Look Sharp: Hermès Cut Collection Blends Sport-Chic Style with a Manufacture Movement

“Our ambition was to create a contemporary watch with a simple, timeless shape that combines the house’s distinctive style with its watchmaking expertise,” Creative Director at Hermès, Philippe Delhotal, told Watchonista about developing the sporty new Cut collection.

The Cut, he adds, is the first Manufacture Hermès watch developed with women in mind. The result is the creation of a whole new watch genre for the maison to explore: sporty-chic design with authentic watchmaking cred for her.

Meanwhile, the Cut’s bold, contemporary design will undoubtedly appeal to many men, as well: “At Hermès, we don’t create watches to respond to trends, specific markets, population, ages – we create objects that are faithful to our origins and values,” Delhotal explained. “Our watches can be adopted by both men and women depending on their tastes.”
 

At first glance, the Cut may appear to be an evolution of 2021’s 39mm cushion-shaped HM08, but this new collection was designed from the ground up to have its own singular identity and assertive style with sharp angles and crisply drawn lines. It took three years to get the balance right, starting from its unique shape, which creates a geometric tension between the circular dial framed by a bevel-cut bezel and the softly rounded cushion-shaped 36mm case.

However, one of the biggest challenges that Delhotal’s team faced was the alternating polished and brushed finishes on the case, particularly the clean-cut, polished bevels.

“At Hermès, we often say that technique is at the service of creation,” added Delhotal. “This means that we are not compromising on aesthetics for technical challenges. Instead, we will challenge our technical teams to find solutions that are faithful to what is drawn on paper.”

Delhotal explained that he approaches design holistically. “When I create, I think about the case, the typography, the dial, the bracelet, and all remaining components at the very beginning of my creative journey,” he told us.

One thing that immediately stands out is the crown, unconventionally positioned between 1 and 2 o’clock and embellished with a lacquered or engraved H. “I decided to position the crown between 1 and 2 o’clock to preserve the dynamism of the profile and sculpted edges and to leave free space to the play on finishings and lights,” Delhotal added.
 

At Hermès, each watch model speaks its own design language, especially when it comes to typography. And the Cut, with its stylized applied Arabic numerals infused with luminescent Super-LumiNova, is no exception.

“Our approach to typography is unique,” Delhotal continued. “It’s important to create a kind of dialogue, an echo, between the numerals, the stylistic elements, and the shape of the case. Our legible and functional typography does not stand out but is perfectly integrated into the overall design of our timepieces.”
 

A sapphire crystal caseback reveals the Cut’s engine, the automatic H1912 movement with a 50-hour power reserve.

Crafted in Switzerland, it is finished with a circular-grained and snailed main plate, satin-brushed bridges and oscillating weight, and embellished with the brand’s signature H motif. Finally, in keeping with the Cut’s sporty sensibility, it is water resistant down to 10 Bar, which is 100 meters or 330 feet.

The Cut comes in two versions – either an all-stainless steel model or a bi-metal stainless steel and 5N rose gold model – with or without a splash of 56 diamonds set into the bezel. Meanwhile, the seamlessly integrated matching metal bracelet is composed of three supple links blending alternating polished and satin finishes, echoing the case.
 

The clean silver-toned dial features the Hermès Paris emblem and a central minute track composed of tiny lines and circles that align to the hours. On the all-steel models, the minute track is gray and orange, and the mixed metal versions have an all-black minutes track. Baton-shaped hour and minute hands are partially open-worked and treated with Super-LumiNova, while a large seconds hand is tipped with a luminous dot.
 

On the fashion front, the Cut’s tool-free interchangeable strap system lets the wearer change the look in a snap to match an outfit or mood. Alternate rubber straps ($250 each) come in eight shades drawn from the Hermès palette: white, orange, gris perle, gris étain, glycine, vert criquet, bleu jean, and capucine.

Currently available via Hermès’ online store and Hermès boutiques, the pricing for the all-stainless steel Cut models is as follows: on a rubber strap, $6,725; on a steel bracelet, $7,350; on a rubber strap with a diamond-set bezel, $13,075; and on a steel bracelet with a diamond-set bezel, $13,700.
 

Finally, the pricing for the steel and 5N rose gold models is: on a rubber strap, $9,950; on a bi-metal bracelet, $15,550; on a rubber strap with a diamond-set bezel, $16,300; and on a bi-metal bracelet with a diamond-set bezel, $21,900.

For more information, check out the Hermès website.

(Photography by Pierre Vogel)