More recognised for its leather heritage, Hermès also has a long watchmaking history, dating back to 1912 with a pocket watch that could transform into a wristwatch for Jacqueline Hermès, who could easily wear it when horse riding.
Today, La Montre Hermes' integrated watchmaking covers cases, dials and the development and production of movements, not to mention leather straps. Designs follow a simple and elegant concept, while the dials are a canvas for artistic expression.
A selection of its iconic models will be showcased at the ''Time, A Hermès Object'' exhibition, which will open tomorrow with a show by London-based Gandini Juggling, followed by a scenography circuit open to the public from June 7-17 at Hall of Fame, M Floor, Siam Paragon.
Rather than measuring and seeking to control time, Hermès explores time as an object designed to arouse emotions, open up interludes and create spaces for spontaneity.
Founded by Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala, Gandini Juggling has reinvented the entertaining tossing and catching of objects. A new show has been created for Hermès, featuring comical characters who will mingle with the audience to portray this image of time. Watching the playful performance, time will simply slip away.
The exhibition, on the other hand, appeals as a playground with a disconcerting scenography. Timepieces are magically displayed through monolithic windows, appearing and disappearing in time with pulsating light.
Likewise, two-way mirrors serve as human-sized interactive screens, displaying silhouettes of visitors before slowly vanishing.
Videos and images succeed each other, stretched and duplicated on screen, for visitors to kill time watching the kaleidoscopic images.
