Hermès honours the ancient art of straw marquetry, a form of expertise that has become extremely rare, with these two beautifully dialed watches. Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures.

Presented for the first time on a watch dial, the Hermès Arceau Marqueterie de Paille watches reflect a highly complex miniaturisation of the marquetry technique. The blue and black motifs depict two iconic Hermès tie patterns featuring chevrons and tiny squares.

The rye straw used in these models is produced by only one farm in France. These two collector’s models are presented together in a precious Makassar ebony presentation box, itself adorned with straw marquetry.