Hermès Highlights Craftsmanship With The New Arceau The Three Graces
Hermès has always been a brand that embraced artistic crafts. First and foremost, with their extensive leather collections, but also their watches have the spotlight on exquisite arts that so few master. The brand displays its unbelievable capabilities in this field once again with the Arceau The Three Graces, highlighting what is perhaps the most graceful creature of the animal kingdom, the giraffe.
As is also a tradition with Hermès, the dial’s design is inspired by one of their famous silk scarfs. In 2020 Alice Shirley, a British artist, created “The Three Graces” based on an encounter she had while visiting South Africa. There she spotted three giraffes with their heads surrounded by an acacia tree. Hermès went to the next level to recreate this on the dial on their famed Arceau, focussing on just one of these imposing animals. The giraffe itself comes to life through wood marquetry. For this 195 elements are cut out of American walnut and maple, European sycamore, and tulip tree. Because of the texture of this material, it beautifully represents the fur. The acacia tree that surrounds it is painted in vivid colors, adding a dash of contrast. The technique used for this is quite similar to that of enameling, with heat fixing the paint on the dial.
Because both types of decorations are placed on a dial of aventurine, it looks like the giraffe is gazing at the nights’ sky. Stars can also be found on the bezel, where 82 brilliant-cut diamonds adorn the white gold case. The Arceau The Three Graces is fitted with a sapphire crystal caseback, under which caliber H1912 can be admired. This automatic movement features stunning decorations, with a circular-grained main plate white all the bridges and the oscillating weight engraved with Hermès famed logo. The brand will make 24 pieces of this exquisite watch.
