Hermès is happy to credit the designers who create its watches. The Heure H was born in 1996 from the imagination of Philippe Mouquet, one of the Parisian brand’s top designers, who has also created leather goods, jewellery, tie prints and scent bottles. His main focus, however, is watches. The Heure H, his first watch design, was based on the bold idea of making a watch case in the shape of Hermès’ unmistakeable initial letter H. It was a master stroke, a hugely successful move, and helped to make the model a Hermès classic.

When a steel frame weighing over 1,000 tonnes, supporting 14,600 cubic metres of concrete and 2,650 square metres of glass partitions has to bring life to micro-components weighing just a few milligrams, while providing a working environment of the highest quality for the 240 employees who work there each day, that’s quite a challenge. But it seems to have succeeded. It might have been years in the planning (the 20,000 m2 plot of land near Schaffhausen was bought in 2012), but construction of the 13,500 m2 “Manufacturzentrum” took just 21 months. That’s quite an achievement in itself, given that renovating a luxury boutique on the Bahnhofstrasse or the Rue du Rhône can typically take longer. Eighty companies were involved in the construction, but at the heart of the project were Christoph Grainger Herr and his teams, who had input into the design, planning and execution, taking aesthetic decisions and choosing the materials.

The Grande Seconde Moon is a Grande Seconde of which the brand’s signature figure 8 dial incorporates a moon phase with date nestled inside the off-centered large seconds hand at 6 o’clock. The new Grande Seconde Moon combines the day-to-day practicality of precise hour, minute, seconds and date displays with the poetry of a 22-carat gold Moon Phase. 

The original Eichi, created in 2008, and its successor Eichi II, 2014, won high praise worldwide for their simplicity of design, the exquisite finishing of the movements, the innovative torque return system and, most of all, for the hand-painted, pure white porcelain dials. 

Two years after its return to the Girard-Perregaux collections, the Laureato is writing a new chapter in its history with the introduction of an enriched range of chronographs.

In Lucerne on August 27th, Carl F. Bucherer shares its home city with a stunning hotel – the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne. Carl F. Bucherer and GaultMillau named this breathtaking resort Hotel of the Year 2019. The award ceremony was held at the resort, which is located on a spectacular mountain ridge with wonderful views out over Lake Lucerne. This is the twelfth time that the watch brand and the gourmet guide, who share a long-standing partnership, have presented the Hotel of the Year award. 

The story dates back to 1914, when the panther first appeared on one of Cartier’s creations. It was a ladies’ wristwatch, with a generous round case enclosing a square dial studded with onyx and diamonds, reproducing the creature’s dappled coat. As yet, there was no head, no piercing gaze or lithe body; just the beginnings of a panther motif, which would continue to be developed over the following hundred years and beyond. Also in 1914, Louis Cartier, who was head of the company at the time, commissioned an invitation card from illustrator Georges Barbier, representing a woman in a very Art Deco style with a black panther lying at her feet. He was so taken with this “Panther woman” that he began to use it in advertisements. It was an age hungry for the exotic; the mystery and grace of big cats found favour with high society, and came to embody the image of the femme fatale. Louis Cartier thus used a fashionable symbol to create the Femme Panthère. And it was a woman who brought the beast into the Cartier universe, with a depth of imagination and creativity that went beyond Louis Cartier’s classical inspiration.

The 101 collection is evocative for women. A never-ending story, one where watchmaking expertise meets jewellery perfection. A story, dating back to 1929 with the creation of the smallest mechanical movement in the world, entirely made and manufactured at the Grande Maison of the Vallée de Joux. A match made in heaven: Fine Watchmaking and High Jewellery. Ancestral expertise lies hidden under the diamonds of these two original models, holding the secrets of the infinitely small. Available today in pink gold, the 101 Reine and the 101 Feuille offer women of the world a starring role: heroines by day and by night. 

The German watchmaker has given its Senator Excellence Panorama Date and Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase a new look, lending this successful line the distinctive cachet of modern design. 

With 185 years of history, Longines likes to revisit historical pieces that helped it achieve its reputation. A piece from the watchmaking brand’s Heritage line, the Longines Legend Diver Watch is the reissue of a diving watch from 1960. While retaining the codes and design typical of the sixties, Longines has put its current expertise at the service of this contemporary edition to guarantee legibility, waterproofness and practicality. This watch combines high performance and timeless elegance. Today, the Swiss watch brand celebrates the 10th anniversary of this reissue by offering a new version with a Milanese mesh bracelet.