Introducing Hermès Unveils the New Arceau Costume de Fête

The French luxury goods company Hermès is renowned for its high-end products, particularly in the areas of leather goods, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, and ready-to-wear fashion. Established in 1837 by Thierry Hermès in Paris, the brand initially focused on crafting harnesses and saddles for horses. Over the years, it expanded its offerings to include a wide range of luxury items. In 1978, the company entered a new era when Robert Dumas' son, Jean-Louis Dumas, took over the reins of Hermès. In the same year, The Arceau watch was designed by Henri d’Origny, the celebrated artistic director of Hermès who defined le goût Hermès during his six decades at the Parisian Maison. His vision for the Arceau was to capture the equestrian spirit of the Maison.

Hermès introduces timepieces inspired by their famous silk scarves, as seen initially in the pocket watch Slim d’Hermès Masan Masan. Now, the company comes back with another piece of art inspired by Polish folk culture. It features a miniature painting, leather marquetry, and sequins artfully reinterpreting the Costume de Fête silk scarf by Warsaw-born artist Jan Bajtlik.

The new edition is available in 38mm white gold or rose gold cases set with 82 diamonds on the bezel, maintaining the design of the Arceau collection with its round case and asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs.

The dial of the white gold version features a predominantly pink, beige, and orange palette, while the rose gold version has a blue, green, and pink color scheme. The lively equestrian motif draws inspiration from Polish folk culture, brought to life by illustrator, typographer, and graphic designer Jan Bajtlik. His imaginative characters, animals, and flowers reflect the traditional art of paper cut-outs (wycinanki) from Krakow. Miniaturized to dial size, the horse is skillfully crafted by Hermès artisans using brightly colored beads on a sculpted, uniformly painted metal base. 

The Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement, visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, reveals the finishing and the 'sprinkling of Hs' pattern on its bridges and oscillating weight. This automatic movement offers up to 50 hours of power reserve.

Complementing the lively tones of these watches, a sakura pink or electric blue Swift calfskin strap adorns each model, issued in a limited edition of 24 pieces.

The Arceau Costume de Fête retails for prices at CHF 64,000 which is equivalent to 272,000 AED for rose gold, and CHF 69,000 which is equivalent to 292,000 AED for white gold.

For more information, please visit Hermès official website.