This year in Geneva, on the exceptional occasion of Watches and Wonders 2024, the Hermès Cut collection was revealed through a wondrous set design by the New York–based architect and visual artist Erin O’Keefe. In a euphoric fusing of artistic prowess and technical savoir faire, the storied maison’s latest offering seamlessly marries pure geometric lines and forms, culminating in a spirited profile and vivacious design.
Conceived by Philippe Delhotal, creative director of Hermès Horloger, the coveted watch’s unfettered round shape and integrated metal bracelet or lithe rubber strap—available in a parade of eight colors integral to the iconic house—invoke a spirit that is both serene and sporty. Visitors to Watches and Wonders embarked on a fantastical journey of color, light, and expressive forms on their way to discovering the pristine Hermès Cut collection.
During this tremendous moment for the maison, Whitewall had the opportunity to speak to Delhotal about designing with the needs and desires of women in mind, celebrating in Greece for a suspended moment in time, and the extraordinary art of storytelling by Hermès.
Creative Director Philippe Delhotal at the quarry in Tinos, Greece; Courtesy of Hermès.
WHITEWALL: How were you initially inspired by Mother Nature’s perpetual beauty to ideate the design for the Hermès Cut collection?
PHILIPPE DELHOTAL: The starting point for Hermès Cut is really the work around shapes and especially the simplicity that you can find, of course, in nature. If you take the example of a pebble, it’s the combination of and the work between sand and water that brings this very organic shape. We often speak about the vocabulary of shape, which is really dear to Hermès, where we can find two different things. First of all, the ones that are made by nature, and really the Hermès Cut reminds us of this very simple look of a pebble. On the other side, you can also have elements transformed by the human touch—for example, if artists or artisans work on materials to give them shape.
“The starting point for Hermès Cut is really the work around shapes and especially the simplicity that you can find, of course, in nature,”
Philippe Delhotal
Hermes Cut watch in Tinos, 2024, at workshop; Courtesy of Hermès.
The First Watch Dedicated to Women by Hermès
WW: This collection marks the first Manufacture Hermès line to be developed with women in mind, though the liberated style is universally pleasing. How are the watch’s new codes and shapes unearthing a pathway to dynamic dimensions and perspectives for the brand and its clients?
PD: When I created this brand-new design, I had women in mind with specific attention to shapes and proportion, geometrics, and so on. I came to this idea of working between two different elements—the round shape, which is something a bit more spontaneous, and on the other side, the circle, which is more precise and mathematical. The combination of the two really creates this brand-new shape, which is even more singular and unexpected with the size that I decided to cut out to relieve the bevel you can have on the sides.
When I thought about this collection, as it was aimed at women first, I thought also about the ergonomics. It was important to have something comfortable on the wrist that won’t be too heavy, something that perfectly fits the diverse styles of wearing by women. We came up with these brand-new codes for the Hermès Cut line by exploring alternatives yet remaining simple in the way we wanted to approach the design.
The launch of this new model and this particular Hermès Cut watch is really key for us. It’s a significant launch because it’s really our first watch dedicated to women first, equipped with a mechanical movement and fully produced internally. Our customers expected this kind of watch because we didn’t have such a collection.
Offering Maximum Comfort, Versatility, and Playfulness
WW: Adaptability and individuality are placed center stage alongside the harmonious bevel-cut bezel. Can you share the development of the interchangeable wristbands, with rubber straps offered in eight tranquil shades? How does our contemporary desire for spontaneity, possibility, and personalization factor into this exquisite system?
PD: When I started to think about this new design, the versatility aspect was key. From the very beginning, I thought about the interchangeable strap system, and that’s why it took quite an amount of time to be developed and then patented. It’s really dedicated to this specific model.
What I had in mind with this versatility was to bring options and to make life easier for women who like to have change—perhaps to have a metal wrist band for the day and then skip to rubber for their sports. Or the contrary, they might want to have a more casual look during the day and then something a bit more formal for the night. It was really in this initial idea of bringing maximum comfort and ease with the model, and to be able to play with metal bracelets but also rubber. This versatility is an answer to the mood of today where we are all having multiple lives in one single life. It can be more or less complicated, but we have so many things to do, to take care of, and to think about. This quick-change system was really key for my creative process, easing the movement of changing the straps.
Versatility also implies playfulness. We wanted to offer this playful moment, this surprise, that you can have a different watch just by changing only the strap. It becomes a brand-new object on your wrist. This is also part of the codes of the maison, to have this fantasy. Colors are a true signature for Hermès, and that’s why we wanted to have this wide offer, to satisfy different moods, moments, or wishes of the day.
“This versatility is an answer to the mood of today where we are all having multiple lives in one single life,”
Philippe DelhotalMarble sculptor Giorgos Palamaris and Creative Director Philippe Delhotal in an ancient outdoor amphitheater near Pyrgos on the island of Tinos; Courtesy of Hermès.
Rejoicing in Organic Parallels in Tinos, Greece
WW: You recently traveled to Tinos, Greece, to rejoice in the launch of Hermès Cut. How did your visit to the marble quarry, sculptor’s studio, and spirited seaside perhaps reinforce for you the concept of nature’s eternal guidance and the embracing of time in your horological pursuits?
PD: When we discovered Tinos, we were very impressed by this marble quarry. What directly struck us is that, for example, this marble sculptor is really working on shaping material, and shaping the marble, giving life to stones. I directly paralleled this with my work of shaping metal and giving life to something material. It was a nice encounter, and something a bit more natural, that we could have a parallel discussion on something similar but with two different materials at the base, as well as with different interpretations and creations.
With these very strong links, Tinos Island was very special to us. On this island, you have few inhabitants—it’s quite wild and rough. You have all the beauty of nature, with everything that was shaped by nature: the sea, the wind, and so on. It was the most appropriate place to launch this new Hermès Cut. It very much echoed what we want to express with this new design. There was also the quietness of the place. It’s a place where you have time to think; it’s a place where you have time to work, to shape things, to shape time, and also where nature has the space to just be.
Tinos also offered us a very different relationship to time, far away from what you have in your everyday life, where everything is rushed, and you have to hurry everywhere all the time. In Tinos time was kind of suspended, everything stopped, and we really had the time to enjoy our moment there, to really be immersed in the beauty of nature. It becomes something very emotional, when you have this sensation of well-being, but at the same time a kind of energy that you could feel from the islands. It was not random that we chose this island. Tinos really offered us a suspended moment, something where you can really enjoy, and live in time differently.
The marble quarries near Kolomeas, Greece, are the source of a rare green marble and evoke the inspiration for the Hermés Cut; Courtesy of Hermès.
