Singular Vision

How did a simple geometrical timepiece become a 21st-century design icon?

- Kenny Loh

The word “singularity” popped up three times during my conversations with La Montre Hermès Artistic Director Philippe Delhotal and designer of the French label’s highly popular Cape Cod ticker Henri d’Origny. “Back in 1991, I was asked by Jean-Louis Dumas, who was then Hermès’ CEO, to create a square watch,” d’Origny recalls. “But since I did not like obeying orders, I drew a rectangular model with a square inside it.” That timepiece, which he named the Cape Cod, won instant approval from his boss and Hermès customers as it not only looked fresh but, imbued with subtle nautical vibes, stood out easily from other styles in the market at that time.

The watch garnered even more praise from the fashion set in 1998 when Hermès’ former Womenswear Artistic Director Martin Margiela decked it out with a never-seen-before accessory: an extra-long and pliant leather strap named the double-tour, which wrapped twice around the wrist. “Like the other objects I’ve designed, the Cape Cod is not merely a distinctive timepiece, but an emblematic and enduring accessory which has kept in step with the times and found its place in the readyto-wear universe,” adds d’Origny adds, who talks us through the origins, inspiration and evolution of the iconic model, which turned 25 in 2016.

How was the DNA of Hermès captured in the Cape Cod?