From
Hermès -
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And for the first time in a VERY LONG TIME I get to wake up to something REALLY COOL in my in box - THANK YOU
Hermès!Essentially a pocket watch that can be worn as a wrist watch. Now in fairness several companies out there have tried this concept. And if I am very, very honest the results have always been half-sassed, ham-fisted efforts that get worn for a day or two then consigned to the closet or dresser drawer. In going back through their past,
Hermès found the perfect solution that offers something so much better than a "clamp on" strap.
I'm going to let them tell the rest in their own words -
In The Pocket
With the In The Pocket watch, Hermès is reviving a fundamental piece that was to forge
its watchmaking destiny already spanning more than a century of history. A family history
mingling a love of horses, exceptional leather-making expertise, as well as a perpetually
effervescent inventiveness in creating beautiful objects meeting practical needs.
It all began in 1912, when Jacqueline Hermès, still a child at the time, received a gift from
her father in the shape of an ingenious “porte-oignon” or pocket-watch holder designed to be
secured to the wrist. It had been designed so that the keen young horsewoman could ride
without having to attach her watch to her clothing or slip it into her pocket. Testifying to
the original Hermès expertise in the field of saddle- and harness-making, this leather strap
was designed like those worn by stable lads, surrounding the pocket watch and adopting its
shape so as to provide ideal protection.
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Reinvented in 2012 under the name
“In The Pocket”, this iconic model now
returns in a rose gold composition clad
in a sophisticated alligator exterior. A
pocket-watch that may be transformed at
will into a wristwatch, it embodies both
the historical leather hand craftsmanship
of Hermès and its watchmaking
development to the point of becoming
a full-fledged Manufacture now in the
hands of the seventh generation of the
founding family.
Issued in a 178-piece limited edition, the
In The Pocket watch is distinguished by its
extreme sobriety. The 40 mm diameter of the delicately rounded rose gold case increases to 49 mm when worn on the wrist. Its finely
grained silvered dial avoids any superfluous ornamentation so as to provide the clearest,
most self-evident expression of time. The baton-type hands sweep over pared-down
numerals, while the small seconds ticks round at 3 o’clock, all driven by the Manufacture
Hermès H1837 movement with a 50-hour power reserve. Crafted in keeping with the
finest horological traditions, this refined self-winding mechanism features a circular-
grained and snailed mainplate, while its oscillating weight is adorned with the brand’s
signature “sprinkling of Hs” motif.
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The incredibly complex strap of the
“In The Pocket” model calls for lengthy
and patient workmanship. Composed of
two longer and shorter sections, the plain
strap end and the buckle strap end (sanglon
and boucleteau in French), it is hand crafted
in the leather-making workshops of La
Montre Hermès in Switzerland.
These two parts are composed of three
layers of leather: alligator; an inner cow
grain leather reinforcement ensuring
impeccable sturdiness; and a Zermatt
calfskin lining.
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First comes the cutting process, including
layer cutting; the hides are soaked and then
pressed into a mould. They dry for 10 days
before being cut with a pointed tool, layer-
cut, sanded down and glued. Each of the
parts is then partially sewn; the buckle strap
end is perforated to free up the spaces that
will reveal the dial and through which the
plain strap end and the crown will pass.
The work continues on the table, with the
buckle end and the plain strap end being
fitted together, marked with a compass,
indented and sewn using the saddle-
stitching technique.
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Then comes the finishing, including
hammering the stitching, marking a
furrow, dyeing and polishing with beeswax.
With infinite patience, one operation after
another, the artisans at La Montre Hermès
thus lovingly create In The Pocket, a tribute
to the watchmaking roots of the Maison.
Here are the specs -
MOVEMENT
Type:
Mechanical self-winding, made in
Switzerland. Manufacture Hermès
H1837 movement
Diameter:
26 mm (11 1⁄2’’’)
Thickness:
3.7 mm
Power reserve:
50 hours
Frequency:
28,800 vibrations per hour / 4 Hz
Jewelling:
28 jewels
Decoration:
Mainplate with circular-grained and
snailed finish, satin-brushed bridges and
oscillating weight with “sprinkling of
Hs” motif, Hermès Paris engraving
Functions:
Hours, minutes, small seconds
at 3 o’clock
CASE
Shape/dimensions:
Round, 40mm diameter
Material:
750 5N rose gold (approx. 52.8 g)
Glass:
Antiglare sapphire crystal and case back
Water resistance:
3 bar
DIAL
Silvered dial with anthracite transfer
BUCKLE
750 rose gold (approx. 5.2 g) 17 mm
pin buckle
750 rose gold (approx. 3 g) snap link
LEATHER
Matt havana alligator strap
and cord-strap
