Style Edit: Meet Hermès new watches – the distinctive off-round Cut and equestrian-inspired Arceau Grand Tralala Brides et Mors, complete with stirrups, bridles and bits
- The Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement is used in both watches from the Parisian maison, with the Cut clean and lean while the new Arceau model offers a heritage look
- The Arceau was created in 1978 by artistic director Henri d’Origny, who has worked on it ever since, the latest iteration inspired by the Hermès’ Grand Tralala scarf by artist Virginie Jamin
The Hermès Cut stands out first and foremost for its distinctive shape: its 36mm, satin-brushed, polished case is slightly off round, with flattened sides, top and bottom. The line of the case is broken only by a crown at half past one that comes with a lacquered or engraved H, while inside it sits a smartly bevel-cut bezel. The case comes entirely in steel or in a combination of steel and rose gold, while both those versions come with or without a generous dusting of 56 diamonds on the bezel.
That bezel surrounds a dial that is characterised by its sweep hands, the minute hand partly skeletonised and the second hand adorned with an orange dot that glows in the dark. The colour is echoed by the orange circles that mark every five minutes on the dial’s inner minute track. That track is surrounded by applied Arabic numerals, embossed and covered in luminous material, as are the hour and minute hands. Powering it all is the Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement.
The Hermès Cut comes with an integrated metal bracelet, but a quick change system allows that to be easily swapped out for a rubber strap. Those come in a spectrum of hues associated with Hermès: white, orange, green, blue, pearl grey, tin grey, glycine (pink) and nasturtium (violet).
The glamorous world of equestrianism has long acted as a primary source of inspiration for Hermès, starting from the maison’s unmistakable logo depicting a horse-drawn carriage. That’s particularly true in the case of the Arceau watch collection. Created in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the house’s legendary artistic director who has been working with it for more than half a century, the Arceau’s most defining feature is its asymmetrical stirrup shaped lugs – its name means “stirrup” – which accentuate the round case.
The collection’s dials have played host to a range of extremely creative designs over the years, often featuring curved numerals that evoke the speed of a galloping horse. But the house has surpassed itself with the new Arceau Grand Tralala Brides et Mors, which comes with a dial that’s a riot of equestrian references.
