No branding, no logo: How Hermès organised a mysterious trip to the homeland of marble craftsmanship to unveil its latest timepiece
When the invitation from Hermès arrived, it was as confusing as it was enticing. A press trip, they said—but where? I was emailed round-trip tickets to Paris from Hong Kong, but we were told that the French capital wasn’t the final destination—it was to be merely the beginning of an odyssey to uncover the philosophy behind Hermès’s latest horological creation.
As we gathered in Paris, an air of anticipation hung over our group of 50 journalists from around the world, handpicked by the maison. Whispers and speculation circulated, but Hermès representatives remained tight- lipped, their wrists adorned with the sleek new Cut timepieces launched at Watches and Wonders 2024—our only clue to the purpose of this mysterious voyage.
It wasn’t until we boarded a chartered Hermès Shapes of Time plane to Mykonos that the veil began to lift. Yet even then, our final destination remained shrouded in secrecy. We stepped off the plane onto the sun-drenched tarmac, then were ushered onto a yacht straight out of HBO dramedy The White Lotus, an endless supply of champagne, homemade Greek desserts and fresh fruits on offer, with the azure waters of the Aegean stretching endlessly before us. Thirty minutes later—and 36 hours since we’d left Hong Kong—we finally arrived on the rugged shores of Tinos, a place where time moves at its own pace.
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The landscape of Tinos in Greece (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Creative director Philippe Delhotal at the abandoned green marble quarry (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The turquoise lagoon where the musical performance took place (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The set up for the performance was against the backdrop of the natural beauty of Tinos (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Dining tables made of abandoned green marble rocks in the quarry (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Lunch at the green marble quarry (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The chefs produced the food with no electricity available (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Pistachio ice cream with local olive oil drizzled on it (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
(Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
(Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
(Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The musical performance at the quarry (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The musical performance at the quarry (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
As we were conveyed in a convoy of black Jeeps along winding rocky roads scattered with cacti and lavender, the island’s essence began to reveal itself. Here, amid marble quarries and windswept hills, the rhythms of nature and centuries-old craftsmanship intertwined, creating a tapestry that mirrors the ethos of the Hermès Cut.
The following day, our adventure began in earnest, with lunch and a show at an inactive green marble quarry by the sea. The significance of this rock to Tinos cannot be overstated; it has been a cornerstone of the island’s artistic heritage for centuries, used in everything from local sculptures to the construction of the Church of Panagia Evangelistria, a prominent religious site on the island. As we stood surrounded by raw, uncut stone, the parallels with watchmaking became clear: just as skilled artisans coax beauty from these rough blocks, so too Hermès’s watchmakers transform raw materials into objects of precision and elegance.
An original piece of music echoed through the quarry, the sound bouncing off the lagoon at the quarry’s bed. It was composed by Alessandro Sciarroni, an Italian artist and choreographer known for his innovative performances that blend dance, theatre and visual art. He collaborated with Aurora Bauzà and Pere Jou, a composing duo from Spain whose work explores the intersection of sound and movement. Set against a background of raw, breathtaking nature, the performance was a musical interpretation of the new watch, reflecting the maison’s philosophies and the power of human ingenuity.
The human touch is what gives life to material and to objects
By - Pierre-Alexis Dumas
The Hermès Cut with a rubber strap (Photo: courtesy of Studio Panoulis)
The Hermès Cut on a bracelet (Photo: courtesy of Studio Panoulis)
The following day, we ventured deeper into Tinos’s artistic soul. Our visit to the Marble Museum provided a fascinating glimpse into the island’s storied past, showcasing tools, equipment and sculptures that have shaped Tinos’s reputation as a centre of marble craftsmanship. We then wandered through a local village, shopping for exquisite green marble jewellery and sampling local cheeses, olives, gelato and olive oils.
The highlight of the day was a marble-cutting workshop with Giorgos C Palamaris, a master sculptor whose family has been working with Tinos marble for generations, and Philippe Delhotal, Hermès’s creative director of horology. Perched on a small hill, we learnt the delicate art of shaping the rock, chiselling away at pieces that shone under the Greek sun.
The experience was put into perspective by Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès’s artistic executive vice president and the great- grandson of Émile Hermès. “Maybe you learnt that [working with] materials, and especially stone, [or even] leather or silk, is humbling. It’s difficult to make something with your hands, because materials have their own properties. And if you don’t listen, if you don’t try to learn, if you [act] as a conqueror thinking you can just do whatever you want, believe me, it’s not going to work.”
Bird’s eye view of the marble cutting workshop (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Marble craftsman Giorgos C Palamaris with Hermès’s Philippe Delhotal (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
At work in the marble cutting workshop (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Marble cutting tools (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Giorgos C Palamaris’s work (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Giorgos C Palamaris (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The Pyrgos village in Tinos (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Cute little cafes in Pyrgos village (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The streets of Pyrgos village (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
At the marble museum in Tinos (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
All the different kinds of marble from around the world in the marble museum of Tinos (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Lunch at Thalassaki in Tinos (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Waves crashing onto our feet in Thalassaki (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
Paul Barreyre and Dafné Kritharas (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
The final dinner at our hotel Odera Tinos with Pierre-Alexis Dumas (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
In the evening, we were treated to an intimate performance by guitarist Paul Barreyre and Dafné Kritharas, a talented duo known for evocative compositions that blend classical and contemporary influences.
While obviously our time in Greece was about a new timepiece, the branding throughout our trip was so understated that it was almost invisible. There were no logos, no brandspeak—just human interactions with nature and the essence of human craftsmanship.
A closer took at the Hermès Cut (Photo: courtesy of Hermès/Studio Panoulis)
This approach allowed us to better understand the philosophy behind the Hermès Cut. As Dumas said, “The human hand can transform marble into a beautiful plate, a beautiful bowl, a beautiful object. So the human touch is what gives life to material and to objects—and this is what Hermès is about.”
This mysterious journey was also a lesson in the art of subtle storytelling—a reflection of Hermès’s own approach to luxury. It’s a philosophy that values substance over spectacle, inviting us to look beyond the surface and find beauty in simplicity. For those who seek more than just a status symbol, the Hermès Cut offers a different perspective of looking at the mundane—a way of experiencing time that is as refreshing as it is timeless.
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