Silk threads interweave with colourful leather fragments against a limpid enamel sky, bringing to life the first strides of a galloping horse – Hermès Arceau Mon Premier Galop.
Designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, the timeless Arceau watch revels in playing the transformation game. Epitomising Hermès style, its round case with stirrup-shaped lugs welcomes several highly creative and demanding artistic crafts. Enhanced with leather marquetry, silk threads and miniature painting, the Arceau Mon Premier Galop watch thus unites a diverse range of skills.
Its singular aesthetic reveals a joyful interpretation of the Mon Premier Galop shawl by artist Tong Ren. Fascinated by traditional basketry work, the Chinese-born designer combines simple lines, colour blocks and refined decorative-trimming motifs. His drawing depicts a horse moving across the sand, accompanied by a fluttering butterfly and lit up by a mischievous sun playing with the clouds. Its faltering gait imbued with a sense of fragility and daring evokes the moment of grace of those first steps of horseback.
This magical moment comes to life on the dial of the Arceau Mon Premier Galop watch with its 30-piece jigsaw-like nature uniting several skills deeply cherished by Hermès. The sky and the radiant sun are crafted in enamel, a meticulous technique that involves applying a multitude of enamel layers with a brush and drying them in a kiln to guarantee unique colours and contrasts.
Standing out against this radiant blue background, the horse composed of silk threads along with fine tesserae in various shades of leather that are first trimmed to just 0.5 mm thick. Individually assembled on the dial, the leather and silk threads form a delicate, colourful decor enlivened by a tiny hand-painted gold mobile applique.
Issued in a 24-piece limited edition, the Arceau Mon Premier Galop watch in white gold set with 82 diamonds beats to the rhythm of the Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement. The sapphire case-back reveals the finishes and the ‘sprinkling of Hs’ motif adorning the bridges and oscillating weight. Adding a final touch, a Zephyr blue Swift calfskin strap accentuates the play on light and textures adorning the watch face.
Hermès Arceau Mon Premier Galop Technical Specifications
Numbered limited edition of 24
Movement
- Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement
- Mechanical self-winding, crafted in Switzerland
- Diameter: 23.90 mm
- Thickness: 3.7 mm
- Power reserve: 50 hours
- Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4Hz
- Functions: hours, minutes
Case
- Round, diameter : 38 mm
- White gold, bezel set with 82 diamonds
- Anti-glare sapphire crystal and case-back
- Water resistance : 3 bar
Dial
- Leather marquetry and silk thread dial,
- Blue enamelled base,
- Hand-painted gold appliques
Strap
- Zephyr blue Swift calfskin
TIME, A HERMÈS OBJECT
Hermès creates objects. Objects shaped by the hands of artisans to make them true companions for those who wear them. Practical, functional and stemming from uncompromising expertise, they radiate the lightness of the unexpected. They make everyday life their playground, and each instant a uniquely special moment.
For Hermès, time is also an object. Its inherent tension is translated by the house into a singular characteristic. Rather than measuring, ordering, and seeking to control it, Hermès dares to explore another time, designed to arouse emotions, open up interludes and create spaces for spontaneity and recreation.