For this second edition, Hermès has once again called upon the talent of artist Guillaume Airiaud, and is presenting ve skills applied to its exceptional watches: crystal art glass, enamelling, Haute Horlogerie, engraving and gemsetting. Through sculptures composed of in nitely multiplied hollowed cubes, time springs to animated life, moving or momentarily vanishing. These graphic and airy structures appear to be levitating, midway between a game and a waking dream, and defying gravity.

Conveyed through colours alternately evoking day or night, the various professions involved in “Crafting Time” are portrayed through scenography metaphors imagined by the artist: crystal melting through contact with re; enamel powder transformed into a stained glass window; a tiny fretsaw leading the dance of engraved components; iridescent marquetry suggesting the facets of stones that are cut before being set... And as the diverse elements turn in every direction, the mechanics of time are set into motion, distilling precious moments of Haute Horlogerie and subtly conveying the expertise of the Manufacture Hermès.

5 displays showcasing 5 skills mingling art and artisanship

Crystal art glass. In a silent ballet, a metal rod moves in slow circles. On one end of it is a “gob” of crystal, ready to melt when red in the furnace. Following in its wake is a copper wheel that will then cut up the material for it to become a dial.

Enamelling. Vivid, intense, shimmering: the colours are born and gradually disclosed through successive rings in the kiln. Interpreted in a fascinating array of pigments, the glass powder is transformed by re into enamel, revealing an in nite palette of subtle shades, ranging from translucent varieties to the deepest hues.

Haute Horlogerie. Wheels mesh, turn and drive each other as the mechanics of time are set into motion. Playfully destructured numerals appear and vanish again to accompany this poetic ight of fancy, with an hourglass gently setting the pace with each new minute.

Engraving. From engraving to openworking metal components, the textured patterns created with the tools depicted create fascinating optical illusions. The emblematic double H of the historical Hermès store at 24, Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris begins a unique dance, punctuated by the slow rotations of these sculptures combining graphic art with transparency effects.

Gemsetting. Unexpected perspectives appear behind coloured plexiglass fragments: the facet of a diamond patiently cut before being set, radiating a brilliance that changes constantly with each new movement or a ray of sun. And the all-pervasive fascination of precious stones.

An exclusive showing of three Exceptional Pieces

At the heart of this stage-setting, three Exceptional Pieces are presented for the very rst time:

• the ARCEAU Pocket ailes et écailles watch combines the art of scarab beetle elytra marquetry with those of engraving and miniature enamelling.
• the MÉDOR serti baguette watch expresses the art of invisible with its pyramids.
• the MÉDOR secrète watch the alternates between a sparkling cuff bracelet and a wristwatch.