Three “exceptional” watches have been revealed at a Hermès exhibition currently under way in Paris, France.

They are the Arceau Pocket Ailes et Écailles watch, which combines the art of scarab beetle elytra marquetry with those of engraving and miniature enamelling; the Médor Serti Baguette, which expresses the art of invisible setting with its pyramids; and the Médor Secrete, which alternates between a sparkling cuff bracelet and a wristwatch.

The watches are the highlight of the exhibition titled ‘Crafting Time’, which will runs until July 15 at the Espace Horloger at 24, Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

For this second edition of the event, Hermès has once again called upon the talent of artist Guillaume Airiaud, and is presenting five skills applied to its exceptional watches: crystal art glass, enamelling, haute horlogerie, engraving and gemsetting.

Through sculptures composed of infinitely multiplied hollowed cubes, time springs to animated life, moving or momentarily vanishing. These graphic and airy structures appear to be levitating, midway between a game and a waking dream, and defying gravity.

Conveyed through colours alternately evoking day or night, the various professions involved in “crafting time” are portrayed through scenography metaphors imagined by the artist: crystal melting through contact with fire; enamel powder transformed into a stained glass window; a tiny fretsaw leading the dance of engraved components; iridescent marquetry suggesting the facets of stones that are cut before being set. As the diverse elements turn in every direction, the mechanics of time are set into motion, distilling precious moments of haute horlogerie and subtly conveying the expertise of the manufacture.


ARCEAU POCKET AILES ET ECAILLES

With the Arceau Pocket Ailes et Ecailles two-piece edition, the engraver sketches out on a gold plate the motif inspired by a beach towel designed for Hermès by Pierre Marie.

This initial engraving is followed by grand feu enamelling. Using the tip of his fine brush, the enamellist applies just the right amount of glass powder into the hollows carved out by the engraver. Forming a vivid palette of blue and red shades, some opaque and others translucent, the various colours reveal their subtle nuances after several firings in the kiln. The dial then returns to the workshop of the engraver, who delicately hammers out the eye and mouth of the fish so as to accentuate the lines of the design.

While the engraver is polishing the enamelled surfaces, a marquetry specialist cuts out the fragments of the beetle elytra (shell) that will become the scales of the fish. To ensure their perfect shape, they are individually placed on a stencil and adjusted until they reach the exact required size. Only then will they be secured to the dial in the recesses prepared by the engraver, where they will display the full wealth of their natural colours.

Once completed, the dial is fitted into a white gold case which evokes the design codes of the Arceau line in a pocket version. The transparent sapphire crystal case-back provides a glimpse of the beating heart of the watch: the Hermès H1837 movement, entirely assembled and decorated by hand in keeping with the finest Swiss traditions.

The watch’s cord strap and pouch are made of alligator selected from the finest hides and fashioned using the same deft gestures tirelessly repeated since the origins of the harness and saddle-maker.


MÉDOR SERTI BAGUETTE

For the very first time, Médor Serti Baguette conceals its soul beneath the sparkle of trapeze-cut diamonds. This “secret” watch tells the time only when its pyramid-shaped cover pivots to one side at a press on an invisible push-button. Created in 1993, the watch is inspired by the dog collars that Hermès used to make in its early days, alongside its harnesses for horses.

Médor Serti Baguette unites three skills cultivated by the maison: saddle-making and leather craftsmanship, jewellery and watchmaking. Its three pyramids lined up on a leather strap involved a distinctive feat of engineering and called for complete mastery of the gemsetting art. The slightly domed sides adorned using the invisible setting technique are paved with white diamonds arranged in a regular mesh pattern featuring cleanly cut angles.

This method serves to create a smooth, uniform gemstone surface entirely covering the white gold “chassis”. To achieve this, their exact positions were first determined by 3D modelling. Each was then individually cut and horizontal slots were carved into the sides to secure them. They were then slid along rails forged from the metal structure. The main issue consists in carefully selecting the stones before cutting them and delicately placing them by hand. Several specialists cooperated in this painstaking work.

In addition to the diamonds adorning the three pyramids and the pin buckle, the watch features these gemstones at its very heart, since the dial is adorned with an invisible-set rosette motif.

Médor Serti Baguette flaunts 656 diamonds including a diamond on the crown, making a total of 17.8 carats. Housed in the square white gold case, a quartz calibre drives the hours and minutes hands. The smooth sapphire blue or geranium alligator strap is hand-crafted.


MÉDOR SECRÈTE

The new Médor Secrète appears in a boldly luminous interpretation, draped in white diamonds and studded with pyramids entirely encircling the wrist. Thousands of gems cover the walls of this signature motif and create a precious jewellery cuff watch.

The watch radiates exquisite opulence with its 10 white diamond-set pyramids. The largest of them conceals a watch, revealed by means of a locking system that is opened via a push-button hidden beneath the gemsetting.

Médor Secrète owes its contemporary character to the sequence of pyramids. Crafted in white gold, their distinctive geometry – a square base and arched sides creating a volume effect – shine amid the surrounding gems. They structure the design and create spaces in which the gemsetter has individually inserted each diamond using the random setting technique known as snow-setting, which implies first composing a mosaic of diamonds according to their various diameters.

The artisan’s talent is particularly expressed through the harmony achieved between the format of the gems, their radiance and their respective positions. A dedicated seat proportionate to the size of each diamond is hollowed out from the metal. The gemsetter then fixes each stone, ensuring that it retains its full luminosity and that it is separated from its neighbour by a minimum amount of material. This transforms each surface into a sparkling field of light. To create a pleasing contrast, the edge of each pyramid base is accentuated with a line of gems. In all, the watch is adorned with 4,379 diamonds totalling 13 carats.

Nestling inside this articulated bracelet, the secret watch appears when a special push-button is pressed to unlock its lid. This discreet and system calls for meticulous expertise. The pyramid pivots to one side to reveal the white lacquered dial also featuring four pyramid-shaped hour-markers. The watch houses a quartz movement and displays the hours and minutes. It features a subtle adjustment system, since the crown is positioned on the case-back and remains invisible from the front.

Its creative boldness, together with the artisans’ skill and expertise, ensure that Médor Secrète blends in perfectly with the spirit of the Maison Hermès.