Designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, the famous round case with its stirrup-inspired asymmetrical lugs lends in 2018 its classicism to the unbridled originality of the Arceau Robe du Soir watch, imbued with the Hermès saddle- and leather-making heritage and issued in a 12-piece limited numbered edition.
The word "mosaic" conjures up images of art and light, the meticulous assembly of multi-coloured fragments of which the combination forms an artistic motif. A notebook kept safely under lock and key, harbou all the secrets of the Hermès artisan who imagined and developed this exclusive technique. A full year and a half of R&D was devoted to devising a process that her touch alone is capable of mastering. For several weeks, the artisan patiently fashions a miniature work of art composed of thousands of variously coloured leather squares. No less than 3,500 tesserae are first of all finely cut out from carefully selected full-grain calfskin, before being fit inside the even smaller space afforded by the dial, whose horse profile was picked up from the Hermès “Robe du Soir” silk scarf designed by Florence Manlik in 2018. In total, 2,200 tiny juxtaposed leather squares form the equestrian motif decorating the dial.
This timepiece with 41 mm-diameter rose gold case reaffirms its style in radiantly vibrant colours. The horse with its vivid hues stands out against the electric blue background, enhanced by a Swift calfskin strap in the same shade. Sweeping over the leather mosaic dial, the slim leaf-type hours and minutes hands are driven by a self-winding Manufacture Hermès movement that can be admired through the sapphire crystal case-back.
