If you agree that all watches need to stand for something, you should be able to appreciate the qualities imbued in each timepiece, even if the watch in question is not meant for your wrist. Such is the case of this writer and the millefiori-dialled watches from Hermès. I love these cute little creations but they are not for me – there are other Hermès watches I am keener to spend on. Still, I have always been promoting the Millefiori watches from Hermès as a highly characteristic option and am interested to learn more about them.
That chance to see the processes involved in making Hermès crystal art dials came to me last year. World of Watches Thailand was invited to join a press tour that covered various sites involved in the watchmaking activities of La Montre Hermès in France and Switzerland. One of the locations in the itinerary included the Cristalleries de Saint-Louis in the northeastern French commune of Saint-Louislès-Bitche.
A journey to Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche is long but rather straightforward. You only need to take a 2-hour TGV ride from Paris to Strasbourg and continue the rest of the journey by car or bus for about two more hours. Here, in this quiet village, a group of dedicated craftsmen and artisans continue to practice ancestral skills passed from one generation to the next. It is worth noting that many of these artisans are holders of the vaunted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France medal and that their trade is indisputably the biggest draw of this little hamlet of just over 512 people.
Denne historien er fra Issue 57-utgaven av WOW Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Issue 57-utgaven av WOW Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NEW FRONTIERS
The outgoing CEO of TAG Heuer Julien Tornare shares his management style and values. No doubt these will remain consistent in his new role as Hublot CEO, just as they were in his Zenith tenure
STRUCTURAL STYLE
Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terreni explains the logic of the new Toric collection and takes us through his thoughts on style and elegance
THE CONVERSATION: APROPOS COMPLICATIONS
A watch with complications appeals to different sorts of collectors, and is quite different to a complex watch. The editors of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand discuss the virtues of all sorts of complications and consider when more is really better...
EUREKA MOMENTS
Our extended look at gold in watchmaking comes to a close in this third and final part, with a look at five proprietary gold alloys. Of course, there are certainly more than five so we will leave the door ajar on going even further
MACHINE LEARNING
The mechanical calendar has been perfected over the last 100 years; it remains a challenge that invites multiple watchmaking and engineering approaches. We get into the nuts and bolts of how the perpetual calendar gets the job done
CULTURAL SENSE
The story of our calendar and why it is rife with anomalies
QUANTA OF TIME
Just as hours, minutes and seconds are quanta of time, so too are days, weeks, months and years. We finally explore the story of the perpetual calendar in particular, in a year that invites such ruminations
PURPLE REIGN
H. Moser Cie brings a brand new dial to the party with the Pioneer Perpetual Calendar Concept MD Purple Enamel Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition
AUTUMN HUE
Grand Seiko continues its celebration of the 20th anniversary of Calibre 9R with the limited edition SBGA499
TWICE UPON A TIME
The world's greatest double tourbillon wristwatch, the Breguet Classique 5345 Quai de L'horloge is back, with new hand-finishing touches
