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Hermès Arceau Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes

Hermès is on a tear this year, like a runaway horse pulling a carriage full of the GPHG awards it racked up a few weeks ago. The brand won both the Mens’ and Ladies’ complications categories with their respective Arceau Le Temps Voyageur models. It still may come as a surprise to a lot of the watch community, however, that the maison has so many complicated offerings in its catalogs that many haven’t even made it to its website.

Case-in-point: Hermès Arceau Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes So Black. Though not GPHG award-nominated (I’d imagine it would be in the running for any “longest name” category) it’s still a technical marvel. In this case, the achievement is not just making a watch with a tourbillon and a minute repeater, rather, it’s the fact the designers have paid homage to the brand’s heritage, showing their confidence that Hermès can hold its own against the big names of the watch industry. Issued in a numbered 24-piece limited series, the Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes so black watch by Hermès features a black grand feu enamel dial revealing part of its captivating mechanism It combines two magnificent horological complications. The complex mechanism of the double-gong minute repeater can be admired through the horse-shaped dial cut-out. The flying tourbillon is revealed through a round aperture at 6 o’clock.

The double-H tourbillon structure of the Hermès Arceau Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes So Black watch is inspired by an emblematic motif of the Hermès boutique in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. This distinctive design surmounting the carriage and barrel bridge echoes the shape of the wrought iron adorning the entrance, railings, staircase and elevator of the Parisian establishment.

Hermès expands its iconic Arceau watch family by revealing a high-complication watch with flying tourbillon and minute repeater mechanisms.

The timeless silhouette of this Arceau watch takes the form of a round case with stirrup-like asymmetrical lugs. A one-of-a-kind model in rose or white gold, the Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes features a white or Abyss blue-lacquered dial. A horse-shaped cut-out in the lacquered dial reveals the Hermès Arceau Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes movement. Framed by the equestrian profile cut-out hugging the curves of the case, the complexity of the double-gong minute-repeater mechanism is captivating. This traditional horological complication is combined here with another horological exception – the flying tourbillon – coiled inside the horse’s neck and visible through a round aperture at 6 o’clock. Forming a double H, the architecture of the tourbillon is inspired by mot emblematic of the Hermès boutique on the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. This design crowning the tourbillon carriage and barrel bridge picks up the pattern of the artistic wrought ironwork adorning the entrance, railings, staircase and lift at the Parisian establishment.

Visible through the dial cut-outs and the sapphire crystal case-back, the new mechanical hand-wound movement H1924 from Manufacture Hermès emits the clear chime of its minute repeater from a white or rose gold case measuring 43 mm in diameter. Hermès Arceau Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes Re-designed to incorporate two major Haute Horlogerie complications, this precious case was designed in the Hermès Horloger workshops, as were the lacquered dial and matt black alligator strap.

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Hermès Arceau Grande Lune

Designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the Hermès Arceau Grande Lune watch is named after and inspired by a saddlery element: a hoop-shaped part of the stirrup.

Its classic, timeless and unostentatiously elegant aesthetic, along with its evocation of the equestrian world, make it one of the emblematic models in the brand’s watch collections – and one that is particularly representative of the inimitable style of Hermès, saddle-maker in Paris since 1837. This year, a new version Hermès Arceau Grande Lune watch is enriching the line of Arceau watches. Echoing the case of the 43 mm chronograph model, the Arceau Grande Lune watch is a complete calendar watch featuring day and month apertures. Its dial is stamped with a herringbone motif identical to that found on saddle rugs. The stamped and rhodiumed numerals maintain the classic appearance of the original model, with a sloping design that follows the movement of the hands and seems to keep ahead of time. The broad opening at 6 o’clock highlights the moon disc and its rhodiumed stars specifi cally designed by Hermès in a deep blue shade. The calendar display indexed around the moon disc is surrounded by a rhodiumed fl ange, while the snailed motif radiating from the centre of the counter creates a refi ned sunburst effect. The moonphase module created by Dubois Dépraz is fi tted to a self-winding movement that may be admired through the transparent case-back revealing its circular-grained and snailed finishing adorned with Côtes de Genève.
The Arceau Petite Lune is lit up by 87 sapphires and 68 diamonds set in «Jeté» from the 38 mm steel case to the natural white mother-of-pearl dial. C
reated in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the Hermès Arceau Grande Lune watch mingles understatement with distinctiveness. Its round case with asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs and sloping Arabic numerals evoking a galloping horse endow it with timeless elegance.

The Hermès Arceau Grande Lune watch is lit up by 87 sapphires and 68 diamonds set in «Jeté» from the 38 mm steel case to the natural white mother-of-pearl dial. As if blown in by a gentle breeze, the azure blue stones surround a mischievous Moon sparkling against a deep blue sky dotted with stars.

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Hermes H08 new color watch

In 2021, French Hermes debuted a new watch collection known as the Hermes H08 . 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 Hermes H08 with a series of new models that feature new materials and a tweaked look. In this article, I will focus on the Hermes H08 “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 H08 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 water 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 H08 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.

ust 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.

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Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur

The Arceau models from Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur have become the vehicle for both time-only watches, as well as complications such as the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune. Originally designed by Henri D’Origny in 1978, the round case and arch-shaped lugs have made the various Arceau models design icons for Hermès and for Watches & Wonders 2022, Hermès is introducing the new Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur – an Arceau take on a dual time zone watch.
The home time is shown in an aperture at 12:00, while local time is shown on a subdial mounted on a satellite that can move around the dial, above the stylized map beneath it. The procedure for setting up the watch will feel fairly straightforward to anyone who has used a two time zone watch before, or who has some familiarity with the complication.

First, use the pusher at 9:00 to place the satellite opposite the city that represents your home time zone. Next, pull the crown out to the 3rd position, and set the time in the satellite to the correct time. (If your home time zone is using Summer time, use the city with “S” indicated, but a cool detail is that for non-English speaking countries, the letter ins’t S; instead, it’s the first letter of the word for Summer in that country’s native language.) Then, push the crown in to the second position, and turn it until the correct home time is displayed in the home time window. From that point on, once you start traveling, you simply press the pusher to move the city ring until the satellite has rotated around the dial to a position adjacent to your local time city, which will automatically update the position of the hour hand, as well. In use, the watch is quite straightforward but in practice, it was quite complex to implement. The satellite dial showing local time maintains the correct orientation when the user moves it around the dial (a feature also used in the L’Heure De La Lune watch, where the Moon displays maintain the correct orientation as they rotate) and the city indicator hand does so, as well, but allowing the satellite to rotate while maintaining the right orientation along with the city indicator hand, and updating the hour hand position at the same time took some doing. The complications module was developed by Chronode, a specialist in unusual complications, and requires the use of three differentials, with a lot of time expended on making sure that shock resistance and reliability would not be issues in a watch that, after all, is expected to spend some time on the road. A word on that map – it’s based on the fanciful notion of an “equestrian planet” and the original design was created by Jérôme Colliard, for the “Planisphère d’un monde équestre” silk scarf.
There’s no question that this is one of the most original takes on a two time zone watch in quite a while. Generally speaking, complexity and practicality are at odds when you’re talking about dual time zone watches – the primary mandate is usually centered on ease of use, legibility, and utility, and fanciful artistry, as a rule, need not apply. The achievement here from Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur is that they did, in fact, make a dual time zone watch replete with whimsy (so much so that I am forced to use the word “whimsy”) which also gives up nothing in terms of practicality. It is, of course, not quite as instantly legible as a GMT-Master II (for instance) but aside from giving some minor ground in that respect to one of the most utilitarian timepieces every created, the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur succeeds admirably at something very hard to get right.

Overall, this is a delightful addition to the lineup of Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur watches from Hermès, as well as proof that you really can teach an old dog – or complication – new tricks.

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Hermès Kelly watch

Created in 1975, the Hermès Kelly watch reveals new facets of its free-spirited attitude. Whether a metal bracelet, diamond-set or worn as a sautoir necklace, it demonstrates a light-hearted gift for self-reinvention. A powerful style statement expressing a distinctive take on femininity, it derives its padlock shape from the iconic handbag designed by Robert Dumas in the 1930s.

The new Hermès Kelly watch is the latest chapter in a luxury yarn that spins back almost a century. It was in the 1930s that Robert Dumas, future chief executive of the storied Parisian house, designed a strikingly contemporary trapezoid-shaped leather bag, complete with side straps and a jewel-like clasp and padlock.

The elegant yet practical design was unusual for a time when the predominant fashion was for women to carry small flat clutches, beaded evening bags and minaudières, delicate vessels that were focused more on adornment than practicality. It was not until the late 1950s however that Dumas’s bag, known originally as the sac à depèches, soared to icon status thanks to Hollywood star Grace Kelly.

Hermès Kelly watch had bought the bag at Hermès’s Paris store and later used it to conceal her pregnancy from a pack of press photographers. With her picture plastered across magazines around the world, the bag shot to international fame and was eventually renamed the Kelly in honour of the actress-turned-princess. Today, like its sister the Birkin, a Kelly bag is a collector’s item, carrying a long waiting list and fetching eye-watering sums at resale.

The Hermès Kelly watch next chapter came in 1975 when its distinctive clasp was reimagined as a timepiece, its padlock incorporating the dial, and wrapping around the wrist on a single or double tour leather bracelet that mimicked the bag’s side straps. “Even for a watch from 1975, I find it’s still something modern and liberating today with this lock dancing around on your wrist,” says Philippe Delhotal, Hermès Horloger’s creative director. The design was an immediate success and solidified Hermès’s place in the watchmaking world.  La Montre Hermès, its watchmaking arm, has gone from strength to strength since its establishment in 1978, offering a broad range of designs that are a favourite with fashion editors and watch lovers alike. The USP of Hermès’s approach to time is that it does so with an enviable lightness of touch.

The brand now revisits the Kelly, elevating it to all-new heights of luxuriousness with a metal bracelet in gold or stainless steel. “We took the little metal plate from the bag and made it into links,” explains Delhotal. The geometric links provide a supple bracelet, which, together with reducing the size of the lock, creates what Delhotal describes as a more “feminine, more jewel-like piece that you can still wear everyday”.

The finishing touch? Diamonds of course. It also stays true to Hermès’s playful spirit “It moves with you as you walk. It frees you and gives you that elegance,” says Delhotal. That freedom extends to the way you wear it. Now bedecked in diamonds, the padlock can be detached from the bracelet and worn around the neck peeking out from inside an Hermès leather clochette. We say it’s fit for a princess.

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Hermès Cape Code Crépuscule

Hermès has called on the services of one of Switzerland’s foremost silicon experts for a creative project sculpted using nanotechnology.

Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), which has developed technical silicon-based watchmaking solutions for Patek Philippe, Girard-Perregaux and Swatch Group, first met with Hermès Cape Code Crépuscule in 2018 to discuss the venture.

The decision was made to create a dial from a silicon wafer featuring the “intimate and refined Crépuscule” motif from design and graphic artist, Thanh-Phong Lê.

The appearance and color of silicon is dependent on how much of the material is deposited on the 0.5mm thick dial plate during production, allowing “an infinite palette of subtle and unique shades.”

Through photolithography, blue light is used to print the motif before a final “gold-coating stage.”

The 29mm x 29mm stainless steel case is paired with a blue calfskin strap, while a quartz movement keeps time. Known for the «square in a rectangle” case formed by two «anchor chain» half-links, the Hermès Cape Code Crépuscule watch is now available with a blue-tinted monocrystalline silicon dial.

In 2018, Hermès initiated a meeting with the Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) as part of its search for a technological innovation that would be dedicated to creativity. This gave rise to a project for a dial made from a silicon wafer, which was to feature the intimate and refined «Crépuscule» (dusk) motif by designer-graphic artist Thanh-Phong Lê. The dial with its slender gilded hands reveals the bluish shades sprinkled with yellow gold achieved by this unique method combining creativity and nanotechnology. A navy blue calfskin single or double tour strap crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops sets the final touch to the Cape Cod crépuscule watch.

Used in microelectronics for its semiconductor properties, the silicon wafer was chosen here for its purely aesthetic qualities, representing a first. Depending on the amount of material deposited during production, its colour varies across an infinite palette of subtle and unique shades. This Hermès Cape Code Crépuscule highly technological process is carried out by specialised engineers in the CSEM labs. The dials of the Hermès Cape Cod crépuscule Hermès are created from a single 0.5 mm thick plate, which is coated in an extremely precise manner with a tiny (72-nanometre) film of silicon nitride to obtain the desired intense blue colour.

Then comes the photolithography stage, during which Hermès Cape Code Crépuscule the wafer is exposed to a blue light so as to print the pattern. The process involves several successive baths, before the gold-coating stage, followed by other baths to remove any superfluous material. Finally, the plate is precisely cut to the shape of the Cape Cod case.

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Hermès Slim d’Hermès Minuit au Faubourg

The Hermès Slim d’Hermès Minuit au Faubourg by Montres Hermès is an offbeat horological creation that plays on the worlds of pop art and Paris.

Produced in two series of 24 timepieces each, this Hermès Slim d’Hermès Minuit au Faubourg watch comes with an artistic dial inspired a silk scarf designed in 2014 by Dimitri Rybaltchenko.

The miniature painted dial gives a picture of the city of Paris. The Eiffel Tower stands out against a sky streaked with clouds and studded with aventurine stars. The legendary sloping zinc Parisian roofs reflect the bluish gleam of the moon and the rosy glow of the setting sun. The dome of the Invalides can be seen in the distance, along with its neighbouring obelisk on Place de la Concorde. A few streets away, the wings of the Moulin Rouge spin in the summer wind.

But the essential element lies at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. This is where «Hermès Sellier” took up residence in 1880.

On the top floor sits a secret garden surrounded by a column-lined terrace. At the call of his name, beamed as an H from the top of the Eiffel Tower, Super H is ready to take flight. His cape flutters in the wind, revealing his initial: an orange-brown «H». A beam of light made of Super-LumiNova is projected from the Eiffel Tower. At night, it sparkles near the dial surface, tracing the outlines of the Super H banner. All around it, the Parisian scene is hand-drawn in micro-painting. Its multiple layers – particularly the thicker one in Super- LumiNova – give the dial a slightly grainy texture, like a canvas. Entirely hand-crafted and resulting from more than 50 hours of work, each dial will be unique. The 39.5 mm white gold case houses the Manufacture Hermès H1950 self-winding movement. Agile hooves, a confident trot. Suppleness, grace and elegance. It is midnight on the Faubourg and the City of Light is about to hum to the winged cavalcade of Super H! The Eiffel Tower stands out against a sky streaked with clouds and studded with aventurine stars, majestically overlooking the legendary sloping zinc Parisian roofs that reflect the bluish gleam of the moon and the rosy glow of the setting sun. The dome of the Invalides can be seen in the distance, along with its neighbouring obelisk on Place de la Concorde. A few streets away, the wings of the Moulin Rouge spin in the summer wind. But the essential element lies elsewhere.

Where? 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. This is where «Hermès Sellier” – as mentioned on the wall sign – took up residence in 1880. On the top floor sits a secret garden surrounded by a column-lined terrace. At the call of his name, beamed as an H from the top of the Eiffel Tower, Super H is ready to take flight. His Hermès Slim d’Hermès Minuit au Faubourg cape flutters in the wind, revealing his initial: an orange-brown «H». A superbly proud and majestic comic-strip Pegasus, he stirs the imagination: what will happen? Why was he called? Where will he fly to?

One thing is for sure: Super Hermès Slim d’Hermès Minuit au Faubourg will fly off draped in a soft luminescence, thanks to the artisans at Hermès Horloger. A beam of light made of Super-LumiNova is projected from the Eiffel Tower. At night, it sparkles near the dial surface, tracing the outlines of the Super H banner. All around it, the Parisian scene is hand-drawn in micro-painting. Its multiple layers – particularly the thicker one in Super- LumiNova – give the dial a slightly grainy texture, like a canvas.

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Hermès Arceau Répétition Minute So Black

Issued in a numbered 24-piece limited series, the Hermes Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes so black watch by Hermès features a black grand feu enamel dial revealing part of its captivating mechanism. It combines two magnificent horological complications. The complex mechanism of the double-gong minute repeater can be admired through the horse-shaped dial cut-out. The flying tourbillon is revealed through a round aperture at 6 o’cloc

The double-H tourbillon structure of the Hermes Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes so black watch is inspired by an emblematic motif of the Hermès boutique in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. This distinctive design surmounting the carriage and barrel bridge echoes the shape of the wrought iron adorning the entrance, railings, staircase and elevator of the Parisian establishment. Swept over by slender, hollowed-out hands, the dial is punctuated by sloping numerals evoking a galloping horse, the signature of the Arceau line. The dial cut-outs and the sapphire case-back reveal the Manufacture Hermès H1924 mechanical hand-wound movement ensuring a crystal-clear chime for the minute repeater. The titanium case measuring 43 mm in diameter is fitted on a matt black alligator strap.

Hermes Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes so black watch is on a tear this year, like a runaway horse pulling a carriage full of the GPHG awards it racked up a few weeks ago. The brand won both the Mens’ and Ladies’ complications categories with their respective Arceau Le Temps Voyageur models. It still may come as a surprise to a lot of the watch community, however, that the maison has so many complicated offerings in its catalogs that many haven’t even made it to its website.

Case-in-point: Hermes Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes so black watch. Though not GPHG award-nominated (I’d imagine it would be in the running for any “longest name” category) it’s still a technical marvel. In this case, the achievement is not just making a watch with a tourbillon and a minute repeater, rather, it’s the fact the designers have paid homage to the brand’s heritage, showing their confidence that Hermès can hold its own against the big names of the watch industry. Assuming there’s not a lot of crossover between the Birkin bag crowd and the general watch world, I’d suspect that quite a few people would look at the Arceau Lift Tourbillon Repeater (as I’ll call it for some semblance of brevity’s sake) and not understand why a horse is staring back at them through the partially skeletonized dial. I didn’t really even see the horse on the dial at first, nor did I question why the Arceau watch, with its peculiar lug design, looked the way it did in the first

How foolish of me, in hindsight. But each motif is there for a good reason – reasons that lead me down the rabbit hole of creative and horological design at Hermès. Inside the case is more than just a tourbillon and a minute repeater, it’s also a lesson in what makes Hermès Hermès. It just so happened that Laurent Dordet, the CEO of Hermès Horloger, was in New York for the grand reopening of Hermès flagship boutique on Madison Avenue. Despite a late celebration the night before (packed with celebrities, food trucks, and its own musical), Dordet met me over lunch to help me better understand both the watch and the brand – straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

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Hermès Cape Cod Chaîne d’ancre

The Hermès Cape Cod Chaîne d’ancre appears dressed in diamonds and obsidian to reveal new precious and distinctive facets of its personality. In 1991, the Cape Cod watch was born under the bold pencil strokes of Henri d’Origny. The designer was supposed to make it a square watch. His creative freedom decided that it would be «a square in a rectangle». Both impertinent and rigorous, the Hermès Cape Cod Chaîne d’ancre overturns codes and freely connects styles. Its original case is composed of two «anchor chain» half links, a motif created by Robert Dumas in 1938. The motif inspired by a boat chain is anchored on the dials of the Cape Cod and reveals a plurality of fanciful touches. This year, the Hermès Cape Cod is once again transformed: shimmering with diamonds and carved in obsidian stone – a grey vitreous volcanic rock – or sandblasted, gilded and lacquered, its distinctive graphic shape plays with materials and textures. Hovering between contrast and harmony, a first Hermès Cape Cod Chaîne d’ancre features a precious rose gold case set with 52 diamonds, framing an obsidian dial stands out, illuminated by interlaced links set with 181 diamonds. A second, smaller model matches the tone of its gemset steel case with the anthracite shades of the volcanic dial and gemset anchor chains. Finally, a third similarly small-sized rose gold version set with 46 diamonds is distinguished by its sand-blasted gold dial adorned with gemset anchor chains. Paired with a single- or double-tour strap in Chantilly-coloured or pearl grey alligator, crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops, these new Cape Cod Chaîne d’ancre models display hours and minutes, swept over by slender gold or rhodium-plated hands.

The Hermès Cape Cod Chaîne d’ancre watch has been forming solid attachments for almost 30 years. Its story, all about links, began in 1991, when iconoclastic Hermès designer Henri d’Origny boldly sketched the outlines of a companion to the Cape Cod watch, an equally distinctive model named Nantucket.

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Hermès Arceau Wow Watch

From lavish exotic skin bags to bespoke buttery leather dressage saddles, Hermès is a whole luxury fantasy world unto itself.

The heritage brand, which Hermès Arceau Wow Watch was founded as an equestrian harness-maker for the French noblesse back in 1837, has become the gold standard for leather goods. And unless you’re a Buddhist monk who has been silently meditating in a cave at the foothills of the Himalayas for 50-odd years, chances are you will at least have heard of the Birkin.

It makes perfect sense then, that the brand known for being the best-of-the-best when it comes to artisanry and craft would be capable of making something as intricate as the Arceau Wow watch.
I’m going to give you a brutally honest rendition of my initial reaction to the technicolored timepiece because it was truly a hodgepodge of confusion, joy, and horror. There was a mini gasp, “Oooh look at the pretty colored mother-of-pearl dial,” followed by a small and very private thought, “Why on earth would Hermès, the material embodiment of ‘bon chic bon genre’ make such a thing?”

Fresh out of the meeting I ran to sit solo with my thoughts. After saying “Wow watch” out loud a few times while also sipping on my fifth Coca-Cola of the day (savage behavior I know but we were still in peak trade show mode), I started to mentally unpack my feelings about the new Métiers d’art Arceau.

The Hermès Arceau Wow Watch did feel slightly out of character and a little attention grabby, but after the shock had subsided I settled on the fact it was undeniably beautiful in person.

Up close it was shiny and complex; a sparkly little nugget that was trying desperately to ignite my magpie tendencies. I folded. Even with the added temptation of other newly hatched Hermès novelties, it was just too fun for me to ignore. So I focused on the Wow and abandoned any logical plan to study the other releases. Obviously if you’re into eccentric métiers d’art dials this is a total home run. Even if you prefer things that are a little less pastel and a little more affordable, there’s still no denying that the craftsmanship on this dial is phenomenal.

At 38mm in diameter, the dial on this Hermès Arceau Wow Watch is actually a miniature replica of an existing double-sided Hermes scarf designed by artist Ugo Bienvenu. Similar to how the scarf is executed, with a multicolored interpretation on the front and a monochrome version on the back, the hand-painted dial also includes two different color schemes on each side. The design is first drawn in black ink which is visible on both sides, acting as its own kind of tracing paper guide. The motif is then filled in on one side. The mini mise en scene is supremely detailed with just the right amount of depth to still ensure that only a light wash of pastel color will shine through on the reverse.

The horse and heroine are painted on the upper dial side in a much sharper and denser pigment of color for the effect that they are somehow magically bursting out from a comic book strip. The white gold cased Wow watch comes in two versions: a soft powdery pink and a bluish-stained hue. Both are paired with an Hermès calfskin strap and are equipped with in-house self-winding Caliber H1912, visible through the exhibition caseback. Naturally, the Arceau Wow features a bezel set with 82 diamonds and each color is issued in a 24-piece limited edition. Clearly this is no easy feat to produce, in fact, it takes 35 hours to create a single dial. Handmade craft and laborious detail often come with a hefty price tag, deservedly so: there are real individuals with miraculously steady hands sitting at a bench painting these things with teeny tiny brushes and magnifying instruments.
One of France’s oldest family-owned and run luxury companies, Hermès started life in 1837 as a producer of harnesses and saddles in Paris. Renowned for its impeccable artisanal craftsmanship and intrepid artistic flair, Hermès has always welcomed creative talent from outside to keep its products fresh. The latest Arceau models feature comic book artist Ugo Bienvenu’s heroine depicted on horseback galloping across the double-sided mother-of-pearl dial. Embracing the brand’s flair for combining shapes, colours and volumes, these two limited-edition 38mm white gold Hermès Arceau Wow Watch models feature miniature hand-painted illustrations inspired by Ugo Bienvenu’s Wow scarf for Hermès.