A menswear look from Hermès

From the creative hive mind at Hermès comes the sporty Hermès H08.

For Hermès (hermes.com) menswear Creative Director Veronique Nichanian, her ability to predict the future has proven to be uncanny and surprisingly accurate. Her collections grasp precisely how we’ll be feeling and how we’ll want to dress, seasons before we know it ourselves. Her approach is exceptionally thoughtful, always expressing unique modernity. A rare female designer in a man’s world, Nichanian’s vision of menswear resonates deeply with the Hermès clientele, a universe she’s been in charge of for over 30 years.

Hermès H08, black DLC-titanium and graphene edition

Nichanian’s influence encompasses the entire Hermès men’s oeuvre, the luxurious ready-to-wear, shoes, belts, bags, scarves and, of course, watches—the instant icons, the beloved classics like the Cape Cod, the Arceau, the Carre H, even its witty take on the Apple watch. This year, the new concept is practicality. “The H08 is an everyday watch. In other words, an all-terrain watch. It is light, contemporary, ready to travel with the wearer. It combines rigorous discipline and high standards, expressed in a visually harmonious way,” explains Philippe Delhotal, Hermès artistic director for watches.

“IT COMBINES RIGOROUS DISCIPLINE AND HIGH STANDARDS, EXPRESSED IN A VISUALLY HARMONIOUS WAY.” –PHILIPPE DELHOTAL

The sporty H08.

A collaboration between Nichanian, Delhotal and Pierre-Alexis Dumas (artistic director of Hèrmes), with wearability in mind, the H08 is a concept that fits neatly within Nichanian’s vision. The rounded contours of the case, the graphic elegance of the dial’s numerals and the balanced central seconds hand give the H08 a clear distinction. The “0” represents emptiness while the horizontal “8” denotes infinity, supplying the watch with its mysterious name, a conceptual kinship between all or nothing.

“All-terrain without being performance-oriented and eminently contemporary, it facilitates traveling light,” says Delhotal. With three H08 variations in titanium, black DLC-coated titanium and graphene with black ceramic, all three feature the automatic in-house manufacture H1837 movement. Coordinating titanium bracelets and woven or rubber straps are not in the least bit precious, allowing for unselfconscious everyday wear and tear. Inspired by sports but not defined by one, the H08 is a versatile watch undeniably Hermès.