THE JOURNAL
Before Hermès Timepieces took the watchmaking world by storm with the sporty yet sophisticated Hermès H08 and the carefree, summery Hermès Cut, it was beloved among collector circles for another family of watches: the Slim d’Hermès. It remains a formidable design in the brand’s portfolio. In fact, we would argue that it represents a peerless fusion of traditional and modern watchmaking aesthetics.
For many observers, the Slim d’Hermès is really the reference that cemented the Parisian brand’s place in the horological universe – a line of watches that defy categorisation. You can think of them as elegant everyday watches that have what it takes to stand out in a formal setting, or as dress watches that are not so fragile and fiddly that they can’t be worn every day. When the Slim d’Hermès launched, it was notable that Hermès had brought its uncompromising approach to a stainless-steel automatic, refined and restrained in its monochrome detailing.
The opaline silvered dial seemed to extend into the gracefully round case, leaving the dial details to capture the eye. Foremost among them are the numerals, stencilled in a bespoke typeface created for Hermès by designer Mr Philippe Apeloig. They imbue the watch with personality and levity. So, while it might be right at home paired with crisp white shirts and slim-fitting Italian suits, it could just as easily be a watch you dress down, contrasting the crisp lines and black leather strap with something softer and warmer – a suede jacket or cashmere sweater, perhaps.
The watch’s 39.5mm diameter and eponymous thin case – just 9mm from top to bottom, something achieved thanks to the 2.6mm-thick H1950 micro-rotor calibre within – make the Slim d’Hermès a versatile option not just in terms of outfits, but wearers, too. It’s an approach Hermès has stuck to over the years, expanding the Slim d’Hermès collection within this sweet-spot template, bringing new expressions of elegance, some more contemporary than others, to the range.
Case in point is the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune, which swaps a stainless-steel case for a sandblasted titanium one with a high-contrast polished platinum bezel and completely transforms everything within it. Gone is the chic, minimalist dial. In its place, a masterful display of craft, which showcases everything most prized about traditional watchmaking without straying into baroque excess.
“The Slim d’Hermès Squelette is a watch for men who make their own rules”
The skeletonised, or openworked, mechanical movement reveals everything from the mainspring at two o’clock to the moon phase indicator at six, and the micro-rotor that winds it all at 10. The bridges holding everything together are brushed, grained and bevelled to perfection, with a traditional Côtes de Genève circular pattern just visible beneath. The interplay of the photo-realistic moon and the gleaming wheels of the movement is just one example of the brand’s stylish and self-aware take on the horological arts.
Apeloig’s numerals are still present, on a discreet grey ring at the dial’s edge. And a pair of stick-thin blued-steel hands stand out atop the maze of components to make sure that timekeeping, as well as conversation-starting, is still a priority. Like its stablemate, this is a watch you could wear to work, but its true potential might be unrealised.
To us, it is a timepiece for social occasions, when its details and nuances are going to be appreciated and connoisseurs of contemporary watchmaking can bond over the contrasts and juxtapositions that make it such an interesting choice. Formalwear with a touch of flamboyance would be our suggested dress code – but, in so many ways, the Slim d’Hermès Squelette is a watch for men who make their own rules.