The CAPE COD Chaîne d’ancre

From Hermès-

Courtesy of Hermès

This is an SIHH preview, it will be available in two versions, a black lacquered dial (above), and a white lacquered dial (below).

Courtesy of Hermès

My general feeling about the SIHH is not dissimilar to a rather uncomfortable rash, but the folks at Hermès are plenty nice enough, so here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS 

DIAL
Black lacquered dial. Anchor chains set with 71 black spinels and adorned with a champlevé aventurine decor
White lacquered dial. Anchor chains set with 71 diamonds and adorned with champlevé mother-of-pearl decor

CASE
Shape/Size: Square in a rectangle. Large Model 29 x 29 mm Material: Stainless steel set with 42 diamonds
Diamond clarity: Top Wesselton V.V.S “rare white”
to “rare white +”
Crystal: Glareproofed sapphire Water resistance: 3 bar 

STRAP
Black alligator leather Chantilly alligator leather 

MOVEMENT
Quartz, made in Switzerland 

FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes

PRE-SIHH From Hermès

A new take on the Cape Cod -

Courtesy of Hermès

Available in a few new versions, the two that caught my eye were these.  A blue lacquered dial (above).

And a what Hermès refers to as a black gold-treated and polished dial (below) -

Courtesy of Hermès

Here are the pertinents -

DIAL

Blue lacquered or black gold-treated and polished dial, coated with a translucent lacquer.
Applied “Anchor Chain” hour-markers. Rhodium-plated hands

CASE
A square embedded in a rectangle
Large model (GM), 29 x 29 mm, lug width of 19 mm Imagined by Henri d’Origny in 1991
316L steel
Sapphire crystal with anti-glare treatment Water-resistant to 3 bar

STRAP
Malta blue grained or étoupe smooth calfskin, single or double tour, equipped with a 316L steel 17 mm pin buckle

MOVEMENT
Quartz, Swiss made

FUNCTIONS
Hours and minutes

The Cape Cod TGM Manufacture

This is a BaselWorld preview from the folks at Hermès-

It is available in four different dial options -

Opaline -

Courtesy of Hermès

Blue -

Courtesy of Hermès

 

Anthracite -

Courtesy of Hermès

And Black -

Courtesy of Hermès

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT

Type -

Mechanical self-winding, Swiss made. Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement

Diameter -

23.9 mm (10 1⁄2’’’)

Thickness -

3.7 mm

Power reserve -
50 hours

Jewelling -
28 jewels

Frequency -
28,800 vibrations per hour / 4 Hz

Decoration -
Circular-grained and snailed mainplate. Bridges and oscilating weight satin-brushed
and adorned with the signature ‘sprinkling of Hs”

Functions -
Hours, minutes, seconds, date at 6 o’clock


CASE

Shape/dimensions -
Rectangular, 33 x 33 mm

Material -
Stainless steel

Crystal -
Sapphire crystal and case-back with anti-glare treatment
Water resistance -
3 bar

DIAL

Blue, black, anthracite or opaline silvered Raised rhodium-coated Arabic numerals Silvered square transferred minutes scale Stamped central decor
Rhodium-coated hands

BUCKLE

Steel 17 mm folding clasp

 

STRAP

Matt graphite alligator (anthracite dial) Matt black alligator (black dial)
Matt indigo alligator (blue dial)
Natural Barenia calf leather (silvered dial)

 

 

25 Years of the Cape Cod

Time flies, and for Hermès and their Cape Cod, the passage of time has been marked by a watch that has not only caught but secured the attention of the watch buying public.

Courtesy of Hermès 

What started as a whimsical notion has become a mainstay in the Hermès collection. 

Here in their own words, some background on the Cape Cod -

This creation was born from a wild desire and a singular vision: that of a man who invented it by designing a square inside a rectangle. Easier said than done, yet Henri d’Origny achieved it by drawing inspiration from the Chaîne d’ancre link. Doubtless because he is a free spirit and because the watch he imagined (despite being more used to designing Hermès silk scarves) featured such a self-evident aesthetic that it achieved global renown.

Its success was further amplified by Martin Margiela’s novel idea for his very first Hermès runway show in 1998: adding a double-wrap strap that would later be known simply as the “Double Tour”. Sales rocketed and the Cape Cod watch became an icon, almost a style in its own right.  

Courtesy of Hermès

 Happy Birthday Cape Cod!