====== Hermès ======
{{wst>menue|Hermès}}

{{wst>image_cr|Hermes|Arceau Chrono Alezan|Hermès Arceau Chrono Alezan}}

**Hermès** is a Swiss watch manufacturer, part of the famous French luxury accessory manufacturer.

===== Overview =====
In [[1837]] the master saddler Thierry Hermès founded a business producing bridles in Paris. The company added luggage, bags, and document wallets over time. In [[1928]], the first watch bearing the Hermès name appeared, and many more were produced for the company by Swiss watchmakers over the following decades, including [[Movado]], [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]], [[Vacheron Constantin]], and [[Rolex]].

Hermès founded **La Montre Hermès SA** in [[Biel]] in [[1978]] to produce watches for the company's expanding retail network. The company's iconic [[Hermès Clipper|Clipper]] line was introduced in [[1981]], featuring a porthole-shaped bezel. The company's lineup expanded in the 1990s with the [[Hermès Cape Cod|Cape Cod]] ([[1991]]), [[Hermès Medor|Medor]] ([[1993]]), and [[Hermès H-Hour|H-Hour]] ([[1997]]), but it was the double-wrap strap introduced in [[1998]] on a Cape Cod model that cemented the brand's reputation.

Hermès expanded in [[1999]] in an effort to compete with other luxury houses like [[Chanel]] and [[Louis Vuitton]] in horology. The [[2003]] introduction of the [[Hermès Dressage|Dressage]], with a [[Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier]] movement, presaged the October [[2006]] acquisition of a 25% stake in that company by Hermès.

The next decade saw more technical development for Hermès. In [[2001]], the [[Hermès Arceau Temps Suspendu|Arceau Temps Suspendu]] watch was introduced, with a playful "time stop" period on the dial. Another playful model, the [[Hermès Dressage L'Heure Masquée|Dressage L'Heure Masquée]], hides the hour hand until a button is pressed. [[2012]] saw the launch of [[H1837|Cal. H1837]] and [[H1912|Cal. H1912]], two custom watch movements for the [[Hermès Dressage|Dressage]] and [[Hermès Arceau Écuyère|Arceau Écuyère]]. Hermès also acquired dial specialist Natéber SA in [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]] that year, and added watch case maker [[Joseph-Erard]] SA in [[Le Noirmont]] the next year. [[2015]] saw the launch of the [[Hermès Slim]].

Hermès has won three prestigious [[Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève]] prizes The Arceau le Temps Suspendu won the Men's Watch Prize in [[2011]], the Slim d'Hermès QP won the Calendar Watch Prize in [[2015]] and the Arceau Robe du soir won the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize in [[2018]].

===== Address =====
La Montre Hermès SA\\ Erlenstrasse 31A\\ Postfach 960\\ CH-2501 [[Biel]]/Bienne

Tel. (++41) 032 366 71 00\\ Fax (++41) 032 366 71 01\\ info@montre-hermes.ch

===== Weblinks =====
  * [[http://www.hermes.com/|Hermès]]


{{tag>Watch_brands FHH Watch_brands_Switzerland Watch_brands_France}}