Watchmakers often harness the latest technology to enhance the precision of their movements. However, with its latest take on its iconic Cape Cod, Hermès is taking this same forward-thinking approach to its dials, using state-of-the-art methods in the pursuit of creativity and art. 

Its unique dial started with a meeting with the Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) in 2018. The vision was to recreate the captivating dusk-like scene of the “crépuscule” motif by designer and graphic artist Thanh-Phong Lê on a dial made from a silicon wafer. More commonly used in microelectronics for its semiconductor properties, here it was selected instead for the distinctive aesthetic it could deliver. 

First the dial, made from a single 0.5 mm thick plate, is delicately coated in a miniscule (72-nanometre) film of silicon nitride to achieve the intense blue shade. This is then followed by the photolithography stage to print the intricate pattern, achieved through exposing the wafer to a blue light. After several baths to remove superfluous material, it moves on to the gold coating stage, before being precisely cut to be fitted into the case. 

Letting the design of the dial speak for itself, it is finished just with slender gilded hands and the Hermès logo. Meanwhile a complementary hued calfskin strap is fitted to the distinctive case and lugs, designed to echo a nautical anchor chain, available in a single or double tour strap that elegantly winds its way around the wrist. 

hermes.com