With a touch of ingenuity and a sprinkle of unorthodox design, Hermès is showing a new way of how world timers can now be read. The latest watch, the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur, designed by the watchmaker Jean-François Mojon, displays the dual-time in a very easy manner and is by far one of the best dual-time watches on the market today. The timepiece, released in Watches & Wonders 2022, shows different times across two dozen cities around the world in a playful animated manner.
Hermès has designed some quite incredible Arceau watches in the past, such as the famous Temps Suspendu model, which can suspend time on demand by the owner and then again produce the correct time when the owner decides. There is also the Arceau l’Heure de la Lune timepiece, which features two discs on the dial that shows time and date, that rotate to indicate the moon phases. Hermès then is no stranger to rotating discs that show time on the dial itself. A feature that is prominent on this new Arceau Le Temps Voyageur.
The timepiece features an imaginary map “Planisphère d’un monde équestre” which translates to the equestrian planet, on the dial itself. The map was created by artist Jérôme Colliard, and is an iconic artwork that is also shown on some Hermès silk scarfs. This imaginary planet shows landmasses that have been named after horsey pursuits such as Dressage, Soins, and Ethologie Equine for example.
Design:
Hermès presents the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur in two different case materials and sizes. The first model is the platinum case version which comes in 41mm size and features a bead-blasted black DLC-treated titanium bezel. The second version is the smaller 38mm model, which is made from stainless steel. Both variants feature the signature lugs which have been designed by Henri d’Origny. The top set of lugs (12 o’clock position) has more space between the lug and casing, whilst the bottom set of lugs is much closer.
Two dial colours are also offered. The stainless steel version gets a beautiful blue/purple dial, while the platinum model comes in a black/grey toned dial. We have to say that the blue truly is stunning to look at, as it plays with light well making some parts of the dial appear darker than others. The dial on both variants has a city ring on the outer part, with the “equestrian planet” map shown centrally. The rotating local time disc is then placed above the map. The mobile subdial for the platinum model is sandblasted with black gold lacquer that has a gradient finish and contrasting white Arabic hour numerals. The stainless steel version has a blue lacquered gradient finish with the same white Arabic hour numerals.
So how exactly is the time read? Firstly, the arched aperture at the 12 o’clock position indicates the home time, displayed in 24-hour format. Local time, or the time of the current city you are in, is shown on the rotating time disc. The case has a pusher on the left side, that when engaged, advances the rotating sub-dial along the 24 different cities shown along the outer edge of the dial. Once the city is found, the time on the rotating sub-dial is updated automatically to that city’s local time. No Manual adjustments are needed! The time in the aperture at 12 o’clock can also be synchronized by pulling the crown to the second position and adjusting accordingly.
The city is indicated by a red arrow along the city ring. It can be seen that on some of the city names, there is either an “S”, “V” or the letter “K”. What these letters mean is “summertime” for that respective country. For English-speaking countries “S” is used, if Spanish is the main language “V” for vereno, and for Athens it’s “K” for kalokairi in Greek. A video taken at Watches & Wonders by Watchadvice showing this process can be seen here.
Movement:
The movement used inside the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur is the in-house Hermès H1837. This automatic calibre movement operates at a frequency of 28, 800 VpH and can deliver a power reserve of approximately 40-hours. Both variants of the watch come with an open case-back where the beautifully decorated plates and rotor with Hermès logo can be seen.
Hermès has given a matt graphite alligator strap for the platinum model, while the stainless steel wears a smooth sapphire blue alligator strap. An aesthetically pleasing and clever way of showing dual time, the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur is certainly another model that Hermès can proudly stand behind.
