Time out

“The times are urgent; let us slow down” is an African saying that post-humanist thinker and author Bayo Akomolafe often references as an alternative positioning to our often-reactionary attempts to fix the pressing crises of today, in which we tend to apply the same thinking that caused the problems in the first place. This is his invitation to sit with the troubles, to open our hearts and minds to the wider possibilities present in a complex world.

This view resonated with a recent “Active Hope” gathering I attended at the Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo, where participants engaged in conversation and practice with Buddhist nun Tsunma Tsondru on deep ecology, alternative knowledge systems, and wisdom, in response to the anxieties and challenges of our current situation. This tranquil setting on a hillside in rural KwaZulu-Natal certainly vibrates at a different frequency and, while we were often sitting or walking in meditative silence, actively listening, being more present and open to possibility, the time–space of this special place appeared to stand still. This moment also highlighted that the time that really counts is the time we so often do not count.

While I acknowledge that the consumption of luxury items might be contradictory to the cause, as an aesthete and horophile I concede to dissonance. Hermès is philosophical about time and the Arceau Le Temps Suspendu invites us to break free from the constrains of linear time for quiet contemplation in our increasingly disrupted and disconnected lives. Or simply to play. Its timepieces were presented at Watches and Wonders in Geneva in an immersive booth experience created in collaboration with French artist Sarah-Anaïs Desbenoit, who uses video, projection, and sound to create installations conducive to meditation.

Desbenoit explores liminal spaces and the experience of slowing down, which contrast with contemporary acceleration. Finding inspiration in often pedestrian places of transit or transition, such as train stations and waiting rooms, she creates spaces where time appears to be suspended. Hermès says Le Temps Suspendu is also intended to “cultivate contradictions”, to help us refocus and embark on an internal journey. After all, our inner transformation is the seed of consciousness and change we need in the world.

Receiving the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie men’s watch prize in 2011 when it launched, the Arceau Le Temps Suspendu with its asymmetrical lugs and dial display is reinterpreted for 2025 with a slimmer 42mm case and an open-worked dial to show off the “Time Suspended” module of its in-house Hermès H1837 movement. These timepieces are presented with dials in sunburst blue, rouge sellier, or brun desert and a choice of white- or rose-gold cases. They feature 360° retrograde hour and minute hands and a retrograde date indicator obliquely positioned at 5 o’clock.

The Hermès Cut collection, launched last year, is joined by a 39mm Le Temps Suspendu editions featuring a smaller version of this unique complication, the H1912, and a quirky small seconds dial with a hand that runs counter-clockwise. Currently, they are only available in rose gold with two dial options: sunburst red and silver-toned opaline. These watches are water resistant to 100m, but you’d be advised not to suspend time during ocean dives, as captivating as the experience can be.  

On both collections, time is suspended at the push of a button on the left side of the case, with the hands retreating to the pause zone around 12 o’clock. Behind this playful illusion is a complex mechanism featuring two modules allowing standard time to continue ticking on out of sight. These modules are coordinated by synchronised column wheels, one driving the hours, the other the minutes (coupled with the date display on the Arceau). The Hermès Cut novelties are presented on rose-gold bracelets with butterfly clasps and are interchangeable with chalk-coloured rubber straps. The Arceau lineup features leather straps to match their dials.

POA, hermes.com or Picot & Moss 011 669 0500

From the June edition of Wanted, 2025