Orange Alert: The Hermès H08 Chronograph

When launched in 2021, the H08 collection was heralded as a unique take on a sports elegant timepiece from the minds at the house of Hermès. With a new case design and fresh dial aesthetics, the initial time-only H08 was unlike any timepiece we had seen before. In 2023, the Maison has now added to the H08 collection a brand new chronograph.

The carbon fibre composite, graphene powder coated case of the H08 Chronograph sits slightly larger, at 41mm by 41mm, compared to its time-only counterpart which measures 39mm by 39mm. The bezel is forged in titanium with sunburst satin-brushed upper surfaces, while the chamfer is mirror polished. The timepiece does retain earlier established signature dial elements, while still making room for the chronograph complication. The dial starts off with a seconds scale along its perimeter, followed by stylised Super-LumiNova coated Arabic numerals and then a textured ring that frames the dial’s centre.

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This textured effect is carried over onto the 30-minute chronograph counter, set at nine o’clock, as well as the running seconds counter, set at three o’clock. A discrete date window is placed between four and five o’clock (we will say that we understand the positioning given the other elements on the dial, but this feature could have been omitted entirely without causing harm). The hands used for the H08 Chronograph are all reminiscent of the earlier time-only version’s, save perhaps for the chronograph hands and the running seconds hand, both of which are now rendered in orange with arrow tips that are filled with Super-LumiNova.

At this point, if you are asking where the chronograph pushers on this watch are, the answer is that Hermès — as an interesting twist — has opted for a chronograph of the mono-pusher variety. Meaning to say that the chronograph’s start, stop and reset functions are all activated using a single pusher incorporated into the watch’s black PVD-coated titanium crown. This complication is made possible by having incorporated a mono-pusher chronograph module onto a base movement, resulting in the self-winding calibreH1837 made exclusively for Hermès by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.

The H08 Chronograph clearly signals that Hermès’ sports elegant timepieces are here to stay. Lovers of the Maison’s watchmaking and collectors in general can all now rest assured that we are bound to see yet more animations and complications added to the H08 before long.

All photos courtesy of Hermès.

This article was first published on issue #69 of World of Watches.

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