Hermès Revives Its Stylistic Designs For 2018 Watches
Hermès, the Parisian company known for its artistry and craftsmanship, made its first appearance at the recently concluded Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva and it did not disappoint. Among its new releases are three new interpretations of iconic design-focused timepieces, including one with an in-house movement.
The Carré H watch, created by French designer and architect, Marc Berthier, first made its appearance in 2010. It’s known for its square shape, minimalistic modern aesthetic and dark colors. For its newest version, the square polished and microbead-blasted steel case has been enlarged to 38 mm, from 36.5 mm. The stick dial indicators have been replaced with rhodium-plated, two-digit Arabic numerals and markers. For example “1” reads “01” and so on, which certainly adds more detail to the dial’s chapter ring. The guilloché center has four different shadings and is mounted beneath the chapter ring for a bowl-like appearance. Hour and minute hands are rhodium-plated and the second hand is available in red or yellow, adding a touch of color to the darkened watch.
It is powered by the Hermès Manufacture H1912 movement with a 50-hour power reserve.
The Arceau watch was created in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, Hermès legendary designer and has been interpreted in endless ways since, including two new models influenced by Hermès equestrian roots.
The first model, the Arceau Chrono Titane, is a chronograph with a design motif inspired by the brand’s heritage as makers of artisan leather goods, particularly saddles.
The sports-minded chronograph has a dial with sloping numerals and three subdials housed in a 41 mm bead-blasted titanium case. Its saddlemaking expertise is showcased in its straps, made of either natural Barenia calfskin or black embossed Barenia calfskin, with saddle stitching.
The chronograph functions include a seconds subdial at 3 o’clock, a date aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock, a 30-minute subdial at 9 o’clock, a 12-hour subdial at 6 o’clock, and a central 60-second chronograph hand.
The watch is powered by a Swiss-made chronograph movement with a 42-hour power reserve.
The Arceau Casaque watch boasts dials in brightly colored yellow, red, green and blue lacquer; and depicts an equestrian manège, an arena marked with curved hoof prints on the sand. Against this background is the outline of a mare, “Cavale.” The dial is crafted using champlevé, lacquer and transfer techniques. Hollows are first created in the dial base, and then filled with lacquer. A matt tone-on-tone transferred chevron motif lends the final touch to the colorful composition.
The dials are housed in 36 mm steel case and is available with equally colorful Electric Blue, Vertigo Green, Capucine Red and Lime Smooth calfskin straps. It is powered by a Swiss-made quartz movement.
