Hermès has mastered the art of transforming the ordinary time-telling device into an art object! Unveiled at BaselWorld 2015, the Hermès Slim Koma Kurabé watch has been worked upon by Buzan Fukushima, a master of Aka-e painting. It is the first time that French porcelain has been combined with the Japanese art.
Hermès commissioned Buzan Fukushima to design 12 porcelain dials, each sporting different designs of the “red painting”. Hermès takes us to the Japan in the shade of a flowering cherry tree, to enjoy a more than millennial-old celebration: Koma Kurabe, the famous Japanese horse race.
Each of the twelve one-of-a-kind models of the Slim d’Hermès Koma Kurabe watch boasts of a porcelain dial reproducing this horse race that is organised once a year in Kamigamo Shrine (built in 678 AD) in Kyoto. The theme depicts the scene of crowds praying for peace and good harvests, while enjoying the sight of the horses and the beautiful spring day.
Artist Buzan Fukushima, renowned as a designer of vases and plates, is one of the rare artisans who still exercises the Aka-e technique that enjoyed its heyday in 19th century Japan. The Slim d’Hermès Koma Kurabe comes in a round 39.5 mm white gold case and is fitted with a matt havana alligator strap equipped with a white gold pin buckle.
At the heart, the Hermès Slim Koma Kurabé Watch features a mechanical self-winding H1950 movement, a micro rotor, hand-crafted chamfered bridges and a 42 hour power reserve.
Via World Tempus
