In the Pocket

1912: Jacqueline Hermès wears the f irst wristwatch ever created
by Hermès.
2012: The workshops of La Montre Hermès revive
this emblematic model while enhancing it with exceptional horological expertise. “In The Pocket” is the name given to this pocket-watch that turns into a wristwatch at its owner’s whim. Nestled inside its leather jacket, it reinvents time and highlights the fine leather-working skills of the Maison. Paying vibrant tribute to the original model given to Jacqueline Hermès by her father 100 years ago, In The Pocket weaves delicate ties between past and present, hand-sewn by the Hermès artisans and exalted by a living leather strap that will acquire a unique patina with age.
Yesterday...
Jacqueline Hermès as a child could not wear a watch attached to her clothing or slipped into her pocket. Especially for her, her father devised an ingenious “porte-oignon” or pocket-watch holder designed to fasten it onto the wrist. Drawing upon the original harness and saddle-making know-how of the House, he created a leather strap similar to those worn by the Lads. It encased the pocket-watch, adopting its shape and its curve so as to ensure optimal protection. This object embodies Hermès’ full wealth of inventiveness, which has been expressed ever since through its timepiece collections offering a blend of creativity and functionality.
Today
The perfectly round In The Pocket model is distinguished by its air of elegant understatement. Crafted in palladium, a rare and precious metal, the watch features a delicately curved 40 mm diameter, which extends to 49 mm when it is worn on the wrist. Its grained silver-toned dial is free of any embellishments in order to provide the clearest and most obvious expression of time. The pure numerals are swept over by baton-type hands, while the small seconds appear at 3 o’clock. Backstage of these displays ticks mechanical self-winding Calibre H1837. This proprietary Hermès movement has a 50-hour power reserve, a mainplate circular-grained and snailed in harmony with the finest watchmaking traditions, and an oscillating weight adorned with “sprinkling of H symbols”, an inimitable House signature. The incredible technical making of this leather wristwatch calls for length and patient craftsmanship. Composed of two separate parts, the boucleteau (the longer part attached to the watch at 6 o’clock and in which the holes will be pierced) and the sanglon (the shorter part attached to the watch at 12 o’clock to which the buckle will be fixed) the complex nature of this strap calls for a hand-crafted approach.