The ever-evolving and thus consistently current watchmaking vision pursued by the Maison Hermès is now enshrined in an exceptional object embodying a rare set of skills governed by time, precision and patience. The latter quality is vividly demonstrated by the master-watchmaker who has crafted its mechanical self-winding movement. This fine craftsmanship is in turn magnified by the work of the master-engraver who has sculpted a horseman and his mount from a block of natural mother-of-pearl.

He then placed this openworked motif on a polished stone of petrified wood, thereby revealing the delicate and poetic landscape of this mineral. Renowned for its ability to explore new ways of wearing timepieces, Hermès is elegantly reviving the discreet elegance of the pocket-watch. Whether suspended from a slim leather cord strap or enclosed if one so wishes within a pouch made from the same leather, the Arceau Pocket “Duc Attelé” admirably reveals the brand’s signature spirit and expertise by capturing and slipping time into its pocket…

The Arceau model elegantly expresses the original source of inspiration of the House of Hermès: the equestrian world. A steel stirrup prolongs the case with its integrated asymmetrical lugs securing a strap fastened by a folding clasp. The evocative design of the sloping numerals lends a unique cadence to the beautiful hours depicted on the dial. Telling a long-established love story and expressing a wealth of expertise, Arceau makes its way through time with the understated boldness of a great classic.

The new Hermes Arceau Ebony Chronograph pays a vivid tribute to Hermès’ first companion, the horse, by combining aesthetic elegance, impeccable precision and refined harmony. Against the ebony-colored 43 mm dial backdrop, time trots, canters or gallops around the étoupe-colored numerals and hour-markers. The large central seconds hand with its brand-signature orange shade sweeps smoothly over the dial, revealing the presence of the mechanical movement beating at the heart of this chronograph.

The harmoniously integrated simple date window and counters provide eminently readable functions as well as enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the model. Echoing the refined touches on the dial, a generous ebony-colored barenia calfskin strap accentuates the distinctive nature of this latest addition to the Arceau range.

Hermès pays a beautiful tribute to the relativity of time by creating the Grand Hours mechanism: an exclusive module presented as a world first on an elegant Cape Cod watch in 750 rose gold or 750 white gold. In a nod to the world of dance, the hours on the dial compose a new choreography of time in which some numerals draw closer together while others move further apart. Tempo adagio from 11 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 7 pm. Tempo accelerando from 1 to 5 and from 7 to 11, accentuated by an elegant rhythmical motif in the dial centre.

Developed exclusively for Hermès, the Grand Hours module is based on a sophisticated system of toothed oval wheels that serve to speed up or slow down the movement of the hour hand, while the minutes and seconds are marked off at the traditional pace. A two time waltz that gives the watch an extremely original face.

In the Cape Cod Grand Hours watch, this ingenious mechanism is associated with an extremely accurate movement, Manufacture Vaucher Calibre H1928, enhanced with elegant hand-crafted finishing visible through the transparent case-back. The model is available in limited series of 171 in 750 rose gold and 171 in 750 white gold, featuring a choice of copper-coloured or rhodiumed-opaline dials, Arabic numerals matching the gold of the case and six different ways to read the time.