CONFETTI THROWING
While the Christmas trees are adorned with tinsel, ready to welcome Santa Claus who will come to lay presents at their feet, the Parisian saddler-watchmaker celebrates the end of the year under the sign of Polish folklore by producing two artistic pieces rich in color.
When the Arceau watch was born in 1978 under the stroke of his pencil, energized by his creative spirit, Henri d’Origny may have been unaware that he had just imagined both a watchmaking icon and a blank canvas ready to host all the mechanical and artistic fantasies of Hermès. 45 years later, his work has become the ambassador of a unique style, as demonstrated by the Arceau Costume de Fête duo unveiled at the end of this year, just in time to celebrate the transition to the next. Inspired by a silk square of the same name created towards the end of 2019 by Jan Bajtlik, a young Warsaw-born artist who has been collaborating with the Parisian Maison for around seven years, this pair reveals, in miniature format, the beauty of Polish traditions, typical Krakow costumes and the local art of paper-cutting.
The original fabric designed by Jan Bajtlik represents a corset richly decorated with meticulous multicolored details. Under the left shoulder of this sleeveless garment rises a horse, a scene chosen to be transposed onto the dials of these two models. With great dexterity, Hermès craftsmen affixed two parts to the base of a metal disc: a half-moon decoration representing a pearl motif, made from a succession of layers of micro-paint to add volume, and a fine leather marquetry to give life to the frame. On the harness and finery of the emblematic Hermès animal, front paws proudly erect, small sequins have been sewn with copper thread. At the heart of this thousand-tone tableau, two slender silvery or golden hands mark the hours and minutes in time with the automatic H1912 caliber. This Manufacture movement beats at the standard 4hz frequency and provides a 50-hour power reserve when fully wound. It is housed in a white or pink gold case, topped by a bezel lined with a ribbon of 82 diamonds, which is attached to the wrist by a strap in pink Sakura or electric blue Swift calfskin.
