At the exclusive Baselworld watch expo in Switzerland, famed French fashion house Hermès just unveiled one of the world’s most unique timepieces. Dubbed the Dressage L'heure Masquée, it cleverly obscures the hour hand’s indication until you activate it. While the minute hand moves constantly, the hour marker is not revealed until the wearer presses on a button integrated into the crown. As soon as the pressure is released the hour hand disappears again, emphasizing the fleeting nature of time. Only 500 pieces finished in gold and 1000 in steel will be created for collectors worldwide, making it an extremely precious timepiece. 

A second time zone can also be revealed at will. The magical effect of the disappearing hour hand is managed via masterful interaction of the rack, pinion and gear trains. The watch’s self-winding calibre H1925 movement is equipped with an exclusive patented module. “Here we are not in the arena of pure performance, timekeeping and accuracy,” notes Luc Perramond, La Montre Hermès CEO. “We are in a more poetic field where our goal is to make our clients dream and be enchanted. The techniques we developed with our watchmakers are dedicated to those poetic values.”