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At Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026, Hermès transforms watchmaking into a theatrical exploration of movement, transparency and time itself
<figure id="attachment_117671" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117671" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-117671" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-copy.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1099" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-copy.jpg 1080w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-copy-295x300.jpg 295w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-copy-1006x1024.jpg 1006w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-copy-768x782.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117671" class="wp-caption-text">Kinetic installation by French Jean-Simon Roch</figcaption></figure>
Stepping into this year’s Watches and Wonders Geneva, visitors encountered Hermès approaching horology not merely as an exercise in precision but as an immersive act of storytelling. Inside a monumental kinetic installation conceived by French designer and artist Jean-Simon Roch, the maison unveiled three new timepieces—the Hermès H08 Squelette, Arceau Samarcande and Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune—each revealing the poetry hidden beneath mechanical complexity.
For Hermès, time has never been about rigid measurement alone. The house continues to treat it as something emotional, fluid and deeply sensory. That philosophy takes center stage in Geneva through a scenography built around openness and movement where shifting light, skeletal structures and animated mechanics blur the boundaries between watchmaking and theater.
The installation itself resembles a giant living automaton. Towering wooden frameworks, exposed pulleys and moving counterweights create an ever-changing landscape that mirrors the inner workings of the watches on display. Inspired by the transparency of skeletonized timepieces, the set invites visitors to look beyond the dial and into the architecture of motion itself.
<figure id="attachment_117675" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117675" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-117675" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-5.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1528" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-5.jpg 1080w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-5-212x300.jpg 212w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-5-724x1024.jpg 724w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-5-768x1087.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117675" class="wp-caption-text">Hermès H08 Squelette</figcaption></figure>
At the forefront is the Hermès H08 Squelette, a bold reinterpretation of the contemporary sports watch. Already known for its distinctive cushion-shaped case and urban character, the H08 now takes on a more technical identity through its openworked construction. The exposed movement becomes part of the design language, emphasizing depth, geometry and mechanical rhythm. Vibrant accents and contrasting textures reinforce the watch’s futuristic edge while preserving the relaxed confidence that defines the H08 collection.
<figure id="attachment_117672" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117672" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-117672" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Arceau-Samarcande-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-3.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1440" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Arceau-Samarcande-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-3.jpg 1080w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Arceau-Samarcande-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Arceau-Samarcande-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-3-768x1024.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117672" class="wp-caption-text">Arceau Samarcande</figcaption></figure>
In contrast, the Arceau Samarcande explores a more lyrical expression of transparency. The Arceau line, originally designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, has long embodied Hermès’ elegant approach to watchmaking, recognized through its asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs and understated sophistication. Here, the maison introduces a dreamlike interpretation where open spaces, delicate detailing and layered visual elements create a sense of lightness and intrigue.
<figure id="attachment_117673" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117673" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-117673" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Slim-dHermes-squelette-lune-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-2.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="810" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Slim-dHermes-squelette-lune-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-2.jpg 1080w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Slim-dHermes-squelette-lune-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Slim-dHermes-squelette-lune-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Slim-dHermes-squelette-lune-copyright-Joel-Von-Allmen-2-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117673" class="wp-caption-text">Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune</figcaption></figure>
Completing the trio is the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune, a watch that combines celestial romance with architectural precision. The Slim collection’s refined proportions provide the perfect canvas for its openworked double moonphase display, revealing the movement beneath while maintaining remarkable visual balance. Deep blue tones and skeletonized detailing create a striking interplay between craftsmanship and contemporary design.
Beyond the watches themselves, Hermès uses its Geneva presentation to reinforce a broader philosophy of time. Throughout the installation, moving wooden panels, rhythmic sounds and shifting mechanical elements evoke the feeling of a living stage production. Even the soundscape is carefully orchestrated, transforming the clicks and motions of watchmaking into melodic compositions that rise and fall throughout the space.
<figure id="attachment_117674" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117674" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-117674" src="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-2.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1528" srcset="https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-2.jpg 1080w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-2-212x300.jpg 212w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-2-724x1024.jpg 724w, https://backend.daman.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Watches-Wonders-2026-artistic-scenography-©-Team-Whaaat-2-768x1087.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117674" class="wp-caption-text">Equestrian silhouette on the central stage</figcaption></figure>
The result is a presentation that feels unusually intimate for contemporary luxury watchmaking. Rather than relying solely on technical spectacle, Hermès invites visitors into a more emotional encounter with horology where craftsmanship, movement and imagination unfold gradually before the eye. In doing so, the maison proves once again that mechanical watchmaking can be every bit as poetic as it is precise.
TEXT Anindya Devy

Hermès transforms watchmaking into a theatrical spectacle at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026

Anindya Devy,

Hermès