Hermès shows off its watchmaking chops with the Squelette Lune

Luxury Parisian fashion house, Hermès, has just unveiled a new piece which should leave watch lovers in no doubts about the watchmaking chops it has. The new Sqalette Lune is a real treat, featuring a skeletonised movement and a moonphase indicator which looks absolutely fantastic.

The moons within that indicator are printed with an image of the moon, giving it a lifelike feel. That sits at the base of the dial, which is skeletonised to showcase the inner workings of the movement.

The movement powering this one is the Hermès H1953 calibre, which makes use of a micro-rotor for its automatic nature. That also looks much cleaner under the skeletonised dial, allowing users to glance through the piece for the full effect.

There are two models in the range – one grey and one blue. The grey model sits inside of a 39.5mm case crafted from grade 5 titanium. The case is bead-blasted for a matte finish, which almost mimics the look of ceramic in the supplied imagery.

There's also a nice bit of contrast on the bezel. There, the bead-blasting is replaced with polishing and a DLC treatment, which should make the bezel a nice point of differentiation from the rest of the case.

If you opt for the blue version, things get even classier, with a polished platinum case. That comes complete with a matching polished bezel – less differentiation, then, but more of a classic look.

The model can be had with either an alligator leather strap, or a calfskin strap, which is black or blue depending on the model you choose. Priced from £19,980 (approx. €23,050 / US$27,520 / AU$39,310) for the titanium model and £33,890 (approx. €39,100 / US$46,700 / AU$66,650), these offer compelling value in the context of the wider market.

It's an excellent next step for the brand, proving once again that fashion watches are not all equal.