Hermès Focus

Life is but a journey, measured not by years but the uncountable memories created as time goes by. Minutes melt into hours, into days and months; the world continues to spin on its axis. Time, it seems, falls by the wayside once you really start to appreciate life’s moments.

The Arceau le temps suspendu timepiece by Hermès is a homage to the drifting of time, of those moments where the hands on the clock seem to slow down and fall away from consciousness. Indeed, in a dynamic new move, the new watch features a pushbutton embedded in its case that, when pressed, brings the hour and minute hands to a halt close to 12 o’clock – “time” stops, but life goes on.

In reality, behind the watchface lies a sophisticated mechanism patented by Hermès – a series of clever engineering ingenuities that orchestrate a unique horological complication unique to the brand. While it may appear that the hands of time have stopped, behind the pirouettes lies a different story – the 360° retrograde hour and minute mechanism, coordinated by two synchronised column wheels, is what allows time to march invisibly on while the surface tells otherwise. With this, Hermès has not only mastered the art of time, but its storytelling.

Imagine a world where life is not confined by the frigidness of the unrelenting minute and hour hands, where enjoyment is to be relished without a deadline. The Arceau Le temps suspendu is a small rebellion against the established rituals of daily life, where a simple click of a button can create a timeless interlude amidst the chaos.

The wearer is, however, always in control. Once the button is pushed once more, time catches up with a lively hand spinning backwards on the small sub-dial, showing 24 graduations  ­– a hint at a 24 hour day, perhaps, or a subtle nod to Hermès’s address in Paris on 24 Fauborg St Honore.

The simple beauty of Arceau Le temps suspendu is established by its remarkably clean aesthetics, marked by a silvered opaline dial (which can be presented with or without white natural mother-of-pearl), upon which the hours curve and dip slightly to the right around the watchface – a hint of time moving ever forward. A textured circular-grained and snailed mainplate has a blank slice carved out at 12 o’clock, almost as a reference to that empty hour where time is, and can be, stopped. A steel edition and rose gold version (both available with or without diamonds) are indeed some of the most luxurious, yet understated, timepieces we have seen this year. To us, this represents a major feat by Hermès; not only have they demonstrated a remarkable show of elegance and beauty, but they have drawn our eyes back to that most luxurious commodity of all: time. 

Arceau Le temps suspendu, from HK$162,000 to HK$340,000