2021 has been a banner year for reasonably sized steel sport watches, which are, incidentally, the type of watch I tend to gravitate toward. Needless to say, I?ve been spoiled for choice. But every now and again, a formal watch catches the eye and I?m struck by the romantic ideals of delicate finishing and scant proportions. It?s a weakness I?m sure I share with many of you. One such release this year was the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune, an openworked double moonphase by a brand that?s been raising its profile slowly but surely in recent years (as a watchmaker, at least), and it?s one of the few watches released in 2021 that I keep coming back to. 

I?ll acknowledge that I?m not generally moved by skeletonized or openworked watches. It?s a tricky thing to pull off properly, to my eye. However, this Hermes does indeed pull it off with a few caveats. First and foremost, it?s not exactly easy to read, but that seems besides the point with this watch. Second, the keyless works is rarely handled gracefully from the dial side and it?s no different here, to be perfectly blunt, but it?s a far cry from an eyesore, all things considered.
The caliber H953 movement from Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier just works in openworked guise, with the micro-rotor occupying the space between 9 and 11 o?clock while the much fussier mainspring is tucked away between 1 and 2 o?clock. A gear train bisects the dial with graceful bridges tying it all together, leaving a window at 6 o?cl...