Hermès is a brand with a distinctive, often whimsical, visual identity that translates well across products, even on its most complicated watches like the Arceau Duc Attelé, which combines a triple-axis central tourbillon (containing a high-frequency escapement) with a minute repeater featuring novel “tuning fork” gongs.

Large, thick, and very complex, the Duc Attelé still manages to capture the elegant aesthetic of the brand, even in subtle details of the H1926 movement, like horse-shaped hammers for the repeater. Customised for Hermès, the calibre has an intricate, dense construction but is recognisable as being produced by a specialist.

Initial thoughts

The Duc Attelé demonstrates the strength of the Hermès house style. On the front, it looks elegant despite the size, while the movement feels appropriate even though it is third party.

The watch does sit big on the wrist, though the titanium version is a little lighter in weight and visually smaller due to its dark colours. But the Arceau case has tiny lugs, so it doesn’t feel clunky. And although the case is almost 20 mm high, a good part of that is due to the highly domed crystal that accommodates the tourbillon’s height.

All of the design elements, however, give it an elegant feel. These include the Breguet numerals on the domed chapter ring and the “Lift” motif tourbillon cage modelled on the elevator in the brand’s flagship store in Paris.

But more than anything else, this is a watch characterised by symmetry, front and back, as well as an eye for details. Both the dial and movement are almost perfectly symmetrical, a feat that is especially impressive for the movement, which is made up of 563 parts – putting it in grand complication territory.

The details are numerous, many referencing Hermès as is typical for the brand. The most obvious are the horse-shaped hammers, but the same equine form is also subtly incorporated into the racks of the minute repeater.

Notably, the calibre inside is related to similar movements used by other brands, including Jacob & Co., but the resulting watches are radically different, underlining the strength of the Hermès aesthetic. Here the design makes the watch much more than the movement.

But even though the movement is executed well, it is arguably the sole weakness of the watch because it is not in-house (which was the case for most Hermès complication in the past). While in-house movements mean nothing in themselves, Hermès’ rivals, namely Louis Vuitton and Chanel, have invested in developing a suite of in-house calibres, leaving Hermès behind.

With an in-house calibre, the Hermès aesthetic could potentially be honed even further and integrated into the mechanics in an even more sophisticated manner. I expect that will eventually happen as Hermès further develops and vertically integrates its watchmaking operation.

Striking looks

The Duc Attelé is presented in the Arceau case, which was designed in 1978, making it almost as old as the Nautilus or Royal Oak. Inspired by a stirrup, the Arceau is symmetrical but not overtly so, with wire-like upper lugs and short lower lugs.

The unconventional lugs lend themselves well to larger sizes, which is demonstrated here. The case is 43 mm wide and 19.89 mm high, which is comparable to Greubel Forsey’s sports tourbillon, but the Arceau case doesn’t seem excessively big thanks to the lugs. Also, part of the thickness is camouflaged by the crystal, which is highly domed due to the vertical volume of the tourbillon at the centre of the dial.

The Duc Attelé is available in two surprisingly different variants, both limited to 24 pieces each. The rose gold version has an aventurine-glass dial and a more classical appearance, while the titanium version (below) is all dark colours and modern. Both models share the exact same dimensions and movement, the H1926 that was developed by Le Cercle des Horlogers, the movement specialist that has created related calibres for other brands.

The titanium model with a guilloche dial. Image – Hermès

The front is dominated by the central triple-axis tourbillon that is made up of three cages that complete a revolution in 300 seconds, 60 seconds, and 25 seconds respectively. As is typical for multi-axis tourbillons, the cages are in titanium for maximum lightness. The 99 parts of the tourbillon assembly weight less than 0.45 g.

The intermediate cage adopts the “Lift” motif – formed of double italic “Hs”- and is polished for contrast, while the rest of the cage components are frosted as is convention for titanium cages. The “Lift” cage not only contrasts in terms of finish, but its curved lines provide an aesthetic counterpoint to the heavily mechanical appearance of the tourbillon assembly.

Another defining visual element of the tourbillon is the inclined outermost cage, which is angled upwards relative to the plane, which is likely done for chronometric reasons since inclined balances theoretically perform better than flat ones in a wristwatch.

Interestingly, the balance within the tourbillon beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz), which is regarded as high-frequency. Tourbillons typically employ lower-frequency balance wheels to optimise energy consumption and power reserve, but here the high-beat balance is presumably useful of inertia and stability, possibly because of the relatively small diameter of the balance.

Because the tourbillon sits in the centre of the dial, the hands are peripheral. Taking the form of pointers, the hands sit on the edge of the chapter ring. Even though the hands are minimal, legibility is good enough. Equally minimal is the power reserve indicator, which sits just above six o’clock.

The chapter ring is white lacquer on the rose gold model

While the tourbillon is more arresting, the hammers and gongs sitting at six are equally important and perhaps more novel. The twin hammer take the form of horse heads but are traditional in material and finish, specifically, black polished, hardened steel. Even though the hammers are tiny, they form an important element of the dial’s overall look simply because they are prominent. But because they are tiny, the dial doesn’t look kitschy.

More unique are the “tuning fork” gongs. While conventional gongs are a single length of wire that circles the dial, these gongs take the form of a tuning fork, essentially an elongated “U”, single wire that spreads out into two branches to circle the dial. This effectively doubles the length of the gong, which increases both volume and resonance according to Hermès.

That assertion is true – the repeater is loud and clear – but similar results have been achieved by other brands without such gongs. That said, the gongs look good and complement the aesthetic of the watch well.

At the same time, the gongs reflect the modern elements of the movement, which boasts a surprising degree of contemporary mechanical details.

Seen from the back, the H1926 movement is similarly equipped with equestrian details. All of the gears, for instance, are modelled on the wheels of a carriage in a work by Alfred de Dreux, a French artist best known for his horse paintings who also created the Hermès logo.

Another such detail is the rack for the quarter strike, which again takes the form of a horse’s head. This is superimposed on the rack for the hours, so it is not readily apparent unless examined closely.

The horse-shaped rack. Image – Hermès

Although the movement is not a skeleton, it might pass for one at first because the barrel bridge is clear sapphire, which reveals almost all of the moving parts on the back.

Though much of the movement has traditional elements like the chatons for the jewels and steel parts that are either grained or polished, the calibre is also strikingly modern. The chatons in the sapphire bridge are an appealing blend of new and old.

The sapphire barrel bridge. Image – Hermès

A component that is high-tech by the standards of mechanical watchmaking is the LIGA wheel with sprung teeth that drives the tourbillon. This is reduces play between the gears in order to ensure the motion of all three tourbillon cages are smooth.

The sprung teeth of the LIGA wheel are visible above right

Concluding thoughts

The Duc Attelé is very much classic Hermès in form, which is to say elegant in style and thoughtfully detailed. It’s also impressively executed in technical terms, not only in terms of complexity, but also in the modern approach taken for several aspect of the movement. An in-house movement and perhaps a smaller case would have made it even more impressive; perhaps that will come in due time.

Key facts and price

Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé

Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 19.89 mm
Material: 18k rose gold or titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Cal. H1926
Functions: Hours, minutes, central triple-axis tourbillon, minute repeater, and power-reserve indication
Winding: Manual-wind
Frequency: 36,000 beats per second (5 Hz)
Power reserve: 48 hours

Strap: Leather strap with folding clasp

Limited edition: 24 pieces in each metal
Availability: At Hermès boutiques
Price: CHF378,000 including taxes

For more, visit hermes.com.