Japanese refinement
The Japanese-inspired Arceau Temari model combines the skills of snow setting and hard stone marquetry in an exceptional collection of jewellery watches.
The story of Temari, an art meaning “hand ball” in Japanese, is bound up with that of kimonos, since the making of these silken garments provided enough scraps of fabric to make these entertaining objects that were greatly appreciated at the Imperial court. Little by little, simple stitching gave way to embroidery and to motifs that were increasingly sophisticate, in terms both their complex geometry and their colourful harmonies.
These ancestral balls have inspired a Hermès silk carré, of which one of the motifs is now reinterpreted in the Arceau collection. These watches are issued in limited white gold editions set with diamonds according to the snow-setting technique and feature dials reproducing the design of one of these balls by combining diamonds with a marquetry composed either of white mother-of-pearl, onyx, lapis lazuli or opal.
The snow-setting is done with no predefined plan; and instead each stone is individually selected and put in place; each claw is cut and each grain is beaded so as to create an harmonious overall effect that is unique to each model. No less than 700 stones are set on the case, a job that takes an experienced gem-setter almost three weeks.
On each of these exceptional watches, the dial is crafted according to traditional diamond-setting and hard stone marquetry techniques. For each watch, and in this case according to a precise plan, 20 tiny fragments of all different shapes and sizes are milled from a block of stone or mother-of-pearl finely sliced into infinitely small platelets. The pieces are then individually assembled on the already gem-set dial. These two operations require great precision and dexterity, since the stone is particularly fragile on such a tiny scale. As if in a miniature puzzle, each part takes its place within a picture that transcends it. The opulence of the materials enter into a fascinating dialogue with the finesse of the motifs, as traditions and expertise meet and mingle to endow each of these unique creations with the refined splendour of Imperial Japan.
MOVEMENT
- Type Mechanical self-winding, made in Switzerland
- Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement
- Diameter 23.30 mm (10 ½’’’)
- Thickness 3.9 mm
- Power reserve 50 hours
- Frequency 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4Hz
- Decoration Circular-grained and snailed mainplate, bridges and oscillating weight satin-brushed with sprinkled «H» letters motif, Hermès Paris engraving
- Rhodium-plated oscillating weight
- Functions Hours, minutes
CASE
- Shape/dimensions Round, 34 mm diameter
- Material Case in white gold (42.6 g), gem-set using the snow-setting technique that makes each watch unique
- Case set with 675 diamonds and crown set with 27 diamonds including a rose- cut diamond (approx. 4.43 cts)
- Crystal Sapphire crystal with anti-glare treatment on the inside
- Water resistance 3 atm
- Interhorn width 17 mm
DIAL
- White gold set with 176 diamonds and onyx marquetry (7.27 g, 0.78 cts)
BUCKLE
- Standard buckle in white gold (4.76 g)
STRAP
- Matt black alligator