Visiting the Hermès boutique on a sunny February morning for our Watches and Wonders preview is one of my favourite moments in the watchmaking calendar. The French Maison is always the first to organise a presentation of its new timepieces, so in my mind, this lovely get-together with Laurent Dordet, CEO of Hermès Horloger, and Philippe Delhotal, the Creative Director of Hermès Horloger, marks the start of our Watches and Wonders extravaganza at WorldTempus.
Hermès Cut
This year, we are among the first to get a sneak peak of the horological wonders to come and we can feel the excitement as we learn that Hermès Horloger is releasing a brand-new collection for 2024 called the Hermès Cut. Like a diamond can be brilliant- or baguette-cut, this timepiece also has its very own “Cut” with sharp angles and crisply drawn lines that are combined with a perfectly round case that plays with different shapes to catch the light.
Universally Appealing
The collection was initially imagined for the brand’s female clientele, although the distinctive character and timeless design of the timepieces are certainly not gender-bound. The play with shapes begins with the case that features a combination of finishings, including satin-brushing, high polishing, and clean-cut edges. Even the bezel is gently curved only then to be bevel-cut as it plunges into the dial, accentuating the juxtaposition of soft curves with sharp lines and opening up the dial. Every detail has been studied, right down to the crown, which has been moved from the traditional three o’clock position to 1h30. The crowns are also embellished with either a lacquer or engraved “H”, according to the model.
A Closer Look at the Dial
Hermès dials are always fun to study up close as the Maison loves to play with fonts and markers, always coming up with their own take on things. The Hermès Cut is no exception with delightful luminescent applied Arabic numerals in a unique embossed font that grace the silver-toned dials. The baton-shaped hour and minute hands are polished, luminescent, and partly open-worked, while the second hand features a luminous dot. A central railway track completes the dial with a combination of markers and dots.
All the Details
The timepieces are powered by the Maison’s self-winding Calibre H1912 and come in four different variations – in steel or in an elegant two-tone combination of steel and rose gold, and with or without a diamond-set bezel. The bracelet is also of particular note as its supple links with rounded profiles make it feel extremely comfortable on the wrist. The same alternating finishes between satin-brushing and high polish are continued from the case. There is also a choice of rubber straps that come in eight colours drawn from the Hermès palette in white, orange, gris perle, gris étain, glycine, vert croquet, bleu jean, and capucine.
This is just the start of the Hermès Cut adventure, with plans for complications and métiers d’art models to come, but for now, we are just enjoying the elegance and the simplicity of this new collection. After all, as Leonardo da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.”
