A matter of perception

Hermès explores time in a highly unusual way in a special exhibition.

SINGAPORE (May 20): H ow often have you wanted to control time? For example, freeze the moment when you were having the time of your life or prolong the amount of time you wanted to spend with your loved ones. While there is no such thing, we can change the way we perceive time through the Time, A Hermès Object exhibition, which will be held at Ngee Ann City atrium from May 24 to June 2.

This interactive exhibition is an invitation to anyone who wants to control time or just have fun with it. Or will time control you and have fun with you? This is the beauty of the exhibition, as visitors are invited to get lost in time through a colourful labyrinth where time behaves in strange ways.

A highlight of the exhibition is how timepieces seem to appear and disappear in ways that will leave you wondering how it is all done. Light, sound and motion effects come together to give visitors a different view of timepieces such as the Arceau L’heure de la lune, Galop d’Hermès, Carré H and Cape Cod.

Rather than give too much away, we highlight two watches that will be showcased at Time, A Hermès Object.

Arceau L’heure de la lune

The timepiece makes you feel like you are on the moon and floating between time and space. Aventurine inlaid with mother-of-pearl forms a cosmos in which satellite dials float above hemispherical moons. The cardinal points are switched, however, with south above and north below. The dials displaying the time and date rotate to reveal the moon discs, while maintaining their horizontal orientation.

(Main image: Left - Aventurine inlaid with mother-of-pearl forms a cosmos in which satellite dials float above hemispherical moons; Right - The white-gold case frames a beautiful design that  features a figure of Pegasus)

The watch’s white-gold case frames a beautiful design that features a figure of Pegasus on the upper moon disc, hinting at a passage between two worlds, where magic and reality merge. The lower moon disc provides a realistic depiction of the moon’s surface as viewed from the northern hemisphere.

In total, the watch has 117 polished and bead-blasted components incorporated in the Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement.

Galop d’Hermès

Tapping into Hermès’ past as a saddle maker, this timepiece design employs parts of the saddle such as the stirrups and harness. The design is the brainchild of designer Ini Archibong, a graduate of the Lausanne Cantonal School of Art and the environmental design department of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. This design for Galop d’Hermès marks his first collaboration with Hermès and his first venture in the world of watchmaking.

Left - The timepiece design employs parts of the saddle such as the stirrups and harness; Right - Archibong: I have learnt to design aerodynamic shapes and futuristic lines that use surfaces to explore light effects

This timepiece features aerodynamic curves, functional purity and kinetic flow. To do this, Archibong incorporates soft corners that are easy on the eye. Light is reflected in the curves — warmth in an otherwise cold metal.

The typeface was designed by Archibon

He says, “The material I work with is light. I create shapes to catch the light. I have learnt to design aerodynamic shapes and futuristic lines that use surfaces to explore light effects.”

The numerals on the watch go from smaller at the top to larger at the bottom of the dial. This creates a sense of perspective — to show the quality of movement.