Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune
Housed in a Grade 5 titanium case, the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune features a white gold crown and a platinum bezel. The openworked movement reveals many components usually hidden from view and the watch features a double moon-phase at 6 o’clock. Most of all, this watch demonstrates the wisdom of Hermès extending its brand in the 1920s to encompass watchmaking.
Hermès, the Parisian Maison, founded in 1837, began life as a harness workshop. Its products were known for their craftsmanship. Over the years, the luxury marque has extended its brand portfolio, making belts, fragrances, handbags, jewellery, shoes, ties, etc. However, to its credit, everything it has touched has perpetuated the firm’s reputation for excellence.
During the 1920s, Hermès created ‘guardians of time’ in collaboration with ‘the greatest names in watchmaking’. In 1978, the French firm opened a subsidiary making watches, La Montre Hermès SA. It also opened its own production facility in Biel, Switzerland and released the now-iconic Arceau watch inspired by the shape of a stirrup. Thereafter, the company has expanded its workshop facilities and acquired a 25% stake in Vaucher, the high-end movement specialist based in Fleurier. In 2012, it purchased Natébar SA, a dial making facility, thereby further increasing its in-house capabilities.
The Maison is known for making highly technical watches such as the Arceau Temps Suspendu and the GPHG prize-winning Arceau L’heure de la lune. It is also not afraid to showcase its artistic side, having released watches enriched with crafts such as gem-setting, miniature painting and marquetry.
Image – © copyright Joel Von Allmen
Image – © copyright Joel Von Allmen
Now, the prestigious brand has unveiled the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune. The watch eschews a conventional dial and features an openworked movement. By adopting this approach, the wearer is indulged with a spectacular vista of exposed parts, some of which are in motion.
This genre of watch presents many technical challenges. For example, by removing extraneous material from the movement, endowing the mainplate with an almost diaphanous appearance, there is a greater risk of bending. However, Hermès has repeatedly shown it has the necessary expertise to make reliable skeleton watches devoid of unwanted flex. This characteristic is particularly impressive considering the ultra-thin profile of the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune.
The Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune displays hours and minutes with clean, unfussy blue hands and features a double moon-phase, positioned at 6 o’clock. The case measures 39.5mm in diameter and is formed of Grade 5 titanium. This lightweight alloy is strong, resistant to corrosion and hypoallergenic. The alloy is very difficult to process, costing more to mill than stainless steel or gold. However, as Hermès has already shown, it is not afraid of technical challenges when it provides tangible benefits for its clients. Augmenting the inventory of metals employed, Hermès has made the crown from white gold and executed the bezel in platinum.
Once again, Hermès has shown that it is a highly capable watch company and its timepieces are worthy of the legendary Parisian marque.
The brand’s press release
The Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune mingles simplicity with informality and demanding details with the daring use of contrasting materials as well as stylistic crossovers. This model with its pure lines carved from ultra-light titanium is joining the Slim d’Hermès collection, created in 2015.
Image – © copyright Joel Von Allmen
The round case and angular lugs of the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune exemplify a blend of rigorous discipline and optimal balance, playing with paradoxes, hovering between touches that are at once classical and contemporary, understated and assertive. In a clever juxtaposition of materials, the bead-blasted titanium case-middle is topped by a precious platinum bezel and a white gold crown, creating subtle light and texture effects. The deep shades of the skeletonised dial, accentuated by an airy architecture and alternating matt and glossy finishes, express both the character and the refinement of this beautiful horological object.
In keeping with the cosmic and dreamlike dimension of Hermès time, a double Moon, also openworked, completes this light and easily legible ensemble, swept over be slender blue hands matching the stitching on the alligator leather strap. The hours, minutes and moon phases beat to the rhythm of the ultra-thin self-winding Hermès H1953 Manufacture movement, adorned with the ‘sprinkling of Hs’ motif. The finely fashioned movement, case and strap are crafted by artisans in the Hermès Horloger workshops, based on the inherent skills of the Maison.
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