Designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the Arceau watch lends its understated yet distinctive lines to the expertise and creativity of artistic crafts. Its round case with stirrup shaped lugs frames a glass micromosaic dial.
Standing out against the turquoise blue background is a brightly coloured exotic fish representing the theme of the «Grands Fonds» scarf designed in 1992 by French artist Annie Faivre. Her rigorous technique and abundant imagination are mirrored in this coloured glass microcosm crafted by Hermès Horloger artisans.
This miniature composition requires more than a month of work for a single dial. First, the craftsperson selects variously coloured glass tesserae, cuts them and melts them at more than 700 °C to form flaments of the required fneness. A putty base composed of marble powder, lime and linseed oil serves to assemble the tiny tiles. The aquatic motif, reproduced to scale, is positioned on the dial base and a scalpel is used to openwork the areas where the corresponding tesserae will be inserted.
Bienne, 04 03 2019
Photo © David Marchon
The multicoloured glass strands are then cut into small squares with a file and placed one by one using a wooden peg. After one month of drying, the mosaic decoration must feature a perfectly lat surface – a veritable technical challenge for the glassmaker who creates it.
Swept over by slender hands, the glass micromosaic dial reflects the cadence set by the self-winding Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement driving the hours and minutes hands. The elegance of the 41 mm white gold case with transparent case-back is extended by a sapphire blue alligator strap which accentuates the turquoise shade of the dial created by the Hermès Horloger artisans, as indeed are the movement, case and strap.
The Arceau Grands Fonds watch is available as a six-piece limited edition.
Technical details
Movement
Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement
Mechanical self-winding, crafted in Switzerland
Diameter: 26 mm
Thickness: 3.7 mm
Power reserve: 50 hours
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4Hz
Functions: Hours, minutes
Case
Shape / size: Round, 41 mm diameter
Material: White gold
Glass: Anti-glare sapphire crystal and case-back
Water resistance: 3 bar
Dial
Glass mosaic
Strap
Sapphire blue alligator
Edition
Limited and numbered edition of six pieces