Hermès has always treated the horse as more than a logo, and the Arceau Samarcande makes that relationship unusually literal.
Presented at Watches and Wonders, the watch turns the dial into a sculptural opening, letting a stylized horse’s head frame the mechanics beneath the glass.
It’s a watch about transparency, but not in the clinical sense; the charm is in how the movement, crystal work and minute repeater mechanism become part of the same equestrian composition.
At a glance
- Hermès has introduced the Arceau Samarcande, an openworked minute repeater watch with a horse motif at the centre of its design.
- The Saint-Louis crystal dial is offered in blue or white and reveals the H1927 in-house automatic calibre through a cutout horse silhouette.
- The 38 mm Arceau case is offered in grey or pink, with leather strap options and diamond-set variations available.
A horse cut from crystal and movement
The Arceau Samarcande uses negative space as its main artistic gesture.
Rather than placing a horse on top of the dial, Hermès carves the animal’s profile into the composition, allowing the architecture of the H1927 calibre to show through.
The dial itself is crafted by Saint-Louis, the historic crystal maker within the Hermès family, and is available in blue or white.
Italic Arabic numerals sweep around the display with the familiar offbeat rhythm of the Arceau line, while a pearl-finished minute track keeps the dial legible without flattening the design.
A blued screw becomes the horse’s eye, a small detail that gives the silhouette just enough character without turning the watch into illustration.
The minute repeater becomes part of the scenery
The technical centrepiece is the minute repeater, a complication that chimes the time on demand.
Here, the mechanism isn’t hidden away as a private achievement for the watchmaker alone.
The hammers can be seen through the sapphire caseback, where their movement plays against two mirrored horses as the watch turns time into sound.
It’s a fitting complication for Hermès, because a minute repeater has a tactile, almost ceremonial quality that suits the house’s slower approach to craft.
The H1927 in-house automatic calibre runs at 3 Hz and offers a 48-hour power reserve, with winding handled by a rotor decorated with the “Harnessed Duke” motif.
The Arceau case keeps the poetry grounded
The watch is housed in the Arceau case designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, one of Hermès’ most recognisable watch forms.
Its asymmetrical lugs and sloping numerals have always carried a sense of motion, which makes the Samarcande’s equestrian cutout feel like a natural extension rather than a decorative add-on.
At 38 mm, the case keeps the watch in a compact and refined register, even with a complication as prestigious as a minute repeater.
Hermès offers the case in grey or pink, with the option of diamonds on the bezel or tracing the horse’s silhouette.
Strap choices include alligator, Barénia, Swift and Athéna leather, giving the piece a material range that moves from traditional precious watchmaking to the more tactile world of Hermès leatherwork.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Hermès |
|---|---|
| Model | Arceau Samarcande |
| Case size | 38 mm |
| Case options | Grey or pink |
| Dial | Saint-Louis crystal dial in blue or white with openworked horse motif |
| Movement | H1927 in-house automatic calibre |
| Frequency | 3 Hz |
| Complication | Minute repeater |
| Power reserve | 48 hours |
| Caseback | Sapphire, with visible repeater hammers and mirrored horse decoration |
| Rotor | Decorated with the “Harnessed Duke” motif |
| Strap options | Alligator, Barénia, Swift or Athéna leather |
| Gem-setting options | Diamonds on the bezel or along the horse silhouette |
| Presentation | Watches and Wonders |
The Arceau Samarcande is at its most convincing when viewed as a meeting point between complication and motif, where the horse isn’t simply a theme but the aperture through which the watch reveals itself.
