Hermès exhibits H08 timepiece collection within kinetic sculptures at watches & wonders

THE FINESSE OF TIME by Hermès at watches & wonders 2023

At Watches & Wonders 2023, Hermès presents the H08 timepiece collection alongside a series of its finest creations within a dreamlike scenography by artist Clément Vieille. Suspended billowy sculptures flow like serene waves and move through their kinetic mechanisms within the space, immersing visitors in ‘The Finesse of Time’. The French luxury house inquires whether or not time can be captured. It realizes that while we can’t control it, the designs Hermès comes up with may be able to tame and play around with it. Everything is animated in its installation at Watches & Wonders, and everything makes sense in relation to the other elements.

designboom attends the preview, where Clément Vieille speaks about the backstory of his sculptures for Hermés. ‘Three years ago, the installation was centered around one main idea, one movement. This time I wanted to explore the simultaneities of forms and shapes in time and space, and make a landscape with a family of shapes, movements and materials,’ he says. Passionate about new materials, Vieille explores the properties of matter. The use of cutting-edge technology enables him to achieve unparalleled precision and accuracy in the design and production of new shapes and complex components that would be impossible to produce by hand. Like the Hermès designers and artisans, he explores composite materials and the most innovative forms, such as ‘tensegrity’ structures held together only by the right spatial arrangement of elements in compression and tension, and woven carbon fibre plates that compose the sculptures’ ‘skeletons’. In terms of materiality, the artist explains that ‘the white paper is made out of a blend between cellulose and glass fiber. At first, the installation was meant to be colorful. Independently, each sculpture was really interesting, but together it just came off as too much information. So we decided to just use color in the lighting.’

all images courtesy of Hermès | photos © Pol Viladoms (unless stated)

the h08 collection by Hermès

Hermès comes forward with five new versions of H08, and one of them features a single-pusher chronograph that nurses the manufactured Hermès H1837 mechanical self-winding movement coupled with a chronograph module. Designed in 2021 by Philippe Delhotal, the Creative Director of Hermès Horloger, Hermès H08 Chronograph combines textures and details, creating a rigorous and harmonious aesthetic.

The cube frame of the timepiece softens as its edges follow the circular form of the dial, and the cushion-shaped case of the Hermès H08 Chronograph is both resistant and light to wear, sculpted from a block of multilayered composite. The circular dial also houses an original font of Hermès housed in its square case. Carbon fiber and graphene powder offer the timepiece a glossy visual that complements well with its sporty style.

TheH08 Chronograph melds textures with minerality, deep shades with colorful touches, and uncluttered geometrical lines with sharp turns, all visible at Watches & Wonders 2023. The Hermès H08 watch exudes a sporty spirit and urban allure, spotlighted by its satin-finished and polished titanium bezel that sits atop a textured case middle.

The black PVD-coated crown incorporates an orange-rimmed mono-pusher at 3 o’clock. This discreet single button serves to activate the chronograph’s start, stop and reset functions by successive presses. The interplay of the various materials and finishes draws attention to the depth of the black dial, which is also given life by the two chronograph counters, cushion-shaped date, black-gold hands, and luminous hour and minute markers.

The coherence of these displays makes way for an easier read of the miniature details, emphasized by orange accents. The ensemble is driven by a Hermès H1837 mechanical self-winding movement paired with a chronograph module, and H08 Chronograph comes with an orange rubber strap with a weave pattern evocative of Hermès.