“As you might have guessed from the review, I am very excited about the design of the watch. Hermès is aiming the H08 at the modern, urban and sophisticated man of today. The watch is very suitable for everyday use. It works for a chic occasion as well as in a relaxed environment.”
Quick take
Hermes has come up with a real bang at this year’s Watches and Wonders. The new flagship model of the Hermès watch collection, the Hermès H08. They come in the Hermès atypical modern watch cases, which is quite a far throw from the typical Hermès design. The rectangular case architecture offers a distinctly everyday suitability. And who wouldn’t want to be able to wear their Hermès watch every day?
Despite the very clean and everyday design, Hermès could of course not leave out the typical design airs and graces of the house of Hermès altogether. But then it wouldn’t be a Hermès watch, which is not what we want. Anyway, with the H08, Hermès plays very strongly with contrasts, combining circular elements with sharp angular details. And that is what makes this watch so unique. But Hermès has not only provided the unusual combinations for the dial, the case itself is also unique. Hermès plays with what I consider to be an well though out mix of materials: graphene composite, DLC-coated titanium cases and black gold-plated or black nickel-plated dials.
The Hermès H08 watches all come with a uniform case that measures 39 x 39mm in diameter. The height is 10.6mm. The watch is powered by the automatic Hermès Manufacture H1837 movement, which has a solid power reserve of 50 hours. The H08 is water resistant up to 10 bar.
Price-wise, the H08 starts at $5,500 and ends at a whopping $8,900.
My opinion
As you might have guessed from the review, I am very excited about the design of the watch. Hermès is aiming the H08 at the modern, urban and sophisticated man of today. The watch is very suitable for everyday use. It works for a chic occasion as well as in a relaxed environment. And that is where the strength of the H08 lies. It does not limit itself to the sporty or the elegant segment, it combines both in one elegant and nicely sized package.
Now let’s briefly move on to the only criticism I have of the watch: The entry price of $5,700 is tough and doesn’t get any better as we move up from the titanium case to the graphene composite case. I have to be honest, I find the price a bit steep for the watch, which to me, is sold more as an elegant fashion accessory.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the design and think Hermès is miles ahead of other brands in the same price segment in terms of design. I’ll even go a step further and say that the design of the H08 is one of the best I’ve seen at Watches and Wonders 2021. Nevertheless, I think the price could have been lowered a bit.
But all in all, I think the new collection is very well done and a nice refreshment for the Hermès watch collection. If I could choose one of the watches, I would immediately go for the Two-Tone H08 in satin titanium with a DLC coating on the orange rubber strap. I find the combination of the dark grey DLC coating and the bright orange absolutely brilliant and eye-catching.
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