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How Hermès Became the Must-Have Watch Brand

Photo credit: Courtesy Hermès
Photo credit: Courtesy Hermès

From Town & Country

Hermès Birkin bags are so coveted that fans have been known to wait years for their favorite models to become available, and they command top dollar on the resale market. Now, a different type of aficionado is chasing down the French luxury label: watch lovers. Collectors have taken notice of the house’s lineup of timepieces, from GMTs and tourbillons to ultra-slim mechanical movements and limited-edition artist series.

These days, Hermès makes the watches everyone wants—but the luxury house started laying the groundwork for this moment over a century ago. Here, how one MacGyvered wristwatch started it all, and why every serious watch collection should have a Hermès timepiece.

1. Hermès has been making watches since a very special client received the house's first one in 1912.

Family patriarch Emile Hermès created the brand’s first watch for his daughter Jacqueline, when he had leather straps attached to a pocket watch so that she could wear it around her wrist.

The brand's horological connection deepened through the decades, as the Paris flagship at 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré started selling top watch brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre and Rolex, alongside Hermès's own timepieces equipped with Swiss-made movements, in the 1920s. It quickly became the city's hub for Swiss watches. In 1971, the store sold Paul Newman one of his famous Rolex Daytona models, with the Hermès signature engraved on the back.

2. The house’s Swiss workshops are shooting for the moon, (somewhat) literally.

In 1978, the family committed to the world of serious watchmaking by establishing a Swiss subsidiary, and it has continued to heavily invest in developing its own movements, dials, and cases.

The minimalist Slim d’Hermès, unveiled in 2015, was a game-changer: it was the first model to feature the ultra-thin in-house H1950 movement made by the Swiss manufacturer Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier (in which Hermes owns a 25% stake). With striking typography designed by Phillippe Apeloig, this model ranks alongside the world’s top timepieces for its performance and style, and new models include a perpetual calendar and GMT function.

Photo credit: Courtesy Hermès
Photo credit: Courtesy Hermès

More recently, the latest version of the remarkable Arceau L’Heure de la Lune—which boasts a striking meteorite dial—was unveiled after a three-year development process. That’s why only 16 models will be produced, each housing the H1837 movement which simultaneously displays the moon phases in both hemispheres. The model is so innovative that it was awarded the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) last year.

3. The iconic Cape Cod design was created in an act of defiance—and has a special tie to Margiela.

In 1991, when Hermès asked Henri d’Origny to design a square watch, the house’s longtime creative partner rebelled against the industry’s standard shape and instead delivered the Cape Cod: a square inside a rectangle.

In 1998, Martin Margiela designed the famous double-wrap leather strap for the house's first-ever runway show. This new twist on the Cape Cod became an instant style icon for both men and women.

4. When Apple needed a high-fashion label to collaborate with on an elevated smart watch design, the company chose Hermès.

The tech giant launched a special edition Apple Watch in 2015, featuring the house’s signature hand-stitched leather straps and logo on the face; since then, they've continued to issue new strap styles. Bonus: It comes in the signature Hermès orange box.

5. The house looks everywhere, from esteemed artists to much-loved scarves, for aesthetic inspiration.

Photo credit: Courtesy Hermès
Photo credit: Courtesy Hermès

The house collaborates with artists on limited-edition timepieces that transform watches into poetic expressions of time. The latest is with artist Gianpaolo Pagni, who designed the horse on the Arceau Cheval Cosmique, which is transposed in relief onto an aventurine or mother-or-pearl dial revealing carved undulating patterns. It is powered by an in-house mechanical self-winding movement. This limited-edition series is the latest in a series of artist collaborations.

The beautiful Arceau Harnais Francais timepiece features a design inspired by a scarf print. Each of the 24 models is hand-engraved on bisque Limoges porcelain and painted, and it takes a month to complete a single dial.

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