The new Arceau L'heure de la lune watch from Hermès is by all means, an offbeat expression of a classic horological complication, offering a unique vision of Earth's satellite with the simultaneous display of moon phases in both northern and southern hemispheres.
The display of double moons is a departure from the traditional aperture approach (i.e. through an opening that indicates the current moon phase). The result is a free-spirited and impertinent vision of mechanical watchmaking according to Hermès.
The displays of the moons in the northern and southern hemisphere have been mischievously swapped, with the former below and latter above.
The horse, representing the origins of Hermès, gallops elegantly into the world of dreams. At 12 o'clock, the moon is adorned by a Pegasus created by the "dreamer- designer" Dimitri Rybaltchenko. Entitled Pleine Lune (Full Moon), this portrayal of the winged horse hints at a passage between two worlds, where magic and reality merge.
On the other side, at 6 o'clock, the view of the moon from the northern hemisphere provides a realistic depiction of its surface.
The mobile counters displaying the time and date turn weightlessly to reveal the moon discs, while maintaining their horizontal orientation. This contemporary dance is choreographed by a module exclusively developed for Hermès, with patent pending.
With a total thickness of just 4.2 mm in a white gold case, its 117 polished and bead-blasted components are incorporated within the Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement: a technical challenge designed to preserve the slenderness of the overall mobile chassis, which sweeps around the dial in 59 days.
The mother-of-pearl moons set into the stone display the lunar cycles in the northern and southern hemispheres.
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.
The Arceau L'heure de la lune is issued in two 100-piece limited editions, and fitted with a matt alligator strap in graphite grey or abyss blue.
