When the Hermès Arceau le Temps Suspendu timepiece was released in 2011, the model immediately drew attention for its whimsical function that “suspends” time: With the push of a button, the hour and minute hands move to rest on each side of the 12 o’clock marker, returning to the correct time only when the function is disengaged with a second push of the button. The Arceau le Temps Suspendu timepiece won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Men’s Watch Prize that same year, and cemented Hermès’ credibility as a serious mechanical watchmaker to note in haute horlogerie.

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“We’ve come back to our fundamentals, which translates to a way of being, a way of living, and of thinking about our products, in particular, their mechanical complications,” says Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director at Hermès Horloger. “Time Suspendu is a mechanical complication that goes back to the beginning of our story, because this non-conventional way of telling time is different from what we’re used to seeing in the industry, where watchmakers are very precise and rigorous. It presents an elastic time and allows us to take a pause, especially in today’s times, when there are uncertainties, doubts and fears.”

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Some 15 years later, Hermès has introduced this complication in their Cut range. The Cut le Temps Suspendu timepiece comes in a 39mm rose gold case with diamond options (there’s also a red dial edition available). The dial features sunburst and sandblasted finishes, and Super-LumiNova-coated applied numerals and hands. The timepiece marries the Hermès Cut’s circle-within-a-square case design with the new in-house Hermès H1912 calibre with an integrated Temps Suspendu module. Other complications under its chassis are its 360-degree retrograde hour and minute hands, and a 24-second running indicator that rotates counterclockwise for added whimsicality.

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“The Hermes Cut le Temps Suspendu is a watch that you can wear easily and casually,” says Delhotal. “It’s for busy people who want to stop time so that they can breathe a little and take some time for themselves.”

The idea of pausing time may seem antithetical to the concept of a watch. But as Delhotal says, “We do things differently; that’s our appeal—this difference, this originality. This exercise to find ideas around time is not the easiest to do. To present time in a special way, we have to find the right idea, the right path. But that’s what is strengthening our credibility and helping us stay credible.”

With the Hermès Cut le Temps Suspendu, we think it’s safe to say that the Maison has done precisely that—and more.

All photos: Courtesy of Hermès