Considered one of the most sophisticated luxury retailers, Hermès is known for its exquisite craftsmanship and fearless artistic flair. The Maison’s unique style, cultivated by current creative director Philippe Delhotal, is often transversal, taking design elements from one product line and incorporating them into another. Recently, Hermès watchmaking has taken inspiration from the brand’s famous Silk Scarf line for its dials. The latest quartet of Slim d’Hermès models draw on a range of silk scarves designed by artist Pierre Marie and brought to life with a variety of artisans.
Pierre Marie has been a creative partner of Hermès since 2009. His quartet of scarf designs – The Rite of the Seasons – personifies each season with a fantastical animal performing a dance step. Inspired by the baroque costumes that Henri de Gissey wore for the ballet “Les Fêtes de Bacchus” in the 17th centuryTh Century and the exotic, colorful costumes that Leon Bakst created for the Ballets Russes in the early 1920s, Pierre Marie’s imaginary animals are richly dressed.
The elegant 39.5mm Slim d’Hermès dress watch, designed by Philippe Delhotal in 2015, was chosen as the stage for the performance. The watch is characterized by its clean lines and slim profile and is equipped with the ultra-thin 2.6 mm Vaucher manufacture caliber H1950 with micro rotor.
Using the brand’s extensive craftsmanship, each dial is decorated using a different technique. The winter model features a white gold case set with 52 baguette-cut diamonds depicting a wolf. Using a miniature enamel painting, the ice wolf is captured leaping through a wintry scene while offering a golden fruit in his left hand. The beautiful combination of blue tones used to depict the enamel scenery is complemented by a series of golden relief details, the result of the delicate art of paillonné enamel. Paillonné involves inserting extremely thin gold foil to highlight a specific area, which is then covered with translucent enamel. You can admire the intricate work on the Ice Wolf’s cape, the details of his costume and the fruits.
A horse represents spring with a beautiful flower-studded coat framed by a rose gold case with 66 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel. The apple green chrysoprase dial forms the background for the impressive miniature painting depicting the horse. Rather than a flat representation, the artist applied paint layer by layer to create relief and bring the flowers and horse to life.
As the seasons progress, the color palette becomes more vibrant and summer explodes with a vibrant color palette of bright yellows, greens, oranges and pinks. Summer is represented by a lion whose mane emits rays of light and wears a collar made of sunrays. The lion has a more modern stance, making the peace sign with his left hand while holding two cherries in his right hand. The lion is housed in a white gold case with 66 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel. It is engraved in sapphire crystal and painted from the back of the dial, highlighting the bright lemon chrysoprase and bright colors of the scene.
Completing the seasons is the dial, dedicated to the rich colors and textures of autumn, framed by a white gold case. The animal representing autumn is a majestic eagle, hand-carved in gold using traditional gravers and chisels. The micro-relief engraving is highlighted by a vibrant color palette of rose, auburn, pink, orange and gold, also carefully applied by hand. While he is in mid-dance, his wings and cuffs are represented by a swirl of autumn leaves, while his arms are adorned with swirling gold ribbons.
The four Le Sacre des Saisons Slim d’Hermès models are limited editions of 12 pieces and are accompanied by Hermès alligator straps. The price is on request. For more information, visit Hermes.com.
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