The Hermès Cut was launched at this year’s Watches and Wonders along with beautiful complications such as the Arceau Chorus Stellarum and the Arceau Duc Attelé. It was the Hermès Cut, however, that was the star of the show as it marked the arrival of a brand-new collection.
Let’s take a closer look.
Simplicity at its Best
When it comes to watch design, creating a new classic can often be harder than imagining a grand complication. It is all about deciding what you keep and what you eliminate in a way that is aesthetically pleasing but also different from everything else out there. The Hermès Cut does just this with its play on shapes, lines, and proportions that come together in a unique way. The dial and bevel-cut bezel are circular, while the satin-brushed and polished case has a slight cushion shape. Add to this a crown that is positioned at 1:30, and this timepiece presents something fresh and interesting.
Movement
Steve Jobs was once quoted as saying: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” It is an important point, especially when you think of Apple products, but it is also true of Hermès. You can always trust that the Parisian luxury house has researched and executed every single detail to the highest standard. The movement powering the Hermès Cut is everything you would expect from Hermès with a Manufacture self-winding movement by its partner Vaucher Manufacture. This calibre H1912 powers the hours, minutes, and seconds and has a power reserve of 50 hours. Looking closely at the details, the movement is visible through a sapphire caseback where circular graining and a sprinkling of “H” motifs adorn the bridges and rotor and make a nice change from the more traditional decorative techniques that we are used to seeing.
Comfort
In addition to how the Hermès Cut looks and works, it is also important to note how it feels on the wrist. Housed in a 36mm case, the size sounds small, but looks equally good on a male wrist as it does on a female one. There are four variants: a stainless steel model, a stainless steel model with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the bezel, a two-tone steel-and-gold model, and a two-tone version, also with a diamond bezel. Each of them sits on the wrist so comfortably that you could almost forget you were wearing a watch at all.
Fonts
All four models are fitted with silver-toned dials that are adorned with luminous Arabic numerals and a grey- and orange-accented minute tracks. Like with all Hermès watches, this new collection has its own unique font that has been designed especially for the line. In the media world, there is nothing that gets us more excited than the topic of fonts and in particular new fonts on watches, and this one is particularly suited to the Hermès Cut design.
Bracelet and Straps Galore
Integrated bracelets have become increasingly popular over the last few years and the bracelet on the Hermès Cut does not disappoint. It seamlessly joins the case with its supple links, rounded profile, and alternating finishes. The bracelet is also easily interchangeable with a rubber strap that is available in eight colours drawn from the Hermès palette – white, orange, gris perle, gris étain, glycine, vert croquet, bleu jean and capucine – adding to its versatility.
The timepiece has been nominated for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s Ladies Watch prize (results tonight), so it will be interesting to see how it fares, but to arrive in the top six nominations of this category, which receives hundreds of entries, already attests to its success, not to mention all the people we have seen sporting one!
