Hermès Stirrup Clock

It's easy to forget where Hermès began.

Today, most people think of handbags, silk scarves and leather goods. In 1837, however, Hermès was a workshop dedicated to the art of horse harnesses and saddlery, supplying finely crafted equestrian equipment to Europe's aristocracy.

This clock feels like a quiet nod to those beginnings.

Designed by Paul Dupré-Lafon, one of Hermès' most influential creative minds during the 1930s and 1940s, the entire piece is built around a stylised brass stirrup. Suspended from its arch hangs a Swiss-made manual-wind clock wrapped in rich burgundy leather, finished with the unmistakable hand-stitched saddle stitching that has become synonymous with the house.

It's difficult to imagine another brand making this object.

The brass base deserves just as much attention as the clock itself. Its finely machined ridged edge catches the light beautifully, while the HERMÈS – PARIS signature is neatly engraved along the front. Rising from that base is a brass arch that unmistakably echoes a riding stirrup, suspending the leather-clad clock exactly where a rider's boot would naturally rest. It's a wonderfully literal idea, executed with the kind of refinement that keeps it from ever feeling novelty.

The silver dial is clean and simple, borrowing much of the charm we admire in vintage wristwatches with its Arabic numerals, railway minute track and slender blue steel hands. Around the back sits an eight-day Swiss manual-wind movement, requiring only a few turns each week before carrying on with its work.

Paul Dupré-Lafon believed furniture and decorative objects should be every bit as thoughtfully designed as the space surrounding them. His work for Hermès remains among the house's most sought-after because it balances craftsmanship, sculpture and utility so effortlessly.

Whether it finds a place on a desk, bookshelf or sideboard, this clock carries the unmistakable design language that defined Hermès long before many of its modern icons came to be.