It takes a deft ability for handling paradoxes to imagine that the calling of a watch should be to kindle our emotions. Such is the purpose of the unique Slim d’Hermès L’heure impatiente timepiece unveiled at Only Watch 2017, whose complication invites us to look forward to an upcoming moment.

The jubilant ritual consists of setting the counter of the watch to the time of the eagerly awaited event that will take place in less than 12 hours. An hour before it occurs, the mechanical hourglass is set in motion and its progress can be followed at 6 o’clock on the dial. This complication that stirs our feelings and heightens our sense of pleasurable expectation is an exquisite torture that culminates when the note rings out. The striking mechanism has been designed to ensure a lasting, velvety-smooth sound that is also delightfully modulated for the wearer’s ears only. The playful and quirky ‘Impatient Hour’ complication is based on this companionable rapport.

The effervescence of the wait is entirely summed up in a module measuring just 2.2 mm thick, powered by the Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement. This compact calibre housed in a spacious case, the use of thinner than usual crystals, and finally the 1 mm dial that resonates with the vibration of the striking mechanism: everything contributes to optimising the volume of air within this watch distinguished by its blend of aesthetic and technical finesse.

Hermès creates objects. Objects shaped by the hands of artisans to make them true companions for those who wear them. Practical, functional and stemming from uncompromising expertise, they radiate the lightness of the unexpected. They make everyday life their playground, and each instant a uniquely special moment.

For Hermès, time is also an object. Its inherent tension is translated by the house into a singular characteristic. Rather than measuring, ordering, and seeking to control it, Hermès dares to explore another time, designed to arouse emotions, open up interludes and create spaces for spontaneity and recreation.