New High-Tech Material And Bright Colours For The Hermès H08

Unveiled in 2021, the Hermès H08 is the luxury French brand‘s sporty-chic watch with a smooth cushion-shaped case and contemporary design elements. Designed by Philippe Delhotal, creative director of Hermès Horloger, the H08 collection is a playful juxtaposition of diverse shapes highlighted with different finishings and textures. The four H08 models for Watches & Wonders 2023 feature a new lightweight composite case coupled with a grainy textured grey dial and animated with colourful accents and matching rubber straps.

Designed as a versatile, all-terrain watch, the Hermès H08 is as sporty as it is sophisticated. In keeping with the brand’s penchant for playing with proportions, shapes and volume, the square (39mm x 39mm) case is not exactly square and is softened with rounded edges giving it a 1970s vibe. Crafted from a block of braided glass fibre composite coated with aluminium and slate powder, the case reveals a sporty crisscross pattern and emits a subtle silvery hue.

Unlike more conventional sports watches with raised bezels, the bezel of the H08 is flat, and its width varies to conform to the case’s contours. In contrast to the silvery composite case, the black ceramic bezel displays a sunburst-brushed finish, and its mirror-polished bevel delivers light to the dark dial. The small screw-down black ceramic crown ensures the 100m water-resistance of the case.

The dial of the H08 has an industrial concrete colour and a grained, gritty texture. Available in four colours – blue, green, orange and yellow – the colours applied to the 5-minute markers of the minute track, the varnished seconds hand and the watch glass seal add a touch of vibrancy and modernity to the sober grey dial.

Philippe Delhotal’s original font for the luminescent Arabic numerals echoes certain design features of the watch; the shape of the 0 and 8, for example, evoke the cushion-shaped case and the name of the collection – even the numerals in the discreetly positioned date window at 4:30 match those used on the chapter ring.

Visible beneath the smoked sapphire crystal caseback is the Hermès high-grade automatic calibre H1837. Made at the Vaucher manufacture, which Hermès partially owns, the movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and can store up to 50 hours of power reserve. The rotor and bridges are decorated with the brand’s signature H pattern.

The new Hermès H08 models are presented on matching coloured rubber straps embossed with a woven pattern. The watches retail for EUR 7,000. More information at Hermes.com.