Hermès Galop d’Hermès watch
The Galop d’Hermès watch collection marks the first collaboration by Hermès with world renowned artist Ini Archibong.
Aged 35, born in Los Angeles to Nigerian parents and residing in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Ini Archibong embodies globalisation in design with subtlety and charisma. A graduate of the Lausanne Cantonal School of Art (ECAL) and the Environmental Design department of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, Ini Archibong grew up in a visual culture that combined the energy and the bold colours of West Africa with the golden reflective landscapes of Southern California.
Architecture, stories, mathematics and nature are his sources of inspiration. His creations include the Vernus lamp, an evocation of flower buds, the Cheshire sofa, a nod to the smile on Lewis Carroll’s cat, and the Galilée and Orion tables with their chromatic gradients. Ini Archibong’s work has been exhibited at the V&A Museum in London, as part of Homo Faber in Venice and of WantedDesign in New York, as well as at the SaloneSatellite and the Milan World Expo.
Galop d’Hermès was born of Ini Archibong’s detailed observations of bits, stirrups and harnesses in the Conservatoire des créations Hermès. The designer drew inspiration from every object and component of the harness collections. He grasped their ingenuity, their technicality, their perfect balance, their avant-garde nature – and thus their beauty.
Major design features of this new watch collection include its uni-sex appeal, aero-dynamically designed curved case with blurred corners, domed sapphire crystal offering the clear view of the dial for which Ini Archibong has designed a progressive typeface, the size of the numerals gradually unfurling, smaller and leaner at the front so as to create a sense of perspective. In a final mischievous touch, the 6 o’clock crown creates a symmetrical effect.
Technical details
Model in Diamond set stainless steel case
Dial
Grained silvered, opaline centre
Silver-powdered transferred Arabic numerals, dark grey contour
Rhodium-plated hands
Case
Designed by Ini Archibong
Shape inspired by the world of equestrian tack
316L steel set with 150 diamonds (≈ 0.66 ct) or non-gemset
40.8 × 26 mm, 10 mm interhorn width
Antiglare sapphire crystal
Water-resistant to 3 bar
Movement
Quartz, Swiss made
Functions
Hours, minutes
Strap
Barénia calfskin- Natural or black
Polished alligator – Sapphire blue, ember, raspberry, elephant grey or black
Matt alligator – étoupe
Pin buckle in 316L steel, 10 mm
Model in Diamond set Rose gold case
Dial
Grained silvered, opaline centre
Gilt-powdered transferred Arabic numerals, dark grey contour
Gilded hands
Case
Designed by Ini Archibong
Shape inspired by the world of equestrian tack
Rose gold set with 150 diamonds (≈ 0.66 ct) or non-gemset
40.8 × 26 mm, 10 mm interhorn width
Antiglare sapphire crystal
Water-resistant to 3 bar
Movement
Quartz, Swiss made
Functions
Hours, minutes
Strap
Polished alligator sapphire blue, ember, blackcurrant, elephant grey or black
Pin buckle in rose gold, 10 mm
