Considering the Parisian firm’s origins as a maker of saddles and other horsey paraphernalia, these equestrian affinities should come as no surprise, although one overarching question remains: how to be constantly inspired without going round in circles, like a pony in a manège?
The answer, for Hermès, is twofold. Firstly, the métiers d’art. The company puts all of them to use and invents new ones, too, permanently refreshing its artistic language even when the subject remains the same.
Secondly, the chosen register. Hermès portrays the horse in all its guises: majestic, playful, cosmic, for children, cartoon-like, static, at full gallop, modern, classical, and more. Every repertoire is open to exploration. Collectors could be thrown out of kilter, never knowing what to expect, but this freshness is precisely what they want. The saddlemaker leaves patrimonial classicism to industry institutions, preferring its own brand of carefully curated irreverence. As demonstrated by its five most recent equestrian-inspired watches.
The most cosmic: Arceau Chorus Stellarum
Fancy a brush with death? Then hop into the saddle with the long-gone rider of this infernal steed. Driven by a spring mechanism that connects to a pusher at 9 o’clock, these Gothic vanities burst into life at the flick of a thumb in an on-demand animation, set against a gilded constellation. Champlevé enamel, engraving, sculpted gold: even a ghost rider can appreciate great craftsmanship!
The most colourful: Arceau Costume de Fête
Think of a Polish speciality and horses may not be the first thing that springs to mind, yet inspiration for this Arceau Costume de Fête comes from Polish folk culture. The design is the work of Warsaw-born artist Jan Bajtlik. In a nod to its original profession, Hermès has crafted the horse in leather marquetry. Brightly coloured beads take shape on a sculpted metal base that is uniformly painted, while details are accentuated by successive layers of micro-painting with a brush. Sequins sewn with copper wire along the horse’s harness add a finishing touch.
The most impressive: Arceau Robe Légère
Hermès’s simplest horse is also its most complex. Simple, because it employs just one technique, paillonné enamel. Infinitely complex, because it requires hundreds of these minuscule spangles to be hand-cut from silver leaf then applied to the enamel base, one by one, using the tip of a brush. The resulting depiction has the intricacy of lace and is a true lesson in patience.
The most technical: Arceau Duc Attelé
A tri-axial tourbillon and minute repeater. Hermès’s incursions into high horology are rare yet what an opportunity to show that complications can be excellent stablemates for an equestrian aesthetic. On the dial side, the tri-axial tourbillon with its triple mirror-polished titanium cage, shaped as two interlocking Hs, sits under a sapphire dome. This regulating organ rotates at three speeds, in 300, 60 and 25 seconds. Evoking the propagation of sound waves, the striped guilloché decoration echoes the minute-repeater hammers, in the form of a horse’s head. On the reverse, the movement gears are cut to resemble the wheels of a “duc attelé”: a canopy-topped horse-drawn carriage. Some even see, at 6 o’clock, the outline of a horse’s head, its mane flowing in the wind...
The most iconic: Galop d’Hermès
While all the above watches are produced in highly limited numbers, Hermès has not forgotten the wider public who can also own a piece of this equestrian heritage. Which is what the Galop d’Hermès, part of the regular collection, is for. Introduced in 2019, its case has the curved shape of a stirrup. Hermès recently introduced a small size in steel or in gold with diamonds on the bezel, suggesting a more feminine appeal, although one can easily imagine a slightly larger version with a more masculine bend. Horses for courses?
