With Arceau Le Temps Voyageur, presented at Watches & Wonders 2022, Hermès introduces a new and revolutionary way of reading the time of the world, fascinating and simple at the same time, in a painting inspired by the key themes of the Maison: travel, horse riding , the dream.
With this timepiece, Hermès enters the world of travel times by developing something unique and never seen before. Let’s find out together.
The journey into the DNA of Hermès
From the very beginning, travel, escape and speed have been the fil rouge of Hermès style. In fact, the Maison begins its incredible story with the harnesses of horses and the famous travel bags.
The Arceau Le temps voyageur watch best combines the dégagé soul of Hermès and the imagination of travel. Classic and original at the same time, the Arceau line was created by the legendary artistic director of the Maison Henri d’Origny in 1978 and is characterized by the round case and the asymmetrical lugs of the watches. So far the collection includes many time only and the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune.
Watches & Wonders 2022 presents this new model that interprets travel as an excursion beyond mere displacement: the discovery of an unreal world, inspired by equestrian life, in which borders disappear.
The most obvious feature of this timepiece is undoubtedly the new way of indicating the hours in two different areas. This need has always been satisfied by the complication of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time): this Hermès model must be recognized for the audacity of experimenting with a new way – for travelers – of always keeping an eye on the local time and time. “Departure”, with the complication “Le temps voyageur”, simple and brilliant at the same time.
The complication
The original mechanism of “Le temps voyageur”, developed exclusively for Hermès, shows 24 time zones, indicated by the respective cities of reference, by means of a circular disc. From one city to another, the satellite makes us discover the world, making us lose references and letting us embrace all the hours of the planet with a glance.
The “home” time, that is, the place of departure, is indicated in a window positioned at 12 o’clock (identified with the wording “HOME TIME”).
The local time instead is read in a sub-dial with hands and Arabic numerals positioned on a satellite that moves on the dial, a sort of counter in gravitational orbit, which moves from one city to another (24), flies over the time zones, escapes a tangible reality. The satellite that marks the local time has a small red arrow that indicates the city where you are. Irresistible flair and homage to Hermès’ homeland: Paris, unlike other cities, is indicated by the acronym 24 FBG, the headquarters of the Maison (24, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré).
A button on the left of the case, at 9 o’clock, moves the “satellite” that indicates the local time, making it move between the 24 cities that represent the 24 time zones of the world. So, if we travel to Tokyo, for example, we will push the button until the red arrow of the satellite is positioned at the city. Once the destination has been chosen, the local time is set using the crown (unscrewed in the third position) and then automatically updated by the “satellite” hands.
Next to each city there is a further abbreviation relating to the “summer” season, indicated with S in Anglo-Saxon countries (“summer”), with V in Spanish-speaking countries (“verano”), with E in French-speaking countries (“été” ), with K for Athens (“kalokaíri).
The home time, on the other hand, indicated in the window at 12 o’clock (“HOME TIME”) is adjusted using the winding crown positioned on the right of the case and is adjusted by unscrewing it in the second position.
This complication was developed exclusively for Hermès by Jean-François Mojon of Chronode.
Planisphère d’un monde équestre
The dial of this timepiece reproduces a fantastic, dreamlike map: a planet imagined by Jérôme Colliard for the “Planisphère d’un monde équestre” silk carré, an iconic Hermès creation. Metaphor of the indissoluble bond between the Hermès maison and the horse, this drawing reproduces a giant terrestrial globe, created by the French graphic designer for the 2016 edition of Saut Hermès, the horse show that takes place every year in Paris. The map of an imaginary world, of ancient inspiration, whose fabulous designs and names evoke the love for the equestrian world and which seems to be taken from the archives of a geographer of invisible lands.
Here, in this imaginary map, reproduced on the dial of the new Arceau Le temps voyageur, we find the fantastic continents “Dressage” (horse training competition), “Récompenses”, “Éthologie équine”, “Soins”. A perfect example of Hermès’ indisputable taste for original style, refinement of details and research of materials.
The continents and oceans of this dreamlike universe stand out on the deep and embossed dial, adorned with refined finishes: lacquered, sandblasted, with a «soleil» motif, decalco, or even powdered silver.
The “Planisphère d’un monde équestre” carré designed by Jérôme Colliard and reproduced in the dial of the new Arceau Le temps voyageur
The movement
Arceau Le temps voyageur is animated by an exclusive module of 122 components, gathered in just 4.4 mm thick. An authentic technical and aesthetic challenge, the “Le temps voyageur” complication is integrated into the Hermès H1837 self-winding mechanical movement, decorated with the iconic “H” that signs the caseback.
The watch boasts a power reserve of 40 hours.
Two variants
The new Arceau Le temps voyageur is available in two variants: with a 41 mm case, in platinum and sandblasted black titanium, or with a 38 mm steel case and blue dial.
The softly round case is characterized by elegant asymmetrical lugs (longer at the top), typical of the Arceau model.
Both models are equipped with alligator straps (black for the 41 mm model, blue for the 38 mm model) and an additional leather strap (black Barénia calfskin for the 41 mm version and blue calfskin for the men’s version). 38 mm), in the manufacturing tradition of leather processing which is the spearhead of the Hermès house.
Arceau Le Temps Voyager watches are not yet available on the market, you have to wait until the end of the year (October / November 2022) to be able to try them on and wear them … The time needed to organize the next trip!
The price of the platinum model is 23,000 euros. It features a 41 mm case and a sandblasted titanium bezel
The price of the steel model is 18,000 euros. The case is 38 mm.
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