SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

1 0 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he global fashion giant Hermès has built an empire of highly successful métiers, or product divisions, all from early beginnings as a supplier of high-quality bridles, saddles and leather goods. La Montre Hermès, the watchmaking métier, has become renowned for its poetic approach to modern timepieces, combining technical artistry with whimsical concepts and romantic notions. The Hermès Arceau L’Heure de la Lune is another stunning example of the brand’s unique approach to watchmaking. The watch has two variants: one dial is in blue aventurine and the other in black meteorite, and both models feature two full moons, which represent the northern and southern hemispheres. One sweeping sub dial displays minutes and hours, the other shows the date. As the discs make their orbit across the dial, they eclipse the moons in accordance with the actual moon phases, completing their full revolution once every 59 days. The hemispherical moons are created in mother-of- pearl. Following the space-related theme, the dials have been either using blue aventurine or black meteorite and provide an excellent backdrop for the rotating black or white discs which display the date and time. At 12 o’clock, the moon is adorned by a Pegasus created by Dimitri Rybaltchenko. On the other side, at 6 o’clock, the view of the moon from the northern hemisphere provides a realistic depiction of its surface. This journey of the dials is choreographed by a module exclusively developed for Hermès and for which a patent has been filed. The movement was crafted by Jean-Francois Mojon specifically for these watches alone. With a total thickness of just 4.2mm, it has 117 polished and bead-blasted components that are incorporated within the Hermès H1837 movement: a technical challenge designed to preserve the slenderness of the overall mobile chassis. The Arceau case with its asymmetrical lugs, designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, becomes a lunar crater made of meteorite stone or aventurine, while the lacquered dials, gravitating like satellites, display Arabic numerals with a distinctive sloping font. This Haute Horlogerie timepiece is issued in two 100- piece limited editions, and fitted with a matt alligator strap in graphite grey or abyss blue.