TH

IN THE FOLDS OF TIME

I am striding along the wide Omotesando Avenue, when – caught in the infinite movement of the Tokyo crowd, of the luminous signs and of the time – the world suddenly curves and opens up. I step in and when I open my eyes again, after countless turns, I am in Auckland, standing on the pier in bright sunshine, caressed by a strong wind. I look at my wrist; it is still there. It tells me the hours of the world and is my only compass, constantly moving amidst this whirlwind that blows me away. I have de- cided to follow time zones, to map out my route around the globe without knowing what I will find there. I am still looking.

The more I move ahead, the higher my wrist flies: the tiny planet turns end- lessly above its dial, a planisphere of a galloping equestrian world. Is it this globe that is spinning fast or is it me on the run? Who is following whose pace? The opening indicates my home time – but where exactly is that? The perpetually rotating planet gives me the time in 24 cities, in 24 time zones, towards which I walk and that I dream of reaching at last. Because in…

Mexico City, the wildly animated streets are filled with incandescent purple jacaranda blossoms. Nouméa, I float along dreamily, far from the madding crowd.
Bangkok, I hop onto the Ferris wheel, giggling as I enjoy a fantasy tuk-tuk ride through the flaming sky.
Samarkand, a heavenly blue gate opens onto the vast expanses of the steppe beyond.

I'm actually wrong though, as neither the watch nor I are running, merely gliding. It undulates and I follow, in turn making time stand still or embracing it. I am a human and a world in myself; released from daily contingen- cies, I simply merge with time. Sometimes it refuses my approach and I don’t force the issue, as I know it moves too fast for me. There is no need to rush, I just wait patiently and at last it stops. I get up and resume the dance, turning the next corner.

Sitting elegantly on my wrist, its slim presence is my only direct link with the world: I call it Le temps voyageur, together we spin between the hours.

When I stroll through lanes and alleys, airports and train stations, my temps voyageur blends with passing latitudes, never losing its way and moving as fast as time and space combined. Its 41-millimetre platinum case and matt black titanium bezel do not weigh on my wrist, nor on my life. Its module flies me through the air. Its 122 components do not slow me down; they accelerate and enhance me. I must be a light-feathered arrow in the wind in order to set off for…

Juneau, Alaska, where the blizzard rages and reignites the senses. Sydney, where the hills are dappled with an apricot glow.
Athens, where the silent stones speak volumes.

I'm not sure I'll ever get anywhere, it doesn't matter. With each step I let the world shape me, I become a maharajah here and a cosmonaut there, I slide between genres and borders as these distinctions are no longer relevant for me.

In Santiago, a cascade of pink… and life suddenly blooms. Los Angeles, Rio, Paris: an infinite Babel.
New York, I walk beneath towering giants…
… from where I take off and gleefully land in the Azores.

I don't know where I'm going, but my world is spinning in circles on its dial. I stand upright amid the big loop of passing hours. I have wrapped myself in the ever-deepening mystery of life. On the road I have found nothing but time, which already means a great deal.

I hold the world in balance on my wrist.

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ARCEAU LE TEMPS VOYAGEUR

The Arceau watch designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978 lends itself to a new expression of style and evokes the spirit of travel according to Hermès. Crafted in platinum and titanium or in steel, its round case with asymmetrical lugs reveals a singular reinterpretation by Hermès of classic Haute Horlogerie complications roaming across the hours of the world, as the "Travelling time" mechanism developed exclusively for Hermès provides a disc-type display of 24 time zones. The satellite gravitates on a fantasy map, imagined by Jérôme Colliard for the "Planisphère d’un monde équestre" silk scarf.

The mobile counter and the home time indication at 12 o’clock are driven by a 122-component module, measuring just 4.4 mm thick, which is integrated within the Hermès H1837 mechanical self-winding movement. The mechanism powers the hours, minutes and dual-time display with city indication. Two Arceau Le temps voyageur models – a 41 mm-diameter platinum version with a matt black DLC-treated titanium bezel and a 38 mm steel iteration – are fitted with alligator or Swift calfskin straps made in Hermès Horloger’s own workshops using the House’s long-established saddle-making and leather craftsmanship expertise.