Hermès H08: An Ongoing Success Story

In 2021, when the House of Hermès launched the Hermès H08 – its distinctive, cushion-shaped sports watch – it became an instant success.

This success was to be expected, as the luxury brand has many rabid collectors. However, the Hermès H08 didn’t just appeal to Hermès devotees; it also found an audience among serious watch collectors, even for those who care more about specs than design codes.

This success was to be expected, as the luxury brand has many rabid collectors. However, the Hermès H08 didn’t just appeal to Hermès devotees; it also found an audience among serious watch collectors, even for those who care more about specs than design codes.

Although it’s still early to place the Hermès H08 into the pantheon of classic sport watches, it is worth examining how and why this beauty is making such a big impact.

While Hermès only began manufacturing its own timepieces in 1978, the Maison started out in the watch game as a retailer back in 1928.

Thierry Hermès founded his eponymous company in 1837 as a harness maker catering to the needs of Paris’ horsey set. By the time the Belle Époque/Gilded Age took hold, Hermès had opened retail spaces selling more than saddles, bridles, and other leather riding gear, becoming a retail destination for other accessories such as canvas bags and leather golfing jackets for European nobility and, of course, watches.
 

As diverse as Hermès’s offerings are, the company has never strayed far from its equestrian lineage. Even when the retail store partnered with such prestigious brands as Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Universal Genève, it branded them on the cases and dials and presented them on its own leather straps. Today, these co-signed watches are highly sought after by collectors. Perhaps the most important Hermès watchmaking collaboration was the Jaeger-LeCoultre Étrier.
 

The French word “étrier” translates to “stirrup” in English, and while the watch was originally part of JLC’s standard collection and not an Hermès exclusive, the unique tack-like look of its detached lugs made it a natural fit with the Hermès equestrian aesthetic.

In 1978, Jean-Louis Dumas, the great-grandson of Thierry Hermès, took the reins of the House of Hermès, revitalizing and diversifying the brand’s many métiers. One of Dumas’ most revolutionary acts was to establish La Montre Hermès in Brügg, a municipality adjacent to Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, thus beginning the process of bringing the company’s watchmaking arm entirely in-house.

That was also the year that Henri d’Origny came up with the design for the Arceau, which was inspired by the shape of a stirrup. Throughout the ‘90s, Hermès introduced other iconic watches like the Cape Cod and Médor.
 

These quartz-powered women’s watches capitalized on the brand’s equestrian, nautical and other design signatures and captured the hearts of Hermès fans, but the Maison knew it needed to do more to get the attention of serious watch collectors. So, in 2003, Hermès began a collaboration with high-end movement maker Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.

In the 21st century, Hermès has continued to invest in watchmaking by acquiring established manufactures. For instance, in 2006, the Maison took its first big step towards integration by taking a 25% stake in Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. Then, in 2012, Hermès bought Natéber SA for dial production and in 2013, Joseph Erard SA for cases. The careful climb to recognition from the horology world became apparent with the launch of the Arceau le temps suspendu in 2011, which led to the first GPHG prize for La Montre Hermès. 

The Hermès H08 manages to encapsulate Hermès’ strong design codes, including its instantly recognizable typography (seriously, nobody does fonts like Hermès). And now that its mechanisms are made entirely in-house, the collection has garnered a lot of attention for its use of creative calibers. (The Hermès H08 is currently powered by the Manufacture Hermès H1837 self-winding movement.)
 

But good looks and technical precision alone can’t completely explain the impact of the Hermès H08 because Hermès broke into the top 20 Swiss watch brands the same year the Hermès H08 was released, and the Maison’s watch division has posted impressive sales growth of +72.5%, +43.1%, and +13.8% in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.
 

You could say that because Hermès is a legacy luxury brand but not a legacy watchmaker, the Hermès H08’s designers weren’t saddled with having to pay tribute to heritage models. It’s easier to think outside the box when there is no box to begin with. As such, the Hermès H08 was free to explore not only new shapes but also to embrace new materials.