Designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, the Arceau has undergone a transformation showcasing Hermès’ creativity and expertise. Its round case with asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs lends itself to craftsmanship that is as demanding as it is unexpected. Featuring playful animation, engraving, miniature painting and horsehair marquetry, the dial of the Arceau watch reinterprets the mischievous horse imagined by Dimitri Rybaltchenko for the Rocabar de rire silk scarf.
The gently teasing animal loves to play the clown and rather than going for a walk, he prefers to stay warm under his striped woollen blanket. Like a photograph, this whimsical and cheerful image comes to life on a hand-engraved and hand-painted mobile, driven by a spring mechanism connected to a 9 o’clock pusher. The prankster horse sticks out its tongue and flaunts its most beautiful profile against a background of colourful horsehair marquetry stripes. These combined crafts require patience, meticulous care and dexterity to unite them within the extremely small dial surface.
Playing on raised and depth effects, the engraver sculpts the horse using traditional burins and gravers. When the applique has been crafted, the miniaturist painter searches for the perfect tones, before applying them in several layers of micro-painting. Once dried in a kiln, they display a palette of unique shades, volumes and details. Finally, to compose the weave of the dial, the artisan meticulously selects horsehair strands in different colours, cuts them and then glues them one by one onto the brass base.
The Arceau watch is a humorous take on the Rocabar equestrian motif evoking Hermès saddlery’s traditional striped and fringed blanket. Its funny, quirky horse is framed by a precious 41 mm diameter white gold case.
Hours, minutes and the “on-demand impulse” function are driven by the Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement, enabling the finishing and the sprinkling of Hs adorning its bridges and oscillating weight to be admired through the sapphire crystal case-back. The finishing touch is provided by an alligator strap highlighting the anthracite, red and straw-coloured shades of the dial. Each watch is issued in a numbered 12-piece limited edition.
