The timepiece features in a landmark sale and exhibition in Paris spanning creations from more than 20 years of the designer’s work in fashion.
At his eponymous label, Belgian-born Martin Margiela cemented himself as fashion’s avant garde, against-the-tide-swimmer. He deconstructed and rethought garments and reconsidered form and beauty in ways that rubbed against the establishment like sandpaper when the brand was established in 1988.
So when he was appointed as Artistic Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear of French luxury maison Hermès in 1997, battered painted Birkins could have been on the cards, given the designer’s previous form. But what followed was quieter, muted and executed with an atomic level of detail. One celebrated creation from the designer’s 12-season tenure with the House, is the Double-Tour watch strap. And now, its maker’s personal timepiece is up for auction alongside 200 items spanning the designer’s time at Maison Martin Margiela and Hermès.
Devised in 1998, the Hermès Double Tour saw Margiela turn his hand to watch design, reinterpreting the Cape Cod – Hermès dressy, rectangular dress watch designed by Henri d’Origny in 1991 – by applying an extended strap to the lugs. This new addition meant that it could be wrapped around the wrist twice, and beefed up the watch’s visual impact – and it’s still a part of Hermès’ horological offering to this date.
Marc Chatelard
“Remembering all women with their men’s Rolex watches in steel, I wanted to create an equal power tool for the millennium. I did not intend to create a watch, Hermès had beautiful ones. It was more about how to wear it, where I would like to intervene. My favorite watch was the ‘Cape Cod’ designed by Henri d’Origny,” Margiela shared in a statement. “I applied a strap in my favorite Hermès leather, ‘cuir à brides’ because it is the only one which doesn’t need topstitching. But a strap in a different length which was twice as long. The idea created a completely different way of wearing a watch and became a best-seller until today. Needless to say that all big brands copied it instantly.”
The creative, who has withdrawn from public life since leaving his brand in 2008 and is now working as a contemporary artist, will auction off his Double Tour Cape Cod watch in a sale comprising 200 lots, held by Maurice Auction. These retrace his career from his designs for the Belgian Canette d’Or fashion competition in Antwerp in 1984 through to his final years at Maison Martin Margiela before he left in 2008 to pursue personal projects. Other notable items including Margiela’s own white painted telephone, Graffiti Tabi boots from 1991, and a personal dossier from 1987 containing plans for his then fictional fashion label.
If you’re a fan of Margiela, high-fashion wraparound watch design, or both, and your bank account can take it, the hammer will come down on July the 9th.
The auction will be held at 2:00pm on July 9th. An accompanying exhibition will run from July 4th-9th at 71 rue de la Fontaine au Roi, Paris 11th arrondissement.
