I vividly remember when Hermes first launched the H08 five years ago. It marked yet another moment of the brand solidifying its place beyond its roots in fashion and firmly into the horological landscape. Prior to the H08, we had seen more classic, refined, and dare I say quintessentially Hermes collections from the Maison like the Kelly, inspired by the padlock from the famous handbag; the Arceau, drawing from the iconic horse motif; and the Cape Cod, a traditional rectangular design. In 2012, Hermes had a defining moment for its watches with the debut of its first in-house caliber. Still, the H08 marked a new moment of the brand doing something markedly different – decidedly modern and yet distinctly Hermes.
In the years since its initial introduction, the H08 has continued to be a success and as such, the Maison has doubled down on the collection, following up with a slew of iterations on the original H08 lineup, which was pretty impressive in its own right, consisting of five variations. We have seen the addition of complications like a chronograph, new sizes ranging from the original 39mm up to 45mm, as well as new styles and colors. Today, at this year’s Watches and Wonders, Hermes offers up the next evolution with the H08 Squelette, the Maison’s interpretation of a skeletonized model.
We have seen this openworked style in the brand’s other staple collections, like the Arceau and the Slim d’Hermes, so this seems like a natural next step for the H08 line. Here, we have two primary versions – one in blue and one in grey – and within each of these formats, there are additional permutations. In both the blue and grey editions, you get the original 39mm case rendered in titanium with black DLC coating featuring a satin-brushed ceramic bezel with mirror-polished chamfers. The dials are where things start to differ.
As the names suggest, blue and grey set the tone for the stylistic elements of the new H08 Squelette models. For the blue iteration, the openworked black dial with a grey transferred minute track features applied Arabic numerals in blue SuperLumiNova along with grey transfer black PVD-coated hands that get the same blue SuperLumiNova treatment. The color scheme extends to the rubber strap in one of the variants, with the alternative option of a more sober black rubber strap as well – each punctuated by a titanium folding clasp coated with satin-brushed black DLC. The grey collection gets a much less sporty and more subtle appearance with grey dial accents on the hour markers and hands in place of blue. With the grey subset, you get the choice of three more subdued rubber strap options in shades the brand is calling dune, vert moyen, and bleu abysse.
The skeletonized design of the new H08 Squelette models provides a view of the in-house movement: the manufacture caliber H1978S. This mechanical, self-winding movement offers basic hours, minutes, and central seconds as well as a power reserve of 60 hours. For more information, including pricing, you can head over directly to Hermes.
