Hermès’ latest addition to the iconic Arceau line, breaks the boundaries of telling time.
Hermès explores the concept of time, looking to evoke emotions and create the space for spontaneous endeavours. This spirit of travel leads the charge in its latest wonder of a timepiece – the Le temp voyageur in the brand’s iconic Arceau line. Designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, the Arceau with its round case and asymmetrical lugs lends itself to a fresh expression of style and a new reading of world time. This latest addition adds a new dimension as the house’s first world-time complication with a twist.
The notion of travel features strongly with the “Travelling Time” mechanism developed exclusively for Hermès by watch movement specialists Chronode – a gravitating counter displaying 24 time zones through a circular disc. The mobile counter and the home-time indication at 12 o’clock are driven by an exclusive 122-component module, housed in a thickness of just 4.4 mm and integrated within the Hermès H1837 mechanical self-winding movement. The mechanism as a whole, powers the display of hours, minutes and a dual-time display with city indication on a poetic display.
Journey across the imaginary universe of Hermès as time appears to move across continents, travelling from city to city and flying over time zones. The satellite gravitates on a fantasy world map created by Jérôme Colliard for the Planisphere d’un monde équestre silk scarf, a design inspired by a giant globe he created for the 2016 Saut Hermès showjumping competition in Paris.
Interpreted in three colorways – an intense black, deep blue or white mother-of-pearl background – the continents and meridians of this surreal universe reveal depth with their subtle finishes. The 38mm white rendition is made from stainless steel set with 78 diamonds, and features a polished rhodium-plated dial with a natural white mother-of-pearl mobile counter and oceans in openworked natural white mother-of-pearl. A subtle contrast is achieved with charcoal grey transferred Arabic numerals and white transferred continent names, meridians and parallels. Blued hands complete the look.
Also at 38mm is the deep blue iteration in stainless steel. Featuring a sandblasted blue-gradient lacquered mobile counter contrasted remarkably with white transferred Arabic numerals, its galvanised dial also has blue transferred continent names and contours, as well as meridians and parallels. The oceans are laser-engraved then lacquered, while the blue transferred Rhodium-plated hands are coated with Super-LumiNova®.
The 41mm black version is crafted from platinum with its bezel and case middle in bead-blasted and matte black DLC-treated grade 5 titanium. The black dial showcases a sandblasted lacquered black gold-gradient mobile counter lightly contrasted with silver-toned powdered transferred Arabic numerals. The galvanised dial sees light grey transferred continent names and contours with charcoal grey transferred meridians and parallels. The oceans are laser-engraved then lacquered, while the watch hands are coated with Super-LumiNova® for visibility.
In line with the saddlery and leatherwork expertise cultivated by the House Hermès, all three Arceau Le temps voyageur models are paired with alligator or Swift calfskin straps secured by a pin buckle and crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops.
Images courtesy of Hermès, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
Related Links:
