Although 2019 marks Hermès’s sophomore appearance at SIHH, it’s fair to say that the equestrian luxury house has already established a formidable reputation. Every year its designers create curios which defy the formalism of the Swiss watch industry, instead embracing the kind of whimsy which showcases their expertise in all things art directed and multidisciplinary.

These credentials were immediately evident from Day 1, when media began visiting the brand’s SIHH booth. In most cases, exhibitors will decorate their assigned spaces in a manner that is literally representative of their star novelty (e.g. a supercar at Roger Dubuis or fighter aircraft at IWC). By contrast, Hermès enlisted the aide of Japanese designer Hideki Yoshimoto, who created a 3.5-metre installation at the centre of the booth’s atrium constructed from 20,480 photovoltaic tiles and superimposed against a milky light wall. The slowly rotating work was an oblique reference to the Arceau L’heure de la Lune — a watch which incorporates two similarly shaped satellites into its inventive double moonphase complication.

Beyond functioning as a clever preview of Hermès’s most well-received novelty this year, the installation is symbolic of a wider commitment to watch design that is original, irreverent and (as is more often than not the case) commercially appealing. “We work seriously, but don’t take ourselves seriously,” said Hermès watches CEO Laurent Dordet. “It’s the reason why we often don’t collaborate with traditional watch designers.” On that note, rather than rehashing old ground by covering the now well-documented Arceau double moonphase, let’s take a look at one of the maison’s less well known new releases — the Galop D’Hermès. Available in two metals with or without gem setting, the Galop is being positioned as Hermès’s entry level timepiece: a functional design object which evades the label of “marked-up fashion accessory” thanks to the fastidiousness of its creator, Ini Archibong.

 

Embracing a new kind of watch designer

Development on the Galop began three years ago, when Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas approached Archibong with the idea to create a timepiece encapsulating the maison’s equestrian heritage. Upon accepting the brief, the Nigerian-American designer’s first priority was to visit the Conservatoire des créations (Hermès’s Parisian product development centre), where he documented an exhaustive archive of bits, stirrups and harnesses which would serve as references for the project. Horological formalists — who so often sacrifice a coherent visual style in favour of mechanical performance — might balk at the appointment of Archibong, an environmental designer with zero experience in high watchmaking.

As an outsider however, Archibong has been able to sidestep the tendency of many watchmakers to create inside a cultural vacuum. Often occupying a space squarely between fantasy and reality, his previous designs — many of which begin life as sonically fuelled freehand sketches — have all been steeped in cultural motifs drawn from his Nigerian ancestry and Californian upbringing. And while the Galop does capture the essence of the brand’s history as a maker of fine equestrian leather goods, it cleverly references many of the themes — sci-fi, architecture, gender identity — which have informed Archibong’s own process over the years.