (who own Parmigiani). On the other hand, the Hermès Cape Cod TGM Bicolore, Hermès Cape Cod TGM Cadran laque, and Hermès Cape Cod TGM Bracelet de force models all feature basic Swiss-made quartz movements in place of the in-house mechanical caliber. All of the Hermès Cape Cod models feature rectangular stainless steel cases that measure 33mm in diameter. Dial options are plentiful and the Hermès Cape Cod TGM Manufacture is available in blue, black, anthracite, or opaline silvered configurations. Carrying on with its minimal theme, the layout delivers a clean look with rhodium-coated hands, a textured center seconds display, and playful rhodium-coated Arabic numerals that are raised and portray a design that isn’t typical with most watches in this genre. While it’s true that the Hermès Cape Cod TGM Manufacture is the most mechanically interesting in the group, the quartz models bring their own unique flavor to the mix. The Hermes Cape Cod TGM Cadran laque, for example, offers a beautifully lacquered dial option (cadran laqué = “lacquered dial” in French) in two graded shades of brown and deep red. The sportiest of the quartz versions is definitely the Hermès Cape Cod TGM Bracelet de force. Like the TGM Manufacture, it features an opaline silvered dial but it comes on a more aggressive and burly bund strap that’s chock full of the meticulous saddle stitching Hermès is known for. This detailed approach to leatherwork is also present in the Hermès Cape Cod TGM Bicolore, which features a two-tone smooth calfskin strap combining “Malta blue” with “Hermès red” or “étoupe.”

While Replica Hermes Heure H can be difficult to move past the deeply rooted discrimination against fashion brands, the latest efforts from Hermès are indicative of a company that is truly pursuing advancements in their own watchmaking story. In 2012, the brand even purchased Natéber S.A., a Swiss dial maker and a large stake in case maker Joseph Erard.