Hermès has a rare ability to make high watchmaking feel unmistakably like Hermès, not simply like complicated watchmaking with a logo on the dial.
The Arceau Cavalier en Formes is a sharp example of that approach, bringing together a minute repeater, a tourbillon and a dial derived from one of the maison’s silk scarf designs.
It’s technically serious, but the first impression is visual, layered and deliberately theatrical.
At a glance
- Hermès has introduced the Arceau Cavalier en Formes, a 43mm white gold limited edition with a tourbillon and minute repeater.
- The dial translates Gianpaolo Pagni’s 2023 Cavalier en Formes silk scarf into miniature painting, engraving and layered appliqué.
- Production is limited to six pieces on a Blue Abyss alligator strap, with price on request.
A scarf motif rebuilt as a sculptural dial
The watch takes its name and visual language from Cavalier en Formes, a 2023 silk scarf design by Gianpaolo Pagni for Hermès.
That scarf hides a horse within a field of vivid, cubist-like circles and squares, a graphic idea that transfers neatly into the maison’s long-running habit of moving motifs between objects.
On the watch, the composition becomes three-dimensional rather than simply decorative.
Palm leaves form the background, while hand-painted and applied geometric elements sit at varying heights around and above the central horse.
The horse itself is rendered as an engraved yellow gold appliqué, giving the scene a more traditional anchor amid the abstract treatment of the rider and surrounding shapes.
Openworked hands keep the time display light, allowing the dial craft to remain the main event.
The Arceau case suits the equestrian theme
The Arceau was designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, and its asymmetrical form remains one of the most distinctive cases in Hermès watchmaking.
Its stirrup-shaped lugs are not a decorative afterthought, but a direct link to the house’s origins in high-end harness and saddlery work in Paris from 1837.
For the Cavalier en Formes, the case measures 43mm and is made in 18k white gold.
A trigger on the left flank activates the minute repeater, while the case maintains 30 metres of water resistance.
A chiming tourbillon with Parisian details
The tourbillon sits at 6 o’clock, adding motion to an already animated dial.
Its cage carries the double H motif found on the wrought-iron lift door at Hermès’ 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré flagship in Paris.
The movement side continues the equestrian language with a barrel bridge shaped like twin horse heads.
Inside is the manually wound Hermès calibre H1924, developed with Geneva-based Manufacture Haute Complications.
The movement combines a tourbillon with a minute repeater that chimes the hours, quarters and minutes on demand.
It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers a substantial 90-hour power reserve.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Hermès |
|---|---|
| Model | Arceau Cavalier en Formes |
| Case size | 43mm |
| Case material | 18k white gold |
| Water resistance | 30m |
| Dial | Miniature painting and engraving with yellow gold appliqué horse and hand-painted geometric motifs |
| Movement | Hermès calibre H1924, manual-winding |
| Complications | Minute repeater and tourbillon |
| Frequency | 21,600vph, 3Hz |
| Power reserve | 90 hours |
| Strap | Hermès Blue Abyss alligator leather |
| Edition | Limited to 6 pieces |
| Price | On request |
The Arceau Cavalier en Formes is aimed at the collector who wants Hermès at full expression, where grand complication mechanics, Parisian house codes and métiers d’art craft occupy the same small stage.
