TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
Takes us across the universe with their latest collection
A poetic design that evokes a sense of travelling in another dimension, setting foot on the moon and losing one’s sense of time and space, the Arceau L’heure de la Lune by Hermès offers a cosmic and dreamlike experience with a unique vision of Earth’s satellite through the simultaneous display of moon phases in both northern and southern hemispheres. Two mobile counters gravitate on a lunar, Martian or Black Sahara meteorite dial, revealing mother-of-pearl moons in step with an exclusive module, coupled with an in-house movement.
An offbeat expression of a classic horological complication, the watch also offers an original interpretation of Hermès watchmaking expertise. Encased in white gold or platinum, the mechanics adopt a light, barely-there role. Meteorite inlaid with mother-of-pearl forms a cosmos in which satellite dials float above hemispherical moons. These mischievous displays have swapped cardinal points, with the south above and the north below. A topsy-turvy direction inviting observers to lose their bearings, with their head in the stars.
The horse, representing the origins of Hermès, gallops elegantly into the world of dreams. At 12 o’clock, the moon is adorned by a Pegasus designed by the “dreamer-designer” Dimitri Rybaltchenko. Entitled Pleine Lune (Full Moon), this portrayal of the winged horse hints at a passage between two worlds, where magic and reality merge. On the other side, at 6 o’clock, the view of the moon from the northern hemisphere provides a realistic depiction of its surface.
Within this space-time, metal, stars and rock seamlessly merge the watch exterior with the movement to form an
unprecedented technical and aesthetic display of simple and graphic readability. The double moon here eclipses a traditional aperture-type display, covering the entire surface of the dial. The result is a free-spirited and impertinent vision of mechanical watchmaking according to Hermès. The Arceau case with its asymmetrical lugs, designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, becomes a lunar crater made of meteorite stone, while the lacquered dials, gravitating like satellites, display Arabic numerals with a distinctive sloping font. This Haute Horlogerie timepiece is fitted with a matt alligator strap in black, Havana or Veronese green.
Introduced in 2015, the Slim d’Hermes line epitomises a fine balance of aesthetics and high disciplines. At once classic and modern, it devotes considerable attention to details such as the slender curves of the case middle, the right-angled curves and the original numeral font designed by Philippe Apeloig.
Made of rose gold, the GMT version becomes the ideal companion for today’s globetrotter. Its ultra-thin 9.48mm-thick case reveals its pure display beneath an enigmatic smoked crystal veil. The broad blue dial with its distinctive font ‒ slim numerals with spaces between them ‒ is adorned with subtle finishing that accentuates its intensity. A sunburst chapter ring, snailed centre and date counter, along with a grained silver-toned GMT counter studded with numerals punctuate this perfectly legible Manufacture dial swept over by slender sandblasted gilded baton-type hands.
At the heart of this journey, the new Slim d’Hermès GMT beats to the rhythm of the ultra-thin Manufacture Hermès H1950 movement measuring just 2.6mm thick, combined with the 1.4mm of the ultra-thin GMT module exclusively developed by Agenhor for Hermès.
In addition to the hours, minutes and date function, this selfwinding composition equipped with a micro-rotor drives a dualtime reading complete with two day/night indicators for home time and travel time. The time in a given destination is simply and playfully adjusted via a dedicated push-button.
The movement bridges, hand-chamfered and adorned with the ‘sprinkling of Hs’ motif, along with those of the module featuring Côtes de Genève and circular-graining, can be admired through the sapphire crystal case-back. A matt abyss blue alligator strap, crafted in the Hermès leather workshops, binds this reliable travel companion firmly and comfortably to the wrist.