What I love about the Hermès H08 is that it doesn’t look like any other watch, which when you think about it, isn’t such an easy thing to do. A round face, three hands, and 12 Arabic numerals; it has all been done before, and yet the H08 somehow offers something completely different.
Designed in 2021 by Hermès’ Creative Director Philippe Delhotal, the H08 comes in a square-shaped case with soft edges and a circular dial within. Hermès isn’t the first to try this shape-in-shape combination, but somehow they have made it completely their own. It is perhaps the original font of its Arabic numerals, its finely grained concrete-coloured dial, or the play on textures between the composite case and its black ceramic bezel and crown; It is hard to put your finger on it but there is something special going on here.
One thing is for sure, when you look at the timepiece up close, you notice how the light falls on the different surfaces, lines, textures, and materials. None of which is the result of chance. The attention to detail between all the different contrasts has been pushed to the limit: sporty yet elegant, matt yet shiny, rough yet smooth, light yet sturdy, black yet colourful, and the list goes on.
This autumn, Hermès is releasing four new bright colours to the collection in yellow, green, blue, and orange. The coloured details on the dials are subtle, with coloured gaskets under the sapphire crystals, coloured minute tracks, and matching coloured varnished seconds hands. All these touches of colour are accentuated by the pairing with a matching coloured rubber strap featuring a “woven” motif and black DLC titanium folding clasp.
The four colours have also been chosen to pop with the 39 mm black case that has been fashioned from a block of carbonite. This tough material is made of aluminised glass fibre and slate powder. This natural pigment creates subtle silvery reflections which further contrast with the satin-brushed black ceramic bezel and crown. Completing the black look, luminescent black gold hands grace the dial.
The timepieces are powered by Hermès’ manufacture automatic calibre, the H1837, which indicates the hours, minutes, seconds, and a date between four and five o’clock. It beats at a frequency of 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 50 hours. A close eye also reveals a host of decorative finishing including circular graining, a snailed mainplate, satin-brushed bridges and oscillating weight, and a fun sprinkling of Hermès Hs.
The last contrast, and perhaps one of the most important, is that even though the H08 is a robust sports watch, it slips on the wrist like an elegant dress watch. So, it not only looks good but feels good too. This is something that is so often overlooked in a watch but can make all the difference to whether you buy a timepiece or not. Obviously, this isn’t something you can’t see in the photos, so you are going to have to try one on for yourself!
