Hermès' New Watches Let You Stop Time (Literally)
Yes, you read that correctly. Hermès’ latest release lets you stop time, not in a wizard sense, but in a way that’s equally poetic.
For 2025, Hermès brings back its Le Temps Suspendu complication, expanding it across the collection. First introduced in 2011, the concept lets you stop the hands with the push of a button. Time disappears, but the movement keeps ticking underneath. It’s a playful yet technical expression of what Hermès calls “Hermès Time.”
Now, if you’re wondering what “Hermès Time” actually is, I asked Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director of Hermès Horloger, the same thing. He described it as a shared philosophy across all of Hermès — not just watchmaking.
“At Hermès, time is more of a companion because it accompanies us in creating our objects, from design to manufacturing,” he says.”This is felt in the object as well — precious time.” Time at Hermès isn’t about control. It’s about reverence. It invites pause, presence, and room to imagine life slightly differently.
Delhotal whipped out all three Arceau editions during our conversation at Watches & Wonders 2025, but the standout was the Cut Le Temps Suspendu.
It shares the same time-stopping superpower but in a smooth cushion case, offered in either silver opaline or proprietary sunburst red. That red version? You’ve got to see it in the light, it’s one of those tones that changes depending on the moment, which feels fitting.
Delhotal also talked us through the modular Maillon Libre, which reimagines Hermès’ anchor-chain link as a bracelet, a brooch, or something in between. It’s unconventional, and that’s the point. “Suspend time,” he said. “Take time for oneself, or for others. In a world where we’re always rushing, suspending time lets us enjoy the present and escape a little.”
And on his own wrist? The quietly brilliant Heure de la Lune is a double-hemisphere moon phase that shows two views of the moon at once. Delhotal and I joked it was the perfect romantic complication for long-distance lovers. If you can swing two watches, of course.
Hermès might be known for its bags, but don’t sleep on Hermès horology. The watches are where things get fun.
