Hermès Horloger has picked up industry accolades as a watchmaker while continually capturing the minds of a fickle community focused on traditional Swiss brands. Collectors are captured by Philippe Delhotal’s evolved designs, which have all the markings of a brand surging forward without resting on its horological laurels.

New, younger brand followers will know the Hermès horological universe from the modern sports watch chic of the casual H08 and minimalist Slim d’Hermès. However, we see increasing attention and focus on more avant-garde watchmaking from the brand. This year, Hermès has refined the complexities of the Arceau line, appealing to more flamboyant collectors. In fact, it looks like Hèrmes Horloger’s Creative Director Philippe Delhotal is on a new mission, on track to battle the increasing appeal of Swiss independents. With brands like H. Moser & Cie through the avant-garde bastion of MB&F and Greubel Forsey on the rise, the scene is shifting, and Hermès has to follow suit.

Delhotal is very aware of this, and the curated changes in the Arceau range offer telltale signs of an exciting future ( Remember the monotourbillon wonder that’s the Arceau Duc Attelé? ). According to the brand’s latest financial report, watch sales suffered in 2024, but this must be seen in context to a challenging year and follows strong growth. From 2021 to 2023, Hermès Horloger saw sales rise from USD 372 million to USD 675 million. And this makes us view 2024 as what we hope it was: a dip on the graph. Hermès’ optimism is crystal clear, with a strong start to the year and no fewer than five new references (this includes a new Arceau Petite Lune and the Slim d’Hermès Chevalbrush). This leads us to believe we have much to look forward to at Hermès at Palexpo in April. Let’s look at how the three most significant sub-ranges in the Arceau catalog spell a surprising evolution and a modern approach to watch design.

Moon Time Arceau

First unveiled in 2019, the Arceau L’heure De La Lune is emblematic of the contemporizing of the range, and the brand has a poetic way of curating one complication at a time. In L’heure De La Lune, the fascinating twirl of the date and time displays almost appear like satellites in the night sky. Their celestial dance traverses a background of dazzling materials with two lifelike moons of the northern and southern hemispheres being revealed as they wax and wane through a 59-day cycle. The 2019 debut started life in a 43mm polished case and has become a measure of Hermès’ modern evolution.

Hermès Arceau Moon Hour Blue Grey Moon

In keeping with the trend of small-cased comfort, it has come down to 41mm diameter, but except for an unusually brooding dark two-tone in 2022, it has remained a polished classic. In 2025, we can see a clear evolution that marks Hermès Horloger down a modern path with resoundingly modern two-tone materiality more in tune with our expectations for the H08 range. And it works.

Hermès Arceau Moon Hour Erg Chech

The dynamic choreography of L’heure De La Lune underlines the symbiotic interplay of watchmaking and astronomy, orchestrated by the exclusive 117-component Hermès H1837 Manufacture caliber that brings to life a simultaneous display. All three references are limited to 12 pieces each, with dials made from Lunar meteorite for the white gold and titanium Blue Gray Moon and a rich cocoa-colored piece of meteorite for the rose gold Vesta. For the Erg reference, the 43mm white and rose gold case comes on an orange-edged matt graphite alligator strap with an evocative slice of warm brown Erg Chech meteorite. The bold use of a crisp blue PVD titanium for the bezel makes the Blue Gray Moon stand out. This transforms the watch, a combination we would expect for the unflinchingly modern H08. But somehow, it makes perfect sense, and the tech-forward detail makes the Arceau Lheure De La Lune feel like a box-fresh design.

The bold use of a crisp blue PVD titanium for the bezel makes the Blue Gray Moon stand out

Hermès Arceau The hour of the moon Vesta

Arch The traveling time

We love the practicalities of a twistable GMT bezel, but some of us yearn back to a time of traveling in style. In the years after the pandemic, many threw away tracksuits and returned to dressing up to celebrate the joy of world travel. From the cloisonnè dials of early Pateks to today, nothing beats the exuberance of a lacquered dial depicting a world map encircled by cities ranging from Santiago to Samarkand. But here again, Hermès has taken a modern approach to materiality and colors. As seen before, the artful dial of Le Temps Voyageur is based on the Planisphere dun monde equestre motif by Jérôme Colliard, where fictional continents create an evocative background to the slow ballet of a revolving sub-dial with traditional numerals for the hours and minutes.

Hermès Arceau The Traveling Time White Gold

Hermès Arceau The Traveling Time Pink gold and diamonds

At 12 o’clock, an arched, framed window for home time crowns an elaborate design, doubling as a practical travel watch. At the heart of the 38mm or 41mm Voyageur sits an in-house 122-component module integrated into the Manufacture Hermès H1837 caliber. This offers a trademark circular-grained and snailed mainplate, satin-brushed bridges and a rotor decorated with a sprinkling of Hermès Hs. The 41mm version in white gold has an off-center dial design in silver and blue monochrome on a matching soft alligator strap. The most extravagant 38mm 18K rose gold version comes on a pearl gray alligator strap and is set with 78 diamonds. The twinkling bezel frames a travel-infused dial with a Mother Of Pearl edge and rose gold-rimmed MOP revolving sub-dial.

The Mother Of Pearl edge and rose gold-rimmed MOP revolving sub-dial

Looking forward to what Watches & Wonders will bring us from Philippe Delhotal’s Hermès Horloger is a given, especially when considering what the brand now stands for. Hermès steadfastly focuses on modernity, evolving timeless designs like the Arceau with a fresh touch but still imbued with traditional craftsmanship.

Tech Specs: Hermès Arceau L’heure de la lune Blue Grey Moon, Vesta, and Erg Chech

Movement: Self-winding H1837 movement with exclusive “L’heure de lune” module; 40-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes; date; double moon phase
Case: 43mm; white gold and titanium bezel with blue PVD coating / rose gold and titanium bezel with gray DLC coating / white gold and rose gold bezel; water-resistant to 30m
Dial: Lunar meteorite / Vesta meteorite / Erg Chech meteorite; all with gray-gradiant lacquered mobile counters
Strap: Alligator leather in Abyss blue or Matt graphite
Price: CHF 238,000 for the set of 3 watches
Availability: Limited to 12 pieces each

Tech Specs: Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur White gold and Pink gold and diamonds

Movement: Self-winding H1837 movement with exclusive “Le temps voyageur” module; 45-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes; second-time zone with city indication
Case: 41mm or 38mm; white or rose gold; water-resistant to 30m
Dial: Gray-blue tinted lacquer or white mother-of-pearl dial
Strap: Alligator leather in Abyss blue or Pearly gray
Price: CHF 38,110