French luxury brand Hermès has unveiled a new watch within its Slim collection in which it uses a mother-of-pearl dial as a canvas on which to highlight the art of miniature painting. 

In a composition entirely crafted within its in-house workshops, the Slim d’Hermès Mille Fleurs du Mexique watch is issued as a limited and numbered six-piece edition.

The artisan begins by transferring onto the mother-of-pearl the motif drawing inspiration from a Hermès silk scarf by the graphic designer Laetitia Bianchi, before hand-crafting each line. 

Once the outlines of the motif have been sketched out more clearly, he prepares the palette of colours. 

Wielding the tip of his brush with infinite delicacy, he applies a first layer that is followed by around 20 more, interspersed by successive firings in the oven at 90-deg C to dry the painting.

The dial gradually reveals its countless subtle nuances enlivened by tiny touches of colour. The “Mille Fleurs” motif features an array of cut leaves and flowers, reminiscent of the 15th and 16th century tapestries after which it is named. 

In a nod to the Mexican origins of Bianchi - who drew upon the folklore of her native land - a profusion of feathers, flowers, leaves and bird are transformed in fascinating ways, alternately appearing or vanishing depending on the perspective.

Envisaged as a unique pictorial work, the dial is framed by a white gold case crafted in the Hermès workshops. Loyal to the iconic design codes of the Slim collection, this precious and refined model features light, pared-downlines. At its heart beats the ultra-thin Manufacture Hermès H1950 movement, while a green alligator strap also made in the in-house workshops sets the perfect finishing touch.

The watch features a 39-mm-dia white gold case, and the Swiss-made movement, which is just 2.6 mm thick, has 29 jewels and a power reserve of 42 hours.

Expect a price of CHF65,000 ($64,000).