Woven with gold thread and adorned with miniature painting, the dial of the Hermès Arceau watch reveals a majestic lion in the heart of a lush natural setting.
The understated yet distinctive Arceau watch created by Henri d’Origny in 1978 blends its classic aesthetic with a rich palette of Hermès skills. Produced in a 24-piece numbered limited edition, the Arceau Wild Singapore watch reinterprets the eponymous silk scarf designed designed by Alice Shirley for the 2021 spring-summer collection.
Artisans combine miniature painting with gold thread welding to depict the feline and its equatorial environment on the dial of the Arceau watch. Shapes and colours come to life through a multitude of layers of micro-painting, successively applied with a brush and dried in a hot kiln. Then, as if creating an embroidery, the artisan assembles on the dial surface a multitude of threads – three times finer than a human hair – giving depth to the scene.
The British artist pays tribute to the extraordinary biodiversity of Singapore, a green island where migratory birds stop over on their journey between North Asia and Australia. This abundant theme depicts several nocturnal rainforest animals, while a regal lion shaped like a fig tree and enthroned at the centre of the composition keeps watch over the island nature of Singapore – whose name means ‘Lion City’ in Sanskrit.
Each of the threads is placed in a specific order and position in order to create a play on transparency and light. After a week of patient work, the dial is fitted inside a white gold case measuring 41 mm in diameter and housing the Manufacture Hermès H1837 self-winding movement.
Technical Specifications:
Hermès Arceau Wild Singapore
Numbered limited edition of 24
MOVEMENT
Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement
Mechanical self-winding, crafted in Switzerland
Diameter: 26 mm
Thickness: 3.7 mm
Power reserve: 50 hours
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4 Hz
Functions: hours, minutes
Decoration: circular-grained and snailed main plate; bridges and oscillating weight adorned with a ‘sprinkling of Hs’
CASE
Shape / size: round, 41 mm in diameter
Material: white gold
Glass: anti-reflective sapphire crystal and case-back
Water resistance: 3 bar
DIAL
Miniature painting and gold thread
STRAP
Abyss blue alligator
PRICE
£64,400.00
For more information please visit https://www.hermes.com/uk/en/category/watches