To celebrate the 35th anniversary of its Arceau watch, Hermès is offering us a veritable moonlit poem. The rules of its famed timepiece, created by Henri d’Origny, are being delicately and wisely reinvested. Dreamlike and feminine, the new Arceau Petite Lune is smaller and more complicated all at the same time. With a diameter of 38 mm, it shows off the different phases of the moon within its black or white nacre dial.
Anchored in tradition, it boasts a steel casing as round and embellished with asymmetric attachment as ever. Its silhouette illustrates the roundness of the caliper, a theme known to be one of Hermès signature flourishes. As for the hours, they are drawn in inclined Arab numerals, a graphical nod to the original model. The nacre dial gives an iridescent effect, like a surface that is perpetually lit up by lunar light. At the top-left, an inlay on a dark blue background makes an appearance, revealing the stars and the facets of the moon. Its mechanical caliber with automatic rewinding capabilities is expounded on with a Dubois-Dépraz Petite Lune module. Throughout the lunar phases, the days are sequenced and indicated in a small hoop with a rhodium periphery. Fresh and subtle, the watch is dressed up with an alligator skin bracelet, in indigo, elephant grey, or black. The leather is treated with saddle-stitching, a renowned craftsmanship technique of the brand.
A fabulous and never-before-seen creation, the Petite Lune is set to kick of Baselworld, the world salon of watchmaking and jewelry, that will take place in Basel, Switzerland from April 25th to May 2nd, 2013. Hermès is setting itself up like its eponymous Greek god; a divine being of voyages and epistles, inviting itself into the dreamy world of the moon goddess Selene. A romantic, dreamy adventure awaits…
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