Timepiece fashion
La Montre Hermes’ Philippe Delhotal sees his watches as an outlet for artistic expression
No matter how amazing the inner clockwork, it’s a pretty face that makes a good first impression. La Montre Hermes’ creative and style director, Philippe Delhotal, oversees the design of each model based on a simple and elegant approach while deeming the dial as a canvas for artistic expression.
“My passion for timepieces started with the mechanism but I later became more attracted to the aesthetics and applying my creativity to designing them,’’ said Delhotal, a trained watchmaker, who also studied fashion design including taking a course at the Ecole des Beauxarts in Paris.
The dashing Delhotal has fittingly been in this position since 2009. However, he has 30 years of experience in haute horologie working for several Swiss maisons before joining the French fashion empire.
Other brands may highlight their heritage in crafting mechanical movements, he noted, while La Montre Hermes now equally has the prowess in developing and producing its own movements at the Manufacture Vaucher, in Switzerland, since 2003.
Moreover, i t acquired dialmaker Natéber SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds and case-maker Joseph Erard SA in Le Noirmont while having its own leather workshop dedicated to making straps.
“This ensures the supply and quality of components for our integrated watchmaking,” he said. “Moreover, the watchmaking involves craftsmanship by the finest artisans to give the watches their beautiful faces.”
The French creative director was recently in Bangkok to present a travelling exhibition of nine artisanal skills incorporated into the crafting of exquisite dials.
The art of French lacquer, for example, is showcased on the dial of Arceau Cheval d’Orient, of which the lacquer is applied on a metal base rather than traditional wood or bamboo. The artisan then uses his skills to paint the horses based on motifs inspired by one of Hermes’ iconic service sets.
Using straw from rye stem, miniature marquetry in a geometric motif adorns the dial of Arceau H Cube while blue and black tie patterns appear on Arceau Marqueterie de Paille.
Watchmaking merges with glassmaking for Arceau Millefiori with crystal flowers blooming on the dial of the 41mm model. The Millefiori (thousand flowers) is inspired by 19th century paperweights crafted by Cristalleries royales de SaintLouis, in France.
“The iconic Arceau watches have been reinterpreted many times to demonstrate what the artisans can do within the dial’s limited space while expressing Hermes’ heritage,” said Delhotal.
Originally a harness and saddle workshop, Hermes was founded in 1837.
Its leather heritage is demonstrated in the handcrafted strap of “In The Pocket”, a pocket watch that can be transformed into a wristwatch. It is actually a reinvention of a pocket watch created in 1912 for Jacqueline Hermes so that the girl could ride her horse without having to attach her watch to her clothing or slip it into her pocket.
“From the very beginning, Hermes timepieces have been notable for simple, elegant and timeless designs,’’ he said. “The simplicity and aesthetic purity continues in modern-day models such as the Slim d’Hermes with a slender 39.5mm case. Ten years ago people may want to make statement with oversized watches, but today the trend is for watches of this smaller size for everyday wear.”
Delhotal designed the Slim d’Hermes himself while graphic designer, Philippe Apeloig, created the light and airy typography to mark the hours.
The model is powered by an in-house manufactured ultra-thin movement revealed through the sapphire crystal caseback. With a horological complication that counts off the days and months while considering leap years, the perpetual calendar version with a second time zone display is a collaboration between Hermes and Geneva-based independent watchmaker, Agenhor.
Besides the mechanical model, Slim d’Hermes has been beautifully redesigned with a porcelain dial depicting the Koma Kurabe, a famous Japanese horse race organised once a year in the temple of Kamigamo, in Kyoto.
The dial of the exceptional 12 pieces combines French porcelain with Japanese art of Aka-e painting by master artist, Buzan Fukushima, who for the first time expressed his art on a watch rather than on vases or dishes.
Popular in the 19th century, the age-old craft lends the stunning scene of the Slim d’Hermes Koma Kurabe, which relates to Hermes’ equestrian heritage.