A clever play on words, the Slim d’Hermès Flagship features a hand-painted dial depicting the flagship Hermès store in Paris as a sailing ship. Executed with a gold appliqué and miniature painting on an aventurine-glass dial, the “flagship” transforms the famous store at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré into the hull of the ship with sails billowing above it.

As is often the case with Hermès’ métiers d’art watches, the dial is based on a scarf bearing the same motif designed by Dimitri Rybaltchenko, an artist based in Paris who’s a longtime designer for Hermès.

Initial thoughts

Both the motif and presentation of the Flagship encapsulate what Hermès does well. It’s typical Hermès – whimsical, elegant, and finely executed. And it’s not just about aesthetics: the depth and detail of the dial decoration is outstanding.

Beyond the dial decor, the Flagship also incorporates subtle touches that reflect an attention to detail, like the spinning star disc on the dial and the slightly retro yellow gold case.

Slim and witty

An aventurine glass base serves as the base for the dial decoration. The store building is a solid gold appliqué that’s hand-engraved with a burin to fill out the fine details of the structure. It’s then painted by hand to add colour to the windows and “Hermes” logo.

The rest of the dial, including the sails and starry sky, is done in miniature painting, specifically acrylic paint applied by hand and then baked in an oven to set.

A subtle detail adds motion to the dial: a disc bearing a shooting star sits at four o’clock. Because it is free-spinning, the disc swivels with the motion of the wrist.

The dial is the work of Ateliers Blandenier, a specialist based in Geneva that supplies elaborate dials to a variety of brands

Dial aside, the rest of the watch is standard Slim d’Hermès with its wire-esque lugs. The case material, however, is uncommon. It’s in yellow gold, instead of the more common pink gold.

The case is elegantly proportioned at 39.5 mm wide and under 8 mm high. Like the most of the Slim d’Hermès line, it contains the H1950, an automatic movement with a micro-rotor made by Vaucher.

The H1950 with the trademark repeating “H” decoration on the bridges

Key facts and price

Hermès Slim d’Hermès Flagship
Ref.

Case diameter: 39.5 mm
Height: 7.5 mm
Material: 18k yellow gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: H1950
Functions: Hours, minutes, and free-spinning shoot star disc
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 48 hours

Strap: Alligator with pin buckle

Limited edition: 12 pieces 
Availability: At Hermes boutiques
Price: CHF97,000 before taxes

For more, visit Hermes.com.

Ahead of the international watch auction season that kicks off in a few weeks, Boston-based RR Auction has opened an online auction that will interest those hunting especially rare, space-flown watches.

Simply titled Space, the auction is focused primarily on space memorabilia, and includes three space-flown wristwatches that warrant a closer look, including a French astronaut’s Speedmaster that spent almost six hours in space.

Known for its sales focused on historical memorabilia, particularly those relating to space exploration, RR Auction has notched up several notable watch sales in the past, including a Bulova chronograph worn on the Moon that sold for almost US$1.6 million in 2015.

We round up highlights from the upcoming sale, which closes October 24, 2024. The catalogue and bidding are available online.

Lot 6286 – Rolex GMT-Master II flown on Apollo 14 by Edgar Mitchell 

First up is the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 1675 worn by astronaut Edgar Mitchell on the Apollo 14 mission that landed on the Moon in February 1971. Enhancing its appeal, the watch has tangible provenance: actually be seen in archival footage recording prior to take-off and in onboard footage taken during the mission.

While the GMT-Master II was not uncommon among astronauts of that period – it was conceived as a watch for pilots after all – few actually made it to space. This example is only the second lunar Rolex to be sold publicly, after Ron Evans’s GMT-Master II worn on Apollo 17, which surfaced at Heritage Auctions in 2009, where it sold for over US$131,000.

The watch can be seen in numerous archival images of the mission

Mitchell later had the back of his watch engraved, “Worn by Cdr. E. Mitchell on Apollo 14, 1971, To Karlin—My Daughter.”

Accompanied by a letter of authenticity signed by Edgar Mitchell, the lot carries at estimate of over US$400,000.

Lot 6311 – Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 owned by Dave Scott

Next is astronaut Dave Scott’s Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. BA 145.022 “Apollo 11”. The very first Speedmaster in gold, the BA 145.022 was special edition introduced in 1969 to mark the Moon landing (and reissued in 2019).

Omega gifted the early examples to notable individuals associated with the lunar mission. Richard Nixon was offered the very first example, but he declined the watch, which is now in the Omega Museum. Twenty-six examples were gifted to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts in 1969, with this example being no. 16.

Mr. Scott evidently wore the watch regularly, as described by the accompanying letters and evident in the condition of the watch, enhancing its charm. The lot description notes that the watch has been cleaned but never restored, and that all parts are original.

The case back is engraved “Astronaut David R. Scott, Gemini 8 – Apollo 9 – Apollo 15”. Interestingly, since Apollo 15 took place after the watch was presented to Mr. Scott on November 25, 1969, Omega requested that the watch be returned to have the Apollo 15 engraving added later.

This is not the first time RR Auction has sold one of the original 26 watches. In October 2022, the firm sold Wally Schirra’s example for nearly US$2 million.

Dave Scott wearing the watch at a 1971 press conference

The watch includes a letter of provenance signed by Dave Scott, which contains charming details such as “[the watch] was presented to me by the Omega Watch Company at a gala dinner at the Hotel Warwick in Houston, TX, on November 25, 1969” and further states that it “…has been in my personal possession since then…”

The lot carries at estimate of over US$200,000.

Lot 6514 – Omega Speedmaster flown on Mir by Jean-Loup Chrétien

The final watch worth mentioning is French astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien’s Omega Speedmaster, which he wore on the Mir space station during the three-week Aragatz mission in 1988. A Speedmaster ref. 145.022 that was delivered to Moscow in 1976, this is a truly international space watch: “Swiss-made, American-proved, and French-worn on Russian spacecraft” as described in the catalogue.

Though the price point is more accessible than the other lots featured, this Speedmaster spent about twice as much time in space as Edgar Mitchell’s GMT-Master II, as Mr Chrétien wore this watch during a spacewalk that lasted almost six hours.

This Speedmaster includes a letter signed by Jean-Loup Chrétien, certifying this was his personally-worn watch from the Aragatz mission. It carries an estimate of over US$30,000. For details, see the catalogue entry.

Auction information

Space is now live through October 24, 2024. The sale includes five watch-related lots (and even a controller from the Apollo 14 lunar module), with the catalogue and bidding available online at rrauction.com.