What Imagination, Capabilities, Principles, and Ambitions Does Hermès Embody in Its Watches?

The Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025 is a silent but intense battlefield. 60 watch brands, fully prepared, compete over 7 days, launching new collections, offering distinctive experiences, and sharing expertise. Their goal: to captivate the media, dealers, collectors, and the public with their prowess, win the battle for attention, and lay a strong foundation for the year ahead.

It marks the third year of the post-pandemic adjustment in the global high-end watch industry, the first year of Trump's 2.0 era in the U.S., and the second year of ongoing sluggishness in China's consumer market. With no clear answers to future trends or the turning point, the only course of action is to give best effort and once again push through the cycle.

In response, each watchmaker unveils its most impressive feats and finest creations, boasting innovations like "the lightest professional dive watch ever", "the most complicated watch ever", and "the thinnest tourbillon ever". These pieces command genuine admiration for the engineers' visionary interpretation of the "beauty of mechanics" and the remarkable limits of human craftsmanship. However, amidst all the striking designs, only a handful evoke smile of recognition and leave an enduring impression, with two such pieces being from Hermès.

Humor, regarded as the pinnacle of intellect, when integrated into the precision of a mechanical timepiece, reveals a creator with a vision and capability that sets them apart in the world of watchmaking.

What makes Hermès watches so unique?

Hermès' booth is predominantly enclosed by walls, offering only a small window display and two understated entrances. There's a saying in the Chinese internet community: "The fewer the words, the greater the message." This concept fits Hermès' booth perfectly. The more it conceals, the more curiosity it generates, compelling people to step inside and discover what's hidden.

True to form, Hermès effortlessly channels its unique identity to captivate a diverse audience.

The space inside the booth is compact, with gentle lighting and subtle music, designed by artist Sarah-Anaïs Desbenoit. Each piece is displayed on its own bespoke platform, drawing visitors' attention to the works themselves in this tranquil environment.

Among the creations presented by Hermès, the highlight is the new "Le temps suspendu" collection. Initially introduced in 2011, the collection has been refreshed this year. As the name suggests, a button press causes the watch's hands to instantly return to the position near 12 o'clock, and another press brings them back to the present time. Meanwhile, the movement beneath the semi-transparent dial continues running during the pause. Hermès challenges traditional ways of measuring, regulating, or controlling time, opting instead to explore an alternative possibility—crafting a time dimension that stirs emotions, ignites imagination, and offers respite. This unique time philosophy tells stories and evokes feelings, a far cry from the typical emphasis on mechanical performance in the watchmaking world.<