STYLE Edit: Moon rock on your wrist, or even Martian meteorite? Space is the limit for Hermès’ new Arceau L’Heure de la Lune watch range
Humankind has long looked to the moon and stars for inspiration – now the French high-fashion maison is letting customers walk around with a piece of space on their wrist, with glimmering new timepieces made with flecks of lunar and Martian meteorites inside
Humans have been looking to the moon and stars for inspiration and guidance – both spiritual and geographical – for millennia. So it’s really no surprise that Hermès, the luxury marque with a unique talent for poetic creations, took inspiration from the cosmos when it came time to conceive its new watches for 2020.
The new Arceau Cheval Cosmique and Arceau L’Heure de la Lune are both housed in the Arceau watch case, designed by legendary artistic director Henri d’Origny in 1978, but each watch expresses the concept of the cosmos in its own unique way.
The Arceau Cheval Cosmique – which translates as “cosmic horse” – demonstrates the maison’s ability to create beautifully decorative dials. Known for its expertise in métier d’art craftsmanship, this is the first time that it has used gold engraving in its watchmaking.
The dials were designed by artist Gianpaolo Pagni, who combined graphic undulating lines with the silhouette of a horse, retrieved from Émile Hermès’ private collection. The horse is carved from white gold in three-dimensional relief, which contrasts against the flat graphic lines and the material texture of the dial itself, which is made out of either iridescent mother-of-pearl or glimmering aventurine. The version with the aventurine dial is available in 41mm and the mother-of-pearl version is available in 38mm. Regardless of which version you choose, however, the image is that of a majestic equine creature galloping across the Milky Way, surrounded either by glittering stars or fluffy white clouds. When you come to read the time, you can be assured of the ultimate accuracy with the hour and minute hands run by a mechanical self-winding movement developed in Hermès Horloger workshops.
Arceau L’Heure de la Lune was first launched last year as Hermès’ interpretation of a moonphase watch. Here, the cosmic connection is clear – the moonphase complication, which is usually displayed on a subdial, takes over the entire dial and becomes the central focus of the watch. The iconic Pegasus is engraved into the moon at 12 o’clock, designed by frequent Hermès’ collaborator Dimitri Rybaltchenko.
So what could possibly make this season’s Arceau L’Heure de la Lune even more unique? This version of the watch includes dials made from an ultra-rare material – meteorite. Three different meteorites, in fact: termed Lunar, Black Sahara, and Martian in this case. Each differs in finish. The lunar meteorite has a black base with flecks of cream and brown that give it a sense of depth and texture. This version, whose provenance makes it the most apt pairing for a moonphase complication, is limited to 36 pieces.
The Black Sahara meteorite version, on the other hand, has a dark grey base dotted with small specks of light grey and tiny black holes where there is a natural absence of material. The exact cosmic provenance of this material is unknown but it was discovered in the Sahara desert, hence the name. All 30 pieces of this watch are exclusive to Hong Kong.
Although these two types of meteorites are already exceedingly rare, the final type is by far the rarest, originating from planet Mars. Limited to just two pieces, this meteorite has a mottled green appearance that is quite different to that of either of the other meteorites.
