Hermès, the independent family-owned French house with a reputation for the artisanal, creative, innovative, and responsible manufacture of functional, elegant objects over six generations, has evolved from a storied leather goods house to a celebrated watchmaker. Over the past 15 years, a comprehensive restructuring strategy – emphasising vertical integration, premiumisation, and the development of high-end timepieces – has driven remarkable success. According to Vogue Business, this strategic overhaul has resulted in a threefold increase in Hermès’ watch sales within four years.
Philippe Delhotal, Hermès’ Creative Director of Horology, is central to this transformation. Having transitioned from a traditional watchmaking background, he embraced the creative freedom afforded to him to infuse imaginative storytelling into the world of haute horlogerie. As a result, he has redefined Hermès’ watchmaking narrative to push the boundaries of what timepieces could represent, beginning with the Arceau Le Temps Suspendu, a groundbreaking creation that playfully “stops” time by using a patented complication that allows the wearer to temporarily halt the display of time without stopping the watch’s movement. By pressing a pusher, the hour and minute hands jump to a “suspended” position, giving the illusion that time has stopped. Meanwhile, the watch’s movement continues to track the time in the background, ensuring accuracy. When the pusher is pressed again, the hands return to the correct time, smoothly resuming their function. This poetic mechanism embodies Hermès’ creative and light-hearted approach to watchmaking. “We don’t do anything if it doesn’t have meaning and bring emotions to people,” Delhotal explained at a previous Watches and Wonders interview.
— Hermès Cut
Hermès’ strides in watchmaking mechanics and design have been recognised at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Awards, the industry’s version of the Oscars that celebrates excellence and innovation. The Maison’s watch models have been featured regularly. The Slim d’Hermès QQ clinched the Calendar Watch Prize in 2015 while the Arceau Robe du Soir won the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize in 2018. This piece featured a dial crafted from 2 200 leather fragments meticulously assembled to depict Hermès’ iconic horse motif. A year later, the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune claimed the Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize – marking a turning point for the Maison as it turned traditional horology on its head with its presentation of moon phases for both hemispheres on a dial where the cardinal points are reversed.
This year, the Arceau Duc Attelé earned a Mechanical Exception nomination for its central triple-axis tourbillon paired with a ‘tuning-fork’ minute repeater. Its design nods to Hermès’ equestrian heritage, with minute repeater hammers shaped like a horse and gears in the H1926 movement resembling the wheels of the Duc attelé carriage. The anthracite PVD-treated mainplate and bridges highlight the chiming mechanism, complete with a horse-head rack and toothed wheels inspired by the Hermès carriage emblem.
— Arceau Duc Attele
Meanwhile, the Arceau Chorus Stellarum was nominated for the Artistic Crafts award, celebrated for its intricate engraving and miniature painting based on the Chorus Stellarum silk scarf by Daiske Nomura. Handcrafted yellow-gold skeleton riders animate on demand via a 9 o’clock pusher, galloping around a gilded champlevé constellation in a mesmerising display of Hermès’ storytelling and craftsmanship.
The Hermès Cut, revealed at Watches and Wonders Geneva this year, was nominated in the Ladies’ Watch category. The piece showcases the brand’s love for geometry, combining sharp angles and clean lines to achieve a distinctive, versatile design. Its unique features include a crown positioned at half-past one with an engraved or lacquered “H,” a bevel-cut bezel, and luminescent Arabic numerals on a curved-edge dial. The crown position is intentional in not disturbing the “purity of the slice” that changes the shape of the conventional round dial, explains Laurent Dordet, CEO of Hermès Horloger, in a Watches and Wonders interview. Similarly, there is no date on the dial to perpetuate the “idea of simplicity” and not detract from the “purity of the new typography.” Powered by the Hermès H1912 self-winding movement, the watch blends elegance and function with polished, phosphorescent hands sweeping across a silver-toned dial. Offering easily interchangeable straps in vibrant Hermès colours maintains the ethos of simplicity. They are alternatives to the steel, two-tone steel, and rose gold options, with or without bezel-set diamonds.
Meanwhile, the Maison’s most recent launch is the Robe Légère. This addition to the Arceau line is inspired by the Robe Légère silk scarf by artist Théo de Gueltzl. It highlights the artisanal craft of paillonné enamelling, an intricate process involving silver flakes embedded between enamel layers. The result is a dial of shimmering depth adorned with a rearing horse motif. Encased in 38mm white gold and framed by 71 diamonds, this limited edition of 24 pieces is powered by the Hermès H1912 movement.
The Arceau collection, introduced in 1978 by Hermès designer Henri d’Origny, exemplifies the Maison’s fusion of tradition and innovation. Its asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs and equestrian themes evoke Hermès’ heritage, while its variations – from time-only watches to grand complications – illustrate its boundless creativity.
Whether through playful complications like the Le Temps Suspendu or the artistic brilliance of the Arceau Robe du Soir, Hermès transforms time into an object of wonder.
