Friday, April 24, 2026
Hermès' theater of mechanics at watches and wonders 2026
www.designboom.com: At Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026, Hermès frames time as a performative medium, staging its latest horological releases within a kinetic scenography by Jean-Simon Roch. Conceived as a mobile installation where watchmaking mechanics interact with theatrical machinery, the project positions movement as narrative. Within this shifting environment, the maison unveils three new skeleton timepieces: Hermès H08 Squelette, Arceau Samarcande, and Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune, each exposing its inner workings like apertures into a hidden temporal world.
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4 comments:
I’m so fascinated by this. Of course there’s a watch trade show in Geneva where they make watch inspired time based installations. I mean don’t get me wrong I like watches as much as the next guy but I’m just so fascinated by the amount of time and effort that went into this. I guess I would like it if more companies took it upon themselves to hire artists to make abstract kinetic installation art for them? It is pretty cool that there are so many elements of theatre incorporated into this design, though I’m not really sure how that’s related to the watches. There’s a system of pulleys that seems like it’s meant to represent an abstraction of a rigging system, and the central piece of the installation seems like it’s supposed to represent theatrical masking (legs and borders). The choice to base the whole installation in plain unvarnished wood is also really interesting.
I think what makes Hermès as a brand so interesting is how they embrace the "performance of the machine" as opposed to simply displaying a timepiece inside of a glass case. Regardless of it being a luxury brand, I feel these types of projects help bridge a gap between two worlds. The set-up is essentially a large automaton made functional by the ropes and pulleys operating in relation to each watch's movement, contributing to the overall experience of seeing a piece of high-end horology come to life. The scenography is definitely in keeping with the idea of it being a performance; there’s even a sound design element included which integrates the mechanical noise into an orchestral soundscape! The whole experience creates a really cool dramatic effect rather than just having that routine trade show feel; each watch is truly the star of the show and it’s quite cool to make something so technical seem artistic and intentional by way of design.
This was so interesting. I wish that more companies would market their products with a large installation like this. What I find really interesting is the similarity between the installation and the products being shown of wanting the customer to see how it works. The inside is displayed in a tasteful way, so that the consumer may see how everything interacts. I've always found it interesting how high-quality watches always need this perfect balance between outer beauty and internal efficiency. I appreciate (to a point) how high-quality watches are marketed to be accurate to such specific points. I also find the theatre of it all very interesting. I forget where I read it, but I learned that Rolex always makes sure that buying a Rolex is more than just purchasing a watch, but that buying a Rolex is a true experience. It's really interesting to see how these companies market themselves to the consumer.
As someone who barely understands and sort of automation, scenic, or construction elements, this whole thing feels like magic to me just reading about it. I couldn’t imagine putting this together. Whenever I see set pieces move and scenes shift without any visible human presence, I am vaguely aware that there are people and science behind it, but I’m honestly in wonder and awe everytime no matter what. It’s genuinely so cool to see the technological feats and how artists utilize these scientific complicated principles to created beautiful, meaningful, and fascinating work. I know I could probably never do this, so I have a lot of respect for the people that do. As much as I know I could probably never do all of this, I do want to meet people who do and at least try to learn from them, even though I’m sure most of it would go over my head.
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