MATERIALS MAKETH THE MAN
The Hermès H08 embraces cutting edge physics
As director of creation and development, Philippe Delhotal oversees the fashioning of Hermès Horloger’s simplest and most complicated timepieces. The creation and fine-tuning of what he deems a simple watch may actually take several years. Ultimately, the Hermès H08 was unveiled in April during Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021.
One of the qualities of the new easyto-wear model for men is lightness, rendered by casing in titanium or a graphene-filled composite.
“Personally, I like wearing a watch that is light, aesthetically pleasing and ergonomical at the same time,” said Delhotal. “The Hermès H08 is designed as a casual and comfortable watch. But the aim isn’t exactly to make a sports watch but a timepiece that embodies the spirit of sport.”
The creation and development process revisited Clipper from the early 1980s. Named after the fast and easily manoeuvrable three-masted ship, the model featured a porthole-shaped bezel. In 2010, Hermès Horloger introduced the emblematic Clipper 44mm mechanical chronograph housed in a titanium case.
A style continuation of the Clipper, the H08 is an Hermès object that strikes a balance, fostering dialogue between opposites and contrasts. Defined by its inherently varied, multi-facetted nature, it is serious and sensual, robust and delicate, matte and glossy.
“The main goal for the Hermès H08 is to achieve lightness and titanium is a very light material. Aesthetically, its colour is warmer, and it’s also warmer than steel when the watch is worn on the wrist,” said Delhotal.
Versions with their case in satin-brushed titanium or matte black DLC-coated titanium feature a sunburst satin-brushed titanium bezel with mirror-polished chamfers.
A bolder rendition owes its robust yet lightweight casing to the graphene-filled composite, while its sunburst satin-brushed bezel and screw-down crown are in ceramic.
Ground-breaking experiments on the two-dimensional material graphene earned University of Manchester researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov the Nobel Prize in Physics 2010.
A form of carbon, graphene is a thin flake, just one atom thick, while being the thinnest and strongest material with other favourable physical properties. Graphene-enhanced composite materials have been used in various industries, from aeronautical and cosmetics to mobile and watchmaking.
The darker Hermès H08 boasts a black gold-coated dial with a finely grained centre, satin-brushed minutes disc, transferred grey minutes track, black nickel-coated hands, not to mention a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock.
The circular dial of the titanium variants differ with a black nickel coating and transferred white minutes track.
Enhanced with Super-LumiNova, applied Arabic numerals express the brand’s penchant for creative typography and unfold the enigmatic naming of the Hermès H08, which hints at graphics, mathematics and metaphysics.
“The numerals are designed to be in harmony with the case and dial,” noted Delhotal. “The 0 and 8 evoke the cushion-shaped case with softened edges. The 0 numeral embodies emptiness, while the horizontal figure 8 symbolises infinity.”
The two numerals philosophically represent the journey between nothing and everything, as if echoing the mystery and depth of time.
The maison’s journey into haute horlogerie began in 1912, when its very first timepiece with a leather strap was worn by fourth-generation Jacqueline Hermès, shown in a photograph of the girl with her sisters.
In 1928, its historical store at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris began offering the first timepieces bearing the Hermès signature and equipped with Swiss mechanisms. The French luxury brand established La Montre d’Hermès 50 years later in Bienne, in northwestern Switzerland. The fully-fledged watchmaker has a leather workshop for making straps at its headquarters. The vertical integration involves Les Ateliers d’Hermès Horloger in Le Noirmont for making cases and dials, while Vaucher Manufacture in Fleurier provides movements.
Water resistant to 100m, the Hermès H08 watches are powered by the mechanical self-winding H1837 movement — the number referring to the year that harness-maker Thierry Hermès founded the company.
The leather heritage, however, wasn’t applied to crafting the contemporary timepieces.
The satin-brushed titanium version is matched with a titanium or rubber strap or webbing band, and its sister with DLC coating can be worn with a rubber strap or webbing band. The more pricey model in the graphene-filled composite case is paired with a black rubber strap.
“Leather can be fragile for some activities, so other materials were used in making the straps to achieve the easyto-wear aspect,” said Delhotal.
“In addition to its toughness and comfort, the woven strap specially developed for the Hermès H08 watch epitomises a style that is as sporty as it is sophisticated, entirely consistent with the world of Hermès menswear.”