Henri D'Origny, the creative director at Hermes who designed the Arceau in 1978, once spoke of an accidental shift of the pieces while he was conceiving the watch. This ultimately created the asymmetrical lugs of the Arceau, which remain an iconic part of the design language today.
The example, where the case sits on a rectangular piece of steel, is perhaps my favourite as it brings to life the early days of watchmaking in Switzerland and the assymmetry of which D'Origny spoke. Instead of a computer aided design, the piece is very raw: a case fused to a rectangular object to which a bracelet is attached.
Still, with numerals "à l'italienne" and a simple black and white dial, it is undeniably elegant and the steel bracelet wears so comfortably.
