Doing anything different that doesnt smack of trying too hard is really tough in the world of watch design. In 1978, Henri DOrigny did just that. And the Hermes Arceau Petite Lune is the perfect expression of that genius.A Classic RebornThe Hermes Arceau family of watches is known for three?things: its asymmetrical?lugs, its sloping dial, and its slanted Arabic numerals, which are supposed to communicate the speed of a galloping horse. The latter reason is the whimsical justification of an elegant typeface (nicely applied here through powered transfer); the second improves legibility but does little to alter the head-on character of the watch; the former, however, is an absolute masterstroke of design. Not only does it give the Hermes Arceau watches a unique silhouette, but it also ensures a snug fit to the wrist. This lug form is particularly useful for Hermes larger, more complicated watches as it keeps them wearable. The Hermes Arceau Petite Lune may not be the largest watch from the French brand, but at 38mm for a ladies timepiece, it is not the most diminutive either.With the release of the Hermes Arceau Petite Lune, the Arceau collection gets a brand new watch that widens the target demographic by reducing the diameter but not the level of horological interest. It is nice to see a brand that is too often dismissed as a fashion brand dig in its heels and release such a tasteful and mechanically interesting watch.Spoiled for ChoiceThis new release sees a totally new dial released alongside two case options and a wealth of opportunities to accessorize your new timepiece. The silvery, opaline dial is in stark, muted contrast to the far more overtly feminine mother of pearl weve seen before. If you look at this dial really,?really closely, youll be able to see that it is decorated with little tiny flecks of silver that catch the light. Ive not had this watch on my wrist, but Id wager it would give out some serious sparkle. The stainless steel case is available in two styles - either polished or set with 70 diamonds, amounting to a total carat weight of 0.81. Once that decision has been made, youll be presented with a cavalcade of leather bands to choose from. Im not kidding - there are ten options: matte alligator in either etoupe or Chantilly, or polished alligator in ultraviolet, sapphire blue, black, elephant gray, raspberry, orange, ember alligator, and polished black currant alligator. It pays to be thorough, I suppose.The Hermes Arceau Petite Lune is powered by the manufacture caliber H1837. Features include a modular moon phase complication and a date, indicated via the 6 oclock sub-dial. The pointer date is a nice touch. It allows the dial to remain balanced and for all the typography to remain?on the same page, as it were. A date window might have broken up the tranquil, feminine dial, and made proceedings unnecessarily masculine.The Man in the MoonWithout a doubt, the star of this show is the cheeky little moon face that can be seen pouting at the world from the press shots included in this article. This is a direct call back to an Hermes scarf named Acte III, Scene I, la Clairiere This particular style of moon face was designed by Franco-German artist edouard Baribeaud, who was openly inspired by Shakespeares?A Midsummer Nights Dream.ConclusionThe new Hermes Arceau Petite Lune is a positive addition to an already wide collection. Releases of this nature really underpin the brands desire to be taken seriously as a watchmaker. And it is about time. Hermes has been producing quality watches, often with high-level complications, for years.One of the nicest things about this new release for me is the fact it is in stainless steel. It makes sense from the brands perspective, but it does have the look of a watch that could very well have been conceived in white gold (especially with the addition of the diamond bezel). Although prices for these new models are not yet, we can speculate that they will be in the same ballpark as the existing mother of pearl dial model (which features 60 larger diamonds on the bezel, amounting to 1 carat). The current Hermes Arceau Petite Lune with a mother of pearl dial retails for $8,600 without diamonds and $18,350 with. The new models, and associated pricing, will become available available in September. Learn more at hermes.com. [...]