It’s been four years since Hermes released the H08, a watch that ended up serving as a bridge to a world of sport watch enthusiasts not normally attuned to the luxury brand. The H08 was a revelation for the brand, featuring a novel design that got the small details right. The squarish case with thoughtful proportions lived between genres, but it was predominantly envisioned as a sport watch, and that is especially true when rendered in titanium, and in its most basic time and date form. The collection is getting a reset to that compelling base form with the addition of two new titanium references with subtle yet recognizable colorways.
Watchmaking may not be the first that comes to mind when hearing Hermes, but it’s something they’ve been taking seriously for decades now. The brand owns a stake in movement manufacture Voucher, the rest of which is owned by the Sandoz family that also oversees Parmigiani Fleurier. This allows them access to world class resources when it comes to creating their own movements, such as the H1837 found in the H08, which made its debut back in 2012 alongside the H1912. In the years since, the brand has established more than a technical prowess, they’ve also shown a keen creative eye resulting in some of the most interesting watches to be found at Watches & Wonders.
The H08 takes a very different approach from the brand’s typical formal designs that use wire lugs and artistic dials. That doesn’t mean it received any less attention to detail. Hermes used their own unique typeface for the dial, arranging Arabic numerals around the dial with a radial orientation. Both of these newest H08 watches use textured silver dials with a polished ring inset indexed to the hours. The numerals themselves are filled with lume, and one of these iterations gets lilac blue here, matched to a black ceramic bezel piece framing the dial. If you prefer a more subtle approach, the only color you’ll find on the first watch is a dab of Hermes orange within the tip of the seconds hand.
Both of these utilize a 39mm cushioned shape titanium case with a 42mm lug to lug distance, and a total thickness of 10.6mm. It’s an unbelievably pleasant experience on the wrist, and it can be had on a range of rubber and fabric straps, as well as a full titanium bracelet. Inside resides the Hermès caliber H1837 with a 50 hour power reserve, and a special ‘H’ motif finish adorning the bridges and oscillating weight. It’s an overall tidy package of wonderfully considered details that all somehow come together in a cohesive manner.
Pricing starts at $6,650 on a webbing strap, and goes up to $7,600 for the reference with the black ceramic bezel piece. Hermes