t is the year of “Game” at Hermès! The topic of 2018 is particularly appropriate for the philosophy of the family brand’s horological creations. Indeed, since launching its own timepieces, Hermès has always played around the concept of time, often in cooperation with master watchmakers such as Jean-Marc Wiedderecht.

The Carré H collection - and we certainly understand the importance of this motif for the House of elegance internationally - was introduced in 2010. It has been revived this year under the playful eye of French designer Marc Berthier, its original creator.

This square timepiece features a modern aesthetic, designed for instant legibility. In the new version of the Carré H, which was introduced at the SIHH in Geneva, Marc Berthier has enlarged the square by a few millimetres and opted for light effects, playing across the steel case with its polished and microbead-blasted finishes, on the dial with its right-angled guilloché work and on the facetted hands and numerals.

This perfectly balanced use of light harmoniously accentuates the clarity of the design, the softened edges of the square, the curved profile of the case and the cylindrical crystal. Finally, the exclusive font of the numerals – which include zeroes to make each figure a double digit – contributes to the new aesthetic equilibrium of this watch.

Hermès ploughsits own distinctive furrow in the horological world. This new timepiece is further confirmation that the company will always embrace concepts - be it time, shapes or elegance - in its own way.

During the SIHH last January we had the chance to meet Laurent Dordet, CEO of La Montre Hermès. He shared his view of the Carré H with us.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Case
Designer: Marc Berthier (2010)
Case in polished and microbead-blasted 316L steel
Dimensions: 38 × 38mm, interhorn width 21mm
Medium size
Sapphire crystal and case-back with anti‑glare treatment
Water-resistant to 3 bar

Dial
Dark grey or black
Opaline guilloché centre, finely grained chapter ring, sunburst or opaline rim
Applied rhodium-plated hour-markers and Arabic numerals, coated with Super-LumiNova®
White transferred minute circle
Rhodium-plated hour and minute hands coated with Super-LumiNova®
Yellow or red second hand

Movement
Hermès Manufacture H1912 movement
Mechanical self-winding, Swiss made
Diameter: 23.3mm (10½’’’)
Thickness: 3.7mm
193 components, 28 jewels
Frequency of 28,800 VPH (4Hz)
Power reserve of 50 hours
Circular-grained and snailed mainplate bridges and oscillating weight satin-brushed and adorned with the signature H pattern

Functions
Hours, minutes and seconds

Strap
Natural or black Barenia calfskin
Pin buckle in microbead-blasted 316L steel, 21mm

© Joël Von Allmen