Hermès showcased a new poetic complication at Baselworld 2017 with the Slim d?Hermès L?heure impatiente

At this year?s Baselworld, Hermès once again showed that a little whimsy goes a long way. The latest model in the Slim d?Hermès collection, named the Slim d?Hermès L?heure impatiente, is designed to make the most of the pleasure of expectation.

Whilst watchmaking at Hermès has gone from strength to strength ? showcasing both excellent design and horological heft, as with the Slim d?Hermès Quantième Perpétuel ? the brand still delights in playful complications.
The first Le Temps Suspendu was launched in 2011, giving the wearer the option of ?suspending? time via a pusher at 9 o?clock, which stilled the hands in a V-shape at 12 o?clock. It could then be pushed once more to swivel the hands back to the correct time.
Now we have Slim d?Hermès L?heure impatiente. A sub-dial between 4 and 5 o?clock can be set to a time up to 12 hours in the future: the hour that guests are supposed to arrive for a party, for example. One hour before, the hand just off 6 o?clock begins to count down 60 minutes. The theory from Hermès is that the waiting heightens the wearer?s sense of expectation.
At the designated time, a quiet chime (supposed to be audible only to the wearer ? in reality it is pretty discreet, as befits the sophisticated nature of the brand) alerts you to the fact that the hour has arrived. No word on what to do if guests are fashionably late, mind.

This i...