The colorful Hermès Arcea Wow fashions

One in all France’s oldest family-owned and run luxurious firms, Hermès began life in 1837 as a producer of harnesses and saddles in Paris. Famend for its impeccable artisanal craftsmanship and intrepid inventive aptitude, Hermès has at all times welcomed artistic expertise from outdoors to maintain its merchandise contemporary. The most recent Arceau fashions function comedian e book artist Ugo Bienvenu’s heroine depicted on horseback galloping throughout the double-sided mother-of-pearl dial. Embracing the model’s aptitude for combining shapes, colors and volumes, these two limited-edition 38mm white gold Arceau fashions function miniature hand-painted illustrations impressed by Ugo Bienvenu’s Wow scarf for Hermès.

From Scarf to Dial

Hermès started producing luxurious silk scarves in 1937 and found a technique of making double-sided scarves. Inviting artists to collaborate, a few of these scarves have grow to be extremely collectable artworks that always play with the model’s penchant for equestrian motifs. Two years in the past, Ugo Bienvenu designed a double-sided scarf for Hermès named Wow! Utilizing typical sq. cartoon panels and a central circle, the heroine is depicted zooming round Paris on jet skis, rollerblades, vehicles and on horseback, to the astonishment of two golf gamers who conclude that she will solely be the Hermès girl. The Amazon is depicted on either side of the headband; the principle aspect options her in multicolour, whereas the reverse aspect sticks to a monochromatic color scheme.

Bienvenu’s two-sided scarf design is now featured on the dial of two 38mm white gold Arceau watches one in pink tones and the opposite in bluish ones. To copy the 2 totally different faces of the silk scarf, Hermès selected translucent mother-of-pearl because the canvas to enact the artwork of miniature portray on the dial. The design, first traced in black ink and visual on either side, is then crammed in with 20 layers of pastel colors – skinny sufficient to let the sunshine shine by – earlier than being fired within the kiln. Greater than 35 hours are invested in creating every dial depicting the fearless horse rider in vivid element on the entrance dial and in additional muted colors on the reverse aspect.

Le Gout Hermes

The model’s distinctive and sometimes playful design ethos – le gout Hermès – was laid down by Henri d’Origny, the legendary in-house artistic director. Origny additionally dreamed up the asymmetrical profile of the Arceau watch case with its iconic stirrup-shaped lugs. Ugo Bienvenu’s Wow design is housed inside 38mm polished 18k white gold Arceau circumstances with 82 brilliant-cut diamonds set within the bezel. With such a full of life composition, the dial eschews the ‘galloping’ slanted Arabic numerals of different Arceau fashions and signifies the time with slim hour and minute fingers.

The automated motion powering these watches is the model’s H1912, made by Vaucher Manufacture in Fleurier (since 2006, Hermès owns a 25% stake in Vaucher). With a frequency of 28,800vph, the calibre delivers a 50h energy reserve and is adorned with a circular-grained and snailed mainplate with H motifs on the bridges and rotor.

Availability & Value

Naturally, the calfskin straps are made by Hermès as nicely and are available in pastel colors to match the dial. Each are restricted and numbered editions of 24 items and can retail for CHF 72,000 / EUR 72,000. For extra info, please go to hermes.com.