Hermes Tourbillon Watch
The Arceau is the definitive Hermes tourbillon watch design. Henri d’Origny created it in 1978. It features a thin bezel, a slim case, and stirrup-like asymmetrical lugs.
This creates the perfect canvas for Hermes to express its creativity and technical skills in high complications like the highly acclaimed Le Temps Suspendu and the stunning L’heure de la Lune.
The Arceau Lift Turbillon Repetition Minutes is a unique model in rose and white gold that has been added to the Arceau family.
Hermes introduced the first tourbillon in 2013. It was installed in the Arceau Lift in 2013. The upgrade of the tourbillon watch to include a minute repeater was made seven years ago.
Only two examples of the Arceau Lift Tourbillon Repetition Minutes are available. They come in white or Abyss-blue-lacquered dials with unique cuts in the shape of horse heads. This gives us a glimpse into its fascinating mechanism.
The lacquered dial’s cut-out detail is a nod to its equestrian roots. It stylishly displays the double-gong repeater mechanism inside.
H1924 is the movement that powers the timepiece. It also incorporates an equestrian theme with a barrel bridge that looks like two horse heads.
The round aperture at 6 o’clock shows the flying tourbillon, which is located inside the horse’s neck. The shape of the flying tourbillon is like a double H.
Its architecture pays homage to Paris’s Hermes boutique at Faubourg Saint Honore.
Openworked watches can often be more avant-garde or futuristic than they are. But Hermes manages to strike the right balance by showing off its amazing mechanism while keeping it simple with a slim lacquer dial and open worked hands.
Hermes reserved the Arceau line’s sloping numerals. They are elegant and almost Breguet-numeral, slanted to evoke the movement of an agile horse.
The watch’s real attraction is its exclusivity. Only two watches are made in white gold with blue lacquer dials or rose gold dials.
This watch ticks all the boxes of what is distinctively Hermes and packs two high-complications within its 43mm case. The watch retails for US$270,000.
Specifications
Movement
Mechanical hand-wound Manufacturing Hermes H1924 motion; hours, minutes; double-gong repeater, tourbillon, 90-hour reserve
Case
White or rose gold; 43mm diameter; water-resistant up to 30m
Dial
Blue lacquered or white lacquered dial (rose-gold version) with a horse cut-out motif
Strap
Havana alligator
Price
USD270,000, unique piece.