Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Hermes – Cape Cod Crepuscule Unique Dial

 

HermèsCAPE COD Crépuscule Unique Dial

French luxury group Hermès announced that it would temporarily close its stores in russia and pause all commercial activities in the country, the first major luxury group to publicly announce such a move:

    Deeply concerned by the situation in Europe at this time, it's with regret that we have taken the decision to temporarily close our stores in Russia and pause all our commercial activities from March the 4th evening. We will continue to stand by our local teams.

Cape Cod crépuscule

The Cape Cod crépuscule watch: unprecedented expertise for a dial featuring a unique aesthetic

In 1991, the Cape Cod watch was born beneath the bold pencil strokes of Henri d'Origny. With its "square in a rectangle” case formed by two "anchor chain" half-links, Cape Cod now welcomes a dial with a singular aesthetic uniting and revealing two ordinarily distinct worlds.

In 2018, Hermès initiated a meeting with the Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) as part of its search for a technological innovation that would be dedicated to creativity. This gave rise to a project for a dial made from a silicon wafer, which was to feature the intimate and refined "Crépuscule" (dusk) motif by designer-graphic artist Thanh-Phong Lê.

Click, to see the large size. BIG FOTO

Used in microelectronics for its semiconductor properties, the silicon wafer was chosen here for its purely aesthetic qualities, representing a first. Depending on the amount of material deposited during production, its colour varies across an infinite palette of subtle and unique shades. This highly technological process is carried out by specialised engineers in the CSEM labs.

The dials of the Cape Cod crépuscule are created from a single 0.5 mm thick plate, which is coated in an extremely precise manner with a tiny (72-nanometre) film of silicon nitride to obtain the desired intense blue color.

Click, to see the large size. BIG FOTO

Then comes the photolithography stage, during which the wafer is exposed to a blue light so as to print the pattern. The process involves several successive baths, before the gold-coating stage, followed by other baths to remove any superfluous material. Finally, the plate is precisely cut to the shape of the Cape Cod case.

Click, to see the large size. BIG FOTO

The dial with its slender gilded hands reveals the bluish shades sprinkled with yellow gold achieved by this unique method combining creativity and nanotechnology. A navy blue calfskin single or double tour strap crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops sets the final touch to the Cape Cod crépuscule watch.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model:  ACAPE COD crépuscule

Click, to see the large size. BIG FOTO

CASE
Material: Steel
Shape/dimensions: Rectangular, 29 x 29mm, “square in a rectangle”
Glass: anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 3 bar
MOVEMENT
Type: Quartz, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes
DIAL
Blue-tinted monocrystalline silicon dial with Photolithographic transfer, 
gold coating depicting the “crepuscule” (dusk) motif created by artist Thanh-Phong Lê
STRAP
Navy blue calfskin

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Press Release - 2022
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Hermès Horloger Press Relations
Katy Jolidon

katy.jolidon@montre-hermes.ch
+41 (0)32 366 71 00
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INTERNATIONAL HERMÈS PRESS OFFICE
Sophie Seibel-Traonouïl - 10-12, rue de la Ville-l’Évêque,
75008 Paris - Tel.: + 33 (0)1 40 17 47 89.
Fax: + 33 (0)1 48 10 17 88 
Photos: Claude Joray
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www.Hermes.com

Monday, March 14, 2022

Richemont Group - closes stores in russia

 

Richemont Group joins Ukrainian relief efforts & closes stores in russia

The Richemont Group, the parent holding company that owns Cartier, A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels, announced today that it stands with all those affected by the war in Ukraine. 


The Group pledged support for the safety of its employees in the country. Richemont pledged funds to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) to help Ukrainian victims. Richemont further adds that it has stopped operations in Ukraine and suspended commercial activities in Russia, with the following statement:


    Richemont's deepest compassion and thoughts go out to our colleagues, their families and friends affected by the tragic situation in Ukraine.

    With the care and wellbeing of our colleagues top of mind, we are in close contact with our people on the ground and ensuring they receive all the financial, logistic and moral support they need.

    Richemont has initiated a significant donation to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). This donation will help provide emergency response activities, basic aid items, and medical supplies and support to people in need in the region. Several of our Maisons and businesses are also supporting humanitarian efforts with additional donations and contributions.

    Given the current global context, it is with regret that we stopped our operations in Ukraine on 24 February and suspended our commercial activities in Russia on 3 March.

    We will continue to monitor developments and adapt our measures accordingly.


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www.Richemont.com