
The first step is to cut the leather

The different parts are cut according to the drawing

The leather pieces are glued closely together so that no part of the dial can be seen
Most of the artisans gathered were women, something I asked Philippe Delhotal, creation and style director of La Montre Hermès, Brügg (Switzerland), about. He said, “Historically, the watch straps are stitched by women. So, they already have the skills and passion for the job. It is true that this is not a job for the men… [What is] surprising is that we have a lot of men who make the bags.” We had to admit these women had an amazing eye for detail as they helped us decorate a dial using the leather marquetry technique. For starters, we were given a 41mm disc, just like the Arceau Cavales. The design of the dog looked simple enough, but putting it together was extremely tricky. In total, we had eight pieces in two colours: mine was orange and yellow. First, we had to thin out the leather to a thickness of 0.5mm and fit the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece had to be glued closely together without any gaps in between. It had to be done quickly enough before the glue dried up because, if it did, you had to start all over again. After what seemed like an eternity and with a lot of help from the master craftswoman, my work was done. The final product was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. Nonetheless, my “masterpiece” was treated with much respect and placed on a bed made of sponge and in a gift box.