CP4.970.330MNO

At first I was taken by Hermes' newest luxury watch with its conservative handsome looks and commendable use of the Hermes Clipper watch theme. Then I noticed the price for the new Clipper Mecanique Chronograph at well over $50,000 (about 44,000 Euros), and I began to wonder if this included a his and hers model, as well as a few for the kids. Aside from the fact that the watch is cased in 18k rose gold, and contains a fine mechanical movement, nothing justifies this high price. The mechanical automatic movement is a bi-compax chronograph with a 30 minute counter, the time, and date. There is nothing particularly complex or special about the movement, or in the case construction as far as I can tell.

To justify the price Hermes may point to the fact that it recently gained entrance to the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. As far as I can tell, this merely signifies that Hermes constructs mechanically oriented timepieces that now focus more on fine watch making with appealing designs versus mere 'fashion watches.' Oh, and entrance into the foundation gives Hermes a listing on the foundation's website! Nevertheless, in my humble opinion, the high price for this watch is unjustified. Hermes seems to have figured this out from the get go, as it offers the Clipper Mecanique Chronograph only in a limited edition of only 24 pieces.

Otherwise, the Hermes Clipper Mecanique Chronograph is a fine watch. The 44mm case receives the pleasant styling of the Clipper series complete with the bezel rivets, and the circular numeral placement, and faceted sword styled hands. Let us hope that Hermes is 'discounting' these watches were they are available.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.