Hermès is making a concerted effort to expand its presence in the luxury watch market, focusing on attracting male collectors who traditionally associate the brand with silk and leather goods. Guillaume de Seynes, Hermès Executive Vice President, notes that the company's watch division was created nearly 50 years ago by his uncle, aiming to combine Swiss watchmaking tradition with their unique creativity and audacious designs. This strategy seeks to make men specifically visit Hermès stores to purchase watches, rather than accompanying their wives for other luxury items.
Laurent Dordet, CEO of Hermès Watches, highlights the importance of being different in the highly competitive watch industry. For Watches and Wonders 2026, Hermès showcased its creative approach through "mysterious mechanics" and skeleton watches, exemplified by the H08 Squelette. This new model features a transparent movement and an improved caliber H1978S, which boosts power reserve from 50 to 60 hours and was tested to withstand $10$ years of wear. The H08 Squelette is priced at $21,600, demonstrating Hermès' commitment to high-end watches that are both technical and playful, and durable enough for active use like skiing or swimming (water-resistant to 100 meters).
Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director of Hermès Horloger, emphasizes the brand's DNA of restraint and a "less is more" ethos. He describes their timepieces as having a "lightness" and a playful spirit, rather than being merely "fun." This approach, which balances fantastical storytelling with mechanical accomplishment, sets Hermès apart from the rigid world of Swiss horology, where technical precision often takes precedence. Delhotal recounts the success of their "Arceau Rocabar de Rire" watch, which features a horse sticking its tongue out, as an example of their distinctive playfulness in serious watch events.
At Watches and Wonders 2026, Hermès' booth, designed by Jean-Simon Roch, visually translated this vision with a theatrical installation depicting watch mechanics interacting with stage machinery. The brand's releases, including the Arceau Samarcande minute repeater and the Slim d'Hermès Squelette Lune, continue to explore time as an emotional object. While exact retail prices for the 2026 collection were not publicly confirmed at the time of the article, the Arceau Samarcande minute repeater is expected to be in the six-figure range, and the H08 Squelette and Slim d'Hermès Squelette Lune in the upper five-figure range, with the limited-edition Slim d'Hermès Pocket Roaaaaar! reaching grand complication pricing. This focus on unique design and technical innovation aims to solidify Hermès's reputation among watch connoisseurs.
