Singapore Tatler Jewels & Time
OFF TO THE RACES
The new Galop d’hermès watch shows what is possible when an outsider takes the design reins at Hermès
Hermès joins hands with an industrial designer to design a new watch
Watch design is a dynamic process that requires a thorough consideration and understanding of everything from a brand’s heritage to the technicality of watchmaking. Given the level of expertise required for such a job, it is rare to see any brand getting someone outside the watch industry to design a watch from scratch. But that is precisely what Hermès did by enlisting Switzerland-based lighting and furniture designer Ini Archibong to create a new timepiece for the maison.
Prior to this collaboration with Hermès, the 36-year-old Archibong had never designed a watch before. And he is exactly the talent that the brand had sought—someone with a completely fresh eye to create its next new watch. In other words, he was able to create a timepiece that was free from watchmaking conventions—a beautiful object made for accessorising the wrist that just happened to give the time. This watch, named Galop d’hermès, may very well become the house’s new icon.
“The material I work with is light,” said Archibong about the design of the Galop d’hermès. “It’s about the way light plays on the surfaces and how that gives the sense of shape while giving a sense of freedom and fluidity.” Light is certainly what enhances the unique form of the Galop d’hermes, whose stirrup-shaped case sets it apart from other Hermès watches that have come before it. The smooth curves of the case reflect light in every direction, contrasted by the grained dial with a recessed opaline centre and gilt-transferred numerals that subtly glimmer.
To keep the form of the case clean, Archibong moved the crown from the conventional 3 o’clock position to 6 o’clock. He also worked with typographer Vincent Sauvaire to create the Arabic numerals on the dial. If you look closely, you will notice that the numerals get smaller and more slanted as the case tapers towards the top, creating the illusion of perspective.
Archibong’s attention to detail also extends to certain minute elements. The numeral eight on the watch, for instance, has a flat top, once again recreating the shape of an upside-down stirrup. The lug at the top has been integrated into the case—much like the opening on a real stirrup— while the lower lug echoes the angular flat shape of a stirrup’s bottom end.
“[I wanted to] have something that is curvaceous and beautiful, but also succinct and direct and to the point, and doesn’t need to be dainty or covered in diamonds necessarily to speak to a woman’s power,” he said.
In our opinion, the Galop d’hermès is more beautiful in steel without diamonds, which leaves the curves of the case exposed so that they can be appreciated fully. But of course, there will be those who can’t resist a sprinkling of bling on every accessory they own, which they will be happy to find on the Galop d’hermès in pink gold.