(#defsoneanddone) One & Done: Chapter Two - Hermes
Foreword
Hello again, Crunchers! If you're new here, I'm exploring the top 20 best-selling watch brands of 2022 (as seen on GQ Australia) and answering the question: If I could only have one watch from this brand FOREVER, which one would I pick?
Today we are looking at Hermes, but if you want to see my previous article where I covered Bvlgari, follow #defsoneanddone or click the link here!
As always, tell me what you think! What watch from this brand would YOU want forever? I'd love to hear from you!
#19: Hermes – Arceau Le Temps Voyageur
I’ve talked to literally tens of watch people.
Yes, just tens – I don’t know a lot of watch people.
And everyone seems to love a great variety of watches from different brands. But what I haven’t seen yet is more people talking about what Hermes is doing in the world of haute horlogerie. The world must still be asking themselves: Are Hermes heavily investing money into their watchmaking division just to be taken seriously as a horo-curious fashion brand? Or are they just trying to distract rich husbands from the peril of not being able to get that Valentine’s Day Birkin for their foreign wives?
If you took one look at the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur, you would know that the answer for both is a definitive “Yes.” This 38mm wide, 12mm thick offering from the leather goods brand is as amazing in the pictures as it is to behold in person.
I assumed that last bit – I haven’t had the honour of being able to gaze upon the beauty of this stunning and unique timepiece.
Personally, it was surprisingly hard to pick between this one and the H08, but while the H08 is a very modern and contemporary take on watchmaking and design, the ALTV (Arceau Le Temps Voyageur abbreviated) uses its design language to embody the romanticism and the spirit of travel. As said by Hermes themselves:
Translation: We make the tiny dial rotate around to show you the time at whatever timezone you are currently in. Your home time is at the top. Pretty, cool, huh?
I really like this watch for the same reasons I love the Montblanc Nicholas Rieussec Chronograph GMT – the design of both timepieces, to me, evoke the nostalgic images of a certain time since passed – when you could fly from New York to Paris for fifty bucks and smoke the fattest Cuban on the plane for the entire trip. Ah, adventure.
In any case, the unique engineering, plus the design, plus the associated reputation of two GPHG awards would make the ATLV in either colour a suitable forever partner to my wrist. All they have to do now is come up with a shorter name for it. You too, Montblanc.
In the next chapter, I give you my thoughts on Chopard, and the one watch from them I would want forever! be sure to follow #defsoneanddone if you're interested in keeping up!
I am not Gerald Genta. I like to draw watch ideas. They usually suck. #defsnotgenta for more.
Thanks for the write up, I appreciate learning a little about brands like Hermes that I’m not too familiar with.
That said, here’s not a lot that appeals to me at this end of the list. Maybe my tastes are just too mainstream to find much from the #15-20 brands. Not to say they aren’t doing interesting things, but “interesting” won’t make the money fly out of my wallet.
Thanks for the write up, I appreciate learning a little about brands like Hermes that I’m not too familiar with.
That said, here’s not a lot that appeals to me at this end of the list. Maybe my tastes are just too mainstream to find much from the #15-20 brands. Not to say they aren’t doing interesting things, but “interesting” won’t make the money fly out of my wallet.
It’s for that same reason why I started at the very bottom of the list.
I assume that the big boys like Rolex, Omega etc. will get more attention by default so I’m using this area as an opportunity to enhance my own article-writing skills and hopefully educate others about the lesser known gems of the horological world :)
That way, I can write a more entertaining piece for when I do end up taking the bigger brands on!
This is one of those examples of things that are awesome but not for me, mainly because I can't stand watches that subjugate the actual clock face to a small portion of dial space. Hermes perhaps gets slighted the most unfairly as being a fashion watch. Clearly, as you state, they are doing things that outclass the more familiar names.
I like the lugs, but I'd go (deep breath) Slim d'Hermès Quantieme Perpetuel. Note that their website, to which I am not a frequent visitor, has an "Exceptional Timepieces" section separate from their humdrum "Watches" which made this hard to find despite knowing it existed from a few years back.
It’s for that same reason why I started at the very bottom of the list.
I assume that the big boys like Rolex, Omega etc. will get more attention by default so I’m using this area as an opportunity to enhance my own article-writing skills and hopefully educate others about the lesser known gems of the horological world :)
That way, I can write a more entertaining piece for when I do end up taking the bigger brands on!
That's sound logic. I'd hesitate to write anything about Rolex or Omega. I mean, what is there to say? Looking forward to the next 10 or so, I'm probably not too familiar with them.
This is one of those examples of things that are awesome but not for me, mainly because I can't stand watches that subjugate the actual clock face to a small portion of dial space. Hermes perhaps gets slighted the most unfairly as being a fashion watch. Clearly, as you state, they are doing things that outclass the more familiar names.
I like the lugs, but I'd go (deep breath) Slim d'Hermès Quantieme Perpetuel. Note that their website, to which I am not a frequent visitor, has an "Exceptional Timepieces" section separate from their humdrum "Watches" which made this hard to find despite knowing it existed from a few years back.
That’s a killer watch, no lie. Can’t believe I didn’t know it existed - I’d have picked that too!