LET THERE BE LIGHT
While Hermes’s devotion to craftsmanship is well documented, the extremities of its process is not always apparent. In the case of its most recent watchmaking triumph – the Arceau Tigre – that process originates from a 175-year-old technique patented by Paul de Bourgoing in Tremblay, a commune in the northeast of Paris.
The technique is émail ombrant, which translates as shaded enamel. Its execution and expected result relies on an innate understanding of light between engraver and enameller. In order to realise this specialised form of artistry, Hermes turned to Geneva-based atelier Olivier Vaucher, foremost experts in the field of artistic crafts.
Its founder, Olivier Vaucher, is a direct descendent of a lineage blessed with three centuries of involvement in watchmaking crafts. He began learning the art of engraving at 15. “The best way to touch the heart is through art,” says Olivier. Together with his wife Dominique, Olivier worked on replicating the high points of émail ombrant in Arceau Tigre.
To succeed in this challenge, the duo had to understand the subtle gradations – all the way down to the shape of the individual hairs – to flesh out the tiger visage.
The engraving was first executed in relief, based on an illustration by the artist Robert Dallet, who had worked with the maison during the 1980s.
Then the enameller, Dominique, applies a coating of slightly tinted translucent enamel. Here, her deep knowledge of micropainting and training in fine art enabled her to correctly capture light with a precise enamel coat. In the final reckoning, the translucent enamel provides a wealth of light and shade which brings forth the nuanced image of the tiger on a base of white gold.
An in-house self-winding movement, the H1837, offers timekeeping precision at 28,800 vibrations per hour, within a white gold Arceau case of 41mm diameter.
The watch is limited to 12 pieces and was launched by La Montre Hermes at Baselworld last month.
