Like the hands on a watch, some ideas cross paths, brush against each other and then glide on. Those of designer and architect Marc Berthier, and of Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director of Hermes replica, simply met and mingled. These devotees of the finer things in life united their passions and their expertise. This encounter and creative spirit “squared” have given rise to a rare object, the Carre H by Hermes.

Hermes Carre H

Initially imagined as what could be the Hermes timepiece of choice for a travelling dandy, the Hermes Carre H is unique by its style and square design. The square is a simple yet difficult geometrical shape that can be considered dull because of its harmonious lines, and allthough it is strongly present in the other Hermes crafts such as silk scarves, the square is not frequently used in fine watchmaking.

Hermes Carre H

The Hermes Carre H is undoubtedly a square watch but when admired in closer detail its rounded corners offer an elegant domed shape that is complemented by a curved sapphire crystal and a concave dial. The counter-curve on the wrist contributes to making it extremely light to wear and eliminates any stiffness.

The beautiful thing about this watch is the way squares are nested within the overall square. This design is resolutely dynamic and reveals a diagonal line composed of a small seconds sub-dial, a medium-sized dial for the hands, and a large dial with the hour-markers. An other subtle feature worth highlighting is that the hands are the exact same width as the baton-shaped hour-markers and are lined up exactly in such a way as to extend them.

Hermes Carre H

This fine timepiece’s 36.5 x 36.5 mm size provides enough space to accommodate the GP 3200 Sowind mecanism, a high-quality self-winding mechanical movement. The entire set of components is fixed to an entirely circular-grained baseplate. The oscillating weight as well as the bridges with their hand-polished angles are decorated with a sprinkling of “Hs”. Since the watch is assembled from the underside, a first dial is fixed beneath the glass and bears the hour-markers. The movement composed of the central dial and hands is then fixed in the centre. It is adorned with fine hollowed guilloche lines.

Hermes Carre H

Viewed from the top, the Carre H is an elegant, extremely restrained watch that does not show off its technology. Then turn it over. Through its underside, it reveals the mechanism through a sapphire caseback that is as clear as crystal and as hard as steel. It’s a question of infinite subtleness, like a Hermes coat with lambskin lined pockets.

The last subtle detail, and hardly the least, is that the Hermes Carre H is a limited 173 piece edition… One for each year of existence of Hermes (since 1837).

Technical specifications

Movement

Manufacture GP 3200 Sowind Mechanical self-winding

Dimensions

23.9 mm in diameter (10 1?2 lines)

4.2 mm thick

Frequency 28,800 vibrations per hour

Jewels 32

Functions Hours, minutes, seconds

Power-reserve 44 hours

Case

Microbead blasted titanium with polished upper surface

Sapphire crystal both front and back

Dimensions 36.5 x 36.5 mm

Crown

Polished titanium

Water-resistant 30 meters

Dial

Anthracite

Strap

Black Barenia calfskin

Pin buckle in microbead blasted titanium

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