Posted on

hermès cape cod long double tour strap watch

It was during the Martin Margiela years at hermès cape cod long double tour strap watch that the now-famous, and much desired, “double tour” strap came to be. Recognisable for being extra long so it can wrap around the wrist, it was an unexpected hit, which has since been used by Apple in its team-up with the historic maison.

Margiela, who was at Hermès from 1997 to 2003, introduced the design in 1998: the idea was simple, to make the strap longer than usual. Which actually made it very fashionable, contesting traditional styles in the watch market which seemed out-dated by comparison.  The strap originally featured on the Cape Cod design, a unisex and sporty style that has a square face. It looked as though it was a cool styling trick. So no wonder, when Hermès and Apple collaborated on their fashion-tech venture, an Hermès Apple watch, the double tour made an appearance again.

In terms of straps and watch bands, the hermès cape cod long double tour strap watch collection offers many types of straps using several different materials such as calfskin leather to alligator leather and even a few models with stainless steel mesh bracelets.

Time and time again Hermes demonstrated their ability to design and produce some inventive and very stylish watches and possibly with the best leather straps you can get. A replacement “Double Tour” Hermes watch strap, like the one depicted on this watch, would cost about $200.

As with many of Hermes’ leather products, the hermès cape cod long double tour strap watch that are fitted with their leather straps often have tasteful vibrant colors such as royal blue, magenta, teal, violet, orange, yellow and a soft pale pink, while many other watches have more conservative hues on their straps such as black and brown and even a dark blue.

In summary, this is a very special collection of watches with something for just about anyone. Click below to browse the entire collection.

Posted on

Hermès Cape Cod Watch Larger Model 37mm

Today we’ll discuss a collection of watches called Hermes Cape Cod. In this review, you’ll discover why the Hermes Cape Cod watch found its way into the hearts of so many.
Hermes is known around the world for their luxury leather products such as handbags, purses, wallets, and belts, their fragrances, and their luxury silk scarves. Because of this, most people don’t associate the brand with their luxury watch collections, but they should. Today we’ll be reviewing one of their larger and more popular collections; the Hemes Cape Cod.

One of the features of the Hermes Cape Cod watch which is most certainly worth mentioning is the case shape. Aside from the rounded rectangle-shaped case, that is. While this is the single most distinguishable feature in the design, there is a more practical shape to the case when glancing at the profile of the watch. The case back has a curvature that conforms to your wrist allowing for very comfortable wear.

Another noticeable signature feature of the Cape Cod watches from Hermes is the font used on the dials. It’s not your typical font and the rounded edge Arabic numeral style is a perfect match to the rounded rectangular case shape.
The watch depicted just above in this article is the Hermes Cape Cod TG, a medium sized ladies’ quartz model at a 29mm x 29mm case size. It uses a Double Tour strap which wraps around the wrist twice and is crafted to perfection, the kind of quality you can expect from a brand like Hermes.

While most of the watches in the Hermes Cape Cod watch collection are sized for a ladies’ wrist there are several men’s watches in this collection as well. A good example is the Cape Cod Automatic Large TGM which uses the Hermes manufacture H1912 automatic movement. This is the only size that has an Automatic movement. All other sizes are powered by a quartz movement.

A distinguishable feature of the mechanical Hermes Cape Code watches is the guilloche textured dials. This is a raised waffle pattern stamped in the center of the dial which looks like a miniaturized version of the tapisserie dials found on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore watches. These double wraparound watch straps became a growing trend with Hermes, and they can be found in several collections such as the Hermes Kelly watch collection, the H Hour collection the Cape Cod Tonneau watch series and of course, the Cape Cod watch collection that we’re reviewing here.

Hermès has already proven that they are capable of producing in-house movements. Some great examples would be the Hermès caliber H1912 which can be found in the Hermes Carré H series and the Hermes H1925 caliber found in the Hermes Arceau Squelette Automatic TGM series.
The dials in the Hermes Cape Cod Collection vary depending on the subseries. While the automatic model depicted above features a square-shaped textured guilloche dial located in the center with the printed second’s track displayed in an inner chapter ring, this is rare as most watches in this collection have a smooth and clean dial color. Some of the higher end ladies’ models have a lovely mother of pearl dial and many models feature diamond hour markers and diamond paved cases.
In terms of straps and watch bands, the Hermes Cape Cod watch collection offers many types of straps using several different materials such as calfskin leather to alligator leather and even a few models with stainless steel mesh bracelets.

Time and time again Hermes demonstrated their ability to design and produce some inventive and very stylish watches and possibly with the best leather straps you can get. A replacement “Double Tour” Hermes watch strap, like the one depicted on this watch, would cost about $450.

As with many of Hermes’ leather products, the watches that are fitted with their leather straps often have tasteful vibrant colors such as royal blue, magenta, teal, violet, orange, yellow and a soft pale pink, while many other watches have more conservative hues on their straps such as black and brown and even a dark blue.

In summary, this is a very special collection of watches with something for just about anyone. Click below to browse the entire collection.

Posted on

Hermès Cape Cod Chaine d’Ancre Joaillier Watch

Today we’ll discuss a collection of watches called Hermes Cape Cod. In this review, you’ll discover why the Cape Cod watch found its way into the hearts of so many.

Hermes is known around the world for their luxury leather products such as handbags, purses, wallets, and belts, their fragrances, and their luxury silk scarves. Because of this, most people don’t associate the brand with their luxury watch collections, but they should. Today we’ll be reviewing one of their larger and more popular collections; the Hermes Cape Cod.

One of the features of the Hermes Cape Cod which is most certainly worth mentioning is the case shape. Aside from the rounded rectangle-shaped case, that is. While this is the single most distinguishable feature in the design, there is a more practical shape to the case when glancing at the profile of the watch. The case back has a curvature that conforms to your wrist allowing for very comfortable wear.

Another noticeable signature feature of the Cape Cod watches from Hermes is the font used on the dials. It’s not your typical font and the rounded edge Arabic numeral style is a perfect match to the rounded rectangular case shape.

The watch depicted just above in this article is the Hermes Cape Cod TG, a medium sized ladies’ quartz model at a 29mm x 29mm case size. It uses a Double Tour strap which wraps around the wrist twice and is crafted to perfection, the kind of quality you can expect from a brand like Hermes.

While most of the watches in the Hermes Cape Cod collection are sized for a ladies’ wrist there are several men’s watches in this collection as well. A good example is the Cape Cod Automatic Large TGM which uses the Hermes manufacture H1912 automatic movement. This is the only size that has an Automatic movement. All other sizes are powered by a quartz movement.

A distinguishable feature of the mechanical Hermes Cape Cod watches is the guilloche textured dials. This is a raised waffle pattern stamped in the center of the dial which looks like a miniaturized version of the tapisserie dials found on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore watches.

These double wraparound watch straps became a growing trend with Hermes, and they can be found in several collections such as the Hermes Kelly watch collection, the H Hour collection the Cape Cod Tonneau watch series and of course, the Cape Cod watch collection that we’re reviewing here.

Hermès has already proven that they are capable of producing in-house movements. Some great examples would be the Hermès caliber H1912 which can be found in the Hermes Carré H series and the Hermes H1925 caliber found in the Hermes Arceau Squelette Automatic TGM series.

The dials in the Hermes Cape Cod Collection vary depending on the subseries. While the automatic model depicted above features a square-shaped textured guilloche dial located in the center with the printed second’s track displayed in an inner chapter ring, this is rare as most watches in this collection have a smooth and clean dial color. Some of the higher end ladies’ models have a lovely mother of pearl dial and many models feature diamond hour markers and diamond paved cases.

In terms of straps and watch bands, the Cape Cod collection offers many types of straps using several different materials such as calfskin leather to alligator leather and even a few models with stainless steel mesh bracelets.

Time and time again Hermes demonstrated their ability to design and produce some inventive and very stylish watches and possibly with the best leather straps you can get. A replacement “Double Tour” Hermes watch strap, like the one depicted on this watch, would cost about $450.

As with many of Hermes’ leather products, the watches that are fitted with their leather straps often have tasteful vibrant colors such as royal blue, magenta, teal, violet, orange, yellow and a soft pale pink, while many other watches have more conservative hues on their straps such as black and brown and even a dark blue.

In summary, this is a very special collection of watches with something for just about anyone. Click below to browse the entire collection.

Posted on

Hermès Cape Cod Crepuscule Watch

Hermès has called on the services of one of Switzerland’s foremost silicon experts for a creative project sculpted using nanotechnology.

Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), which has developed technical silicon-based watchmaking solutions for Patek Philippe, Girard-Perregaux and Swatch Group, first met with Hermès in 2018 to discuss the venture.

The decision was made to create a dial from a silicon wafer featuring the “intimate and refined Crépuscule” motif from design and graphic artist, Thanh-Phong Lê.

The Hermes Cape Cod crépuscule appearance and color of silicon is dependent on how much of the material is deposited on the 0.5mm thick dial plate during production, allowing “an infinite palette of subtle and unique shades.”

Through photolithography, blue light is used to print the motif before a final “gold-coating stage.”

The 29mm x 29mm stainless steel case is paired with a blue calfskin strap, while a quartz movement keeps time.
In 1991, the Hermes Cape Cod crépuscule watch was born beneath the bold pencil strokes of Henri d’Origny. With its “square in a rectangle” case formed by two anchor chain half-links, Cape Cod now welcomes a dial with a singular aesthetic uniting and revealing two ordinarily distinct worlds.
I
n 2018, Hermès initiated a meeting with the Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) as part of its search for a technological innovation that would be dedicated to creativity. This gave rise to a project for a dial made from a silicon wafer, which was to feature the intimate and refined «Crépuscule» (dusk) motif by designer-graphic artist Thanh-Phong Lê.

Used in microelectronics for its semiconductor properties, the silicon wafer was chosen here for its purely aesthetic qualities, representing a first. Depending on the amount of material deposited during production, its colour varies across an infinite palette of subtle and unique shades. This highly technological process is carried out by specialised engineers in the CSEM labs.

The dials of the Hermes Cape Cod crépuscule are created from a single 0.5 mm thick plate, which is coated in an extremely precise manner with a tiny (72-nanometre) film of silicon nitride to obtain the desired intense blue colour.

Posted on

Hermès Arceau H Deco

Hermès announces two new Hermes Arceau watches with mother-of-pearl marquetry and gemsetting. Framed by a gold and diamond case, the H déco motif inspired by the eponymous Hermès tableware appears as a distinctive decorative interpretation, while the dial centre bearing a double H twirls in step with wrist movements.

The Hermes Arceau watches, designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, highlights two crafts in a new creation imbued with the Art Deco spirit. Crafted from mother-ofpearl marquetry and set with diamonds, a dial with a moving heart reinterprets the H déco pattern of the porcelain tableware: a black and white motif inspired by the ironwork adorning the boutique on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.

In the centre, slender hands sweep over two intertwined Hs, stamped on a mother-of-pearl disc that twirls to the rhythm of the wrist movements. In a contrasting duo, the black version is lit up by gemset hoops; while the white version, paved with 432 diamonds, is marked with arched gold decorative fillets. This meticulous work accomplished by the Hermès artisans requires two days of work for a single dial. The white gold base is first sculpted in preparation for the mother-of-pearl inlay, and then polished. The mother-of-pearl artisan carefully puts in place each fragment of the motif cut to just 0.2 mm thick and the gemsetter finally adorns it with several hundred diamonds.

Housing a mechanical self-winding Manufacture Hermès movement, the discreet round case with its asymmetrical lugs is lit up by two rows of diamonds, as well as a rose-cut diamond on the crown. It is topped by a sapphire crystal engraved with the Hermès logo that appears to be levitating. Its stirrup-inspired lugs secure it to a smooth black alligator strap crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops, as too is the white gold case.

The Hermes Arceau watches, designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, highlights two crafts in a new creation imbued with the Art Deco spirit. Crafted from mother-of- pearl marquetry and set with diamonds, a dial with a moving heart reinterprets the H déco pattern of the porcelain tableware: a black and white motif inspired by the ironwork adorning the boutique on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.

Posted on

Hermès Arceau Petite Lune Watch

Doing anything different that doesn’t smack of trying too hard is really tough in the world of watch design. In 1978, Henri D’Origny did just that. And the Hermès Arceau Petite Lune is the perfect expression of that genius.

The Hermès Arceau Petite Lune family of watches is known for three things: its asymmetrical lugs, its sloping dial, and its slanted Arabic numerals, which are supposed to communicate the speed of a galloping horse. The latter reason is the whimsical justification of an elegant typeface (nicely applied here through powered transfer); the second improves legibility but does little to alter the head-on character of the watch; the former, however, is an absolute masterstroke of design.

Not only does it give the Hermès Arceau watches a unique silhouette, but it also ensures a snug fit to the wrist. This lug form is particularly useful for Hermès’ larger, more complicated watches as it keeps them wearable. The Hermès Arceau Petite Lune may not be the largest watch from the French brand, but at 38mm for a ladies timepiece, it is not the most diminutive either.

With the release of the Hermès Arceau Petite Lune, the Arceau collection gets a brand new watch that widens the target demographic by reducing the diameter but not the level of horological interest. It is nice to see a brand that is too often dismissed as a fashion brand dig in its heels and release such a tasteful and mechanically interesting watch.

This new release sees a totally new dial released alongside two case options and a wealth of opportunities to accessorize your new timepiece. The silvery, opaline dial is in stark, muted contrast to the far more overtly feminine mother of pearl we’ve seen before. If you look at this dial really, really closely, you’ll be able to see that it is decorated with little tiny flecks of silver that catch the light. I’ve not had this watch on my wrist, but I’d wager it would give out some serious sparkle.

The Hermès Arceau Petite Lune stainless steel case is available in two styles — either polished or set with 70 diamonds, amounting to a total carat weight of 0.81. Once that decision has been made, you’ll be presented with a cavalcade of leather bands to choose from. I’m not kidding — there are ten options: matte alligator in either etoupe or Chantilly, or polished alligator in ultraviolet, sapphire blue, black, elephant gray, raspberry, orange, ember alligator, and polished black currant alligator. It pays to be thorough, I suppose.

The Hermès Arceau Petite Lune is powered by the manufacture caliber H1837. Features include a modular moon phase complication and a date, indicated via the 6 o’clock sub-dial. The pointer date is a nice touch. It allows the dial to remain balanced and for all the typography to remain on the same page, as it were. A date window might have broken up the tranquil, feminine dial, and made proceedings unnecessarily masculine.

Without a doubt, the star of this show is the cheeky little moon face that can be seen pouting at the world from the press shots included in this article. This is a direct call back to an Hermès scarf named “Acte III, Scène I, la Clairière…” This particular style of moon face was designed by Franco-German artist Édouard Baribeaud, who was openly inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The new Hermès Arceau Petite Lune is a positive addition to an already wide collection. Releases of this nature really underpin the brand’s desire to be taken seriously as a watchmaker. And it is about time. Hermès has been producing quality watches, often with high-level complications, for years.

One of the nicest things about this new release for me is the fact it is in stainless steel. It makes sense from the brand’s perspective, but it does have the look of a watch that could very well have been conceived in white gold (especially with the addition of the diamond bezel). Although prices for these new models are not yet, we can speculate that they will be in the same ballpark as the existing mother of pearl dial model (which features 60 larger diamonds on the bezel, amounting to 1 carat).

Posted on

Hermès Faubourg Watch

The miniaturised Hermès Faubourg Watch model presented by Hermès in 2014 has inspired the quintessential design of the Faubourg Polka: a mother-of-pearl dial framed by a dainty round case. The entirely redesigned bracelet consists of interwoven dots and oblique lines.

The miniaturised Hermès Faubourg Watch model presented by Hermès in 2014 has inspired the quintessential design of the Faubourg Polka: a mother-of-pearl dial framed by a dainty round case. Its entirely redesigned bracelet consists of interwoven dots and oblique lines, as if its curves were going off on a tangent, as if its lines were wary of excessive straightness. It thus sets the pace of time with a sense of total freedom as its lines and dots invent a new language, whose punctuation and grammar tell the tale of a far-sighted present. Available in five versions – white or rose gold, gem-set or entirely paved with Hermès Faubourg Watch diamonds –, this jewellery watch draws in equal measure on fine craftsmanship and abstract art

Posted on

Hermès Nantucket Watch

It’s a chain reaction. Reintroducing the Hermès Nantucket watch — now, linked up to a Chaîne d’ancre bracelet.

Chains are having a bit of a moment. Thick, robust curb chains meet slinky snake chains meet dinky little box links in genres that span to jewellery, accessories, and handbag hardware. It’s utility, transformed through time — softening, even — into an aesthetic that flirts with subtlety and elegance.

The Hermès Nantucket watch — designed by Henri d’Origny in 1991 alongside the square-cased Cape Cod — is immediately recognisable today with its infamous ‘rectangle within a rectangle’ case; a link-chain shape meant to evoke the House’s signature Chaîne d’ancre motif, which dates even further back to 1938. New for 2021, the Hermès Nantucket watch unfastens from its single- and double-tour leather strap and, instead, links up with a Chaîne d’ancre bracelet. A true meeting of House codes that tethers past to present.

This new anchor-chained presentation pushes the Hermès Nantucket watch closer towards the territory of high jewellery. It’s a decadent sense of occasion; one made even more so with a spray of diamonds — alongside the case on the rose-gold; a jeté dusting atop the steel — that infuses a dash of that always-welcomed moment of sparkle.

Find subtle variations between the rose-gold and steel Hermès Nantucket watch; the former glistens with a natural white mother-of-pearl dial (with or without diamond-set chatons) while the latter takes aim for modernity with sandblasted rhodium- and opaline silver-plated dials.

Posted on

Hermès Galop d’Hermès Watch

The Hermès Galop d’Hermès Watch created in 2019 embodies a singular creative approach. It revisits the equestrian codes of the Maison with its stirrup inspired curve and appears in a new small-sized gold or steel interpretation. Galop d’Hermès was born from the detailed observations of Californian designer Ini Archibong, who immersed himself in the Hermès Conservatory of Creations. Bits, stirrups, bridles, harnesses: he blends his distinctive, bright and pared-down style with the avant-gardism and functional simplicity of Hermès objects. Closely bound up with the Mai son’s equestrian repertoire, Hermès Galop d’Hermès Watch morphs into a jewellery watch, lending its stirrup-like silhouette to three new Small Models (20 x 27.2 mm): one in non-gemset steel and two others in steel or rose gold adorned with 134 diamonds. Its curved case with its softened angles frames a generous dial punctuated by variously sized Arabic numerals. These are larger on the lower part of the display, expressing a sense of movement and perspective. Vividly evoking the speed and freedom of galloping, the progressive font – powdered and finely accentuated by touches of anthracite – stands out against a sandblasted background, while the hands sweep gently over a smooth opalescent surface. In a final nod to the world of horses, the 8 o’clock numeral forms the shape of an inverted stirrup. A calfskin or alligator strap crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops prolongs the flowing nature of this creation’s aerodynamic and futuristic design.
A man’s view on the very feminine Galop d’Hermès. This is NOT a technical review in the usual Deployant style, but an attempt to journey into the world of feminine watches. The Hermès Galop d’Hermès Watch is a design by Ini Archibong, and a result of his observations on the bits, stirrups and harness in the Conservatoire des créations Hermès. The design inspiration is from the objects in the equestrian harness collection. He grasped the design intent – the inguinity and technicality, balance and distills it into the essence which becomes the Galop. The avant-garde nature and beauty is not lost, and the result is a product of very fine elegance.

That Hermès Galop d’Hermès Watch was a distill of the PR blurb that came with the release. Done in the way, which I think Ini Archibong, a young American designer used in distilling the design of the equestrian objects into the watch.

Posted on

Hermès Carre H Watch

The Hermes Carré H is an usual square watch that has been a part of Hermès’s collection since 2010, when furniture designer Marc Berthier first created it for the company. It has a slightly curved profile that both helps it sit close to the wrist and balances it out visually. These two new models of the Carré H maintain the basic shape, though it’s been upsized to 38mm x 38mm (from 36.5mm x 36.5mm) and the grey and black dials feature cross hatch guilloché in the center that plays with the light in a really interesting way. Little pops of color on the seconds hands add some additional levity and the overall effect is at once precise and playful. Hermes Carré H has a long history of working with outside designers to create really special products (including this incredible Atmos clock designed with Jaeger-LeCoultre and this pen by Marc Newson). Berthier is a truly world-class designer, having created products with the likes of Knoll, Ligne Roset, and Thonet, not to mention having his work in the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York City. One of the signatures for this watch is the numerals, all of which are two digits, in a typeface unique to this watch.

I’m a fan of Berthier and am familiar with his work outside this Hermes Carré H watch – if you are too, you’re probably going to be into this watch. It’s studied, but doesn’t take itself too seriously, which, for me, is when Hermes Carré H is at its very best. It’s a tough line to walk, and almost nobody does it better than the Parisian luxury house. My only real complaint here is the size of the watch. While 38mm is an excellent diameter for a round watch, 38mm square is rather large, and the Carré H isn’t overly slim either. I really like the design of the dial in both colors, but for me it would work better in the original 36.5mm x 36.5mm size better.