Chopard and Hermes mix elegance with in-house tech
THE holy grail of watch manufacturing is for a company to be able to make its own movements in-house. This is no mean thing – Breitling, one of the most famous brands around, only released its first in-house movement in 2009 and spent years of research and millions of dollars of investment in the process.
The fact that this has now been achieved by Hermes, the French luxury goods house, therefore shows the extent of the company’s commitment to its watch side. In fact the company has a long history in the watch industry, but it is stepping back to the front line at the moment. Developed in partnership with Vaucher Manufacture in Fleurier in Switzerland, the Hermes H1837 movement is found in a new version of its Dressage watch. It’s a highly elegant piece suitable for any boardroom, and costs £7,050.
Chopard is famous for both its watches and its jewellery, though so far its own incredibly high-spec movements have been seen in its haute horological LUC watches. Its gorgeous new Classic Manufacture piece (£9,100), inspired by the look of old pocket watches, contains its first in-house movement intended for production in industrial volumes, and signals a new chapter for this magnificent watch brand.
www.hermes.com
www.chopard.com