The word “marquetry” is derived from a French word for “inlay work”, marquetry started in the 16th century with cabinet makers in Rome and France. They assembled small pieces of different exotic woods to form a single, patterned panel when building church furniture. Over the late years this technique was applied to leather goods and high-end pieces.
Hermes has taken this difficult task and applied it to their watch dials. Small pieces of leather are cut out to form an animal motif. The technique makes its watchmaking debut on two signature Hermès watches: the asymmetrical, stirrup-shaped Arceau, and the more formal, streamlined Slim d’Hermès.
The Arceau Cavales Marquetry is made from full grain calfskin and is available in either “Hermès Red” or “Indigo Blue”, each a six-piece limited edition. The pieces of leather are 0.5mm thin and require tweezers to be laid out on the dial.
The Arceau features an 18k white gold, 41mm in diameter, and is powered with the automatic H1837 made by Vaucher.
Limited to only 12 pieces, the Slim d’Hermès Les Zèbres de Tanzanie uses the artisanal technique by combining leather marquetry with traditional champlevé and miniature enamelling.
The process of creating these dials are completely laborious with many steps in creating the perfect dial. The Slim d’Hermès Les Zèbres de Tanzanie has a 39.5mm, 18k white gold case and is powered by the ultra-thin H1950 calibre with a micro-rotor, again produced by Vaucher for Hermès.
Pricing
The Arceau Cavales is priced at US$37,400, or S$50,400.
The Slim d’Hermès Les Zèbres de Tanzanie is US$56,100, or S$75,500.
