Hermès presents 3 Exceptional Timepieces for first time

Arceau Pocket Ailes et Ecailles
While the engraver is delicately polishing the enamelled surfaces, the marquetry specialist carefully cuts out the fragments of the beetle elytra (shell) that will become the scales of the fish. To ensure their perfect shape, they are individually placed on a stencil and adjusted until they reach the exact required size. Only then will they be secured to the dial in the recesses prepared by the engraver, where they will display the full wealth of their natural colours as the light shimmers across them.

Once completed, the dial is fitted into a white gold case crafted in the Hermès workshops. This precious receptacle with its timeless elegance and its stirrup-like asymmetrical lugs, evokes the iconic design codes of the Arceau line in a pocket version. The entirely transparent sapphire crystal case-back provides a glimpse of the beating heart of the watch: the Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement, entirely assembled and decorated by hand in keeping with the finest Swiss traditions.

Setting the ideal finishing touch to this model, the cord strap and pouch are made of alligator selected from the finest hides and fashioned using the same deft gestures tirelessly repeated since the origins of the harness and saddle-maker. In the Hermès workshops, leather is cut and stitched, a furrow is pressed between the seam and the edges, which are softened by rubbing and patiently burnished – all with the same dexterity that has been cultivated and passed down for over a century.

Embodying a magnificently orchestrated set of of skills exercised by the human hand, the Arceau Pocket Ailes et Ecailles pays tribute to a rare array of gestures mingling artistry and craftsmanship. With its dial in scarab beetle elytra marquetry, it provides an endlessly fascinating interpretation of the 2016 Hermès theme: Nature at Full Gallop.

Médor Serti Baguette
Médor Serti Baguette by Hermès unites three skills cultivated by the Maison: saddle-making and leather craftsmanship, jewellery and watchmaking. Its three pyramids lined up on a leather strap involved a distinctive feat of engineering and called for complete mastery of the gemsetting art. The slightly domed sides adorned using the invisible setting technique are paved with white diamonds arranged in a regular mesh pattern featuring cleanly cut angles.

This method serves to create a smooth, uniform gemstone surface entirely covering the white gold “chassis”. To achieve this, their exact positions were first determined by 3D modelling. Each was then individually cut and horizontal slots were carved into the sides to secure them. They were then slid along rails forged from the metal structure. The main issue consists in carefully selecting the stones before cutting them and delicately placing them by hand. Several specialists cooperated in this painstaking work.

In addition to the diamonds adorning the three pyramids and the pin buckle, Médor Serti Baguette also features these gemstones at its very heart, since the dial is adorned with an invisible-set rosette motif.

Médor Serti Baguette flaunts 656 diamonds including a Ceylon-cut diamond set on the crown, making a grand total of 17.8 carats. Housed in the square white gold case, a quartz calibre drives the hours and minutes hands. The smooth sapphire blue or geranium alligator strap is hand-crafted. The captivating and contemporary Médor Serti Baguette inevitably draws the gaze to its dazzlingly pure robe of light.

Médor Secrète
The artisan’s talent is particularly expressed through the harmony achieved between the format of the gems, their radiance and their respective positions. A dedicated seat proportionate to the size of each diamond is hollowed out from the metal. The gemsetter then fixes each stone, ensuring that it retains its full luminosity and that it is separated from its neighbour by a minimum amount of material. This transforms each surface into a sparkling field of light. To create a pleasing contrast, the edge of each pyramid base is accentuated with a line of gems. In all, the Médor Secrète is adorned with 4,427 diamonds totalling 12 carats.

Nestling inside this articulated bracelet, the secret watch appears when a special push-button is pressed to unlock its lid. This discreet and longlasting system calls for meticulous expertise. The pyramid pivots to one side to reveal the white lacquered dial also featuring four pyramid-shaped hour-markers. The Médor Secrète houses a quartz movement and displays the hours and minutes. It features a subtle adjustment system, since the crown is posistioned on the case-back and remains invisible from the front.

Its creative boldness, together with the artisans’ skill and expertise, ensure that Médor Secrète blends in perfectly with the spirit of the Maison Hermès.