It looks like Hermes will single-handedly put the wonder in the Watches and Wonders 2024 fair with an incredible creation, the Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé. Breathing new life into Henri d’Origny’s original design from 1978, wrapping the asymmetrical stirrup lugs and round shape around the 43mm case of the new reference encased in newness of aesthetics and novelty in craftsmanship. The stupendous timepiece is limited to just 24 pieces, but those two dozen watch lovers will revel in the loveliness of an overlapping striped guilloché motif dial in tones of noir with an anthracite coating.
A sapphire dome sheaths the triple-axis tourbillon, with a double ‘H’ carriage covering the masterpiece. The Manufacture Hermès H1926 movement, a mechanical manual-winding masterpiece, offers a 48-hour power reserve and comprises 563 components, including 54 jewels.
The chiming minute repeater is an alluring aspect of the luxury timepiece that declares the hours, quarter-hours, and minutes, using U-shaped ‘tuning-fork’ gongs and mirror-polished horse-shaped hammers, visible through a transparent sapphire crystal back shaped like a horse with its mane. Talk about paying an hourly ode to the luxury house’s equestrian heritage, and you won’t find anything better than the Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé.
The honor is truly in the details. Arabic numerals for the hours and minutes are displayed on the ring with a sunburst finish while the power-reserve indicator at six o’clock is reminiscent of the watch’s autonomy. The bright blue claw-shaped hands maintain legibility when the wearer is mesmerized by all the action packed inside the 43 mm case.
The Arceau Duc Attelé comes in titanium or rose gold, in a limited number of 24. It is perfectly complemented by a matte anthracite or abyss blue alligator strap.
