When Philippe Delhotal joined Hermès as its creative director of watches in 2008, he was tasked with establishing the French luxury house in horology – a highly competitive field dominated by Swiss specialists with centuries of watchmaking experience. Earning respect in the sector isn’t easy, even for a powerful luxury player such as Hermès. But Delhotal, who usually wears a T-shirt, loosely tailored trousers and brightly hued Hermès silk scarves (a far cry from the formal suiting that seems to be the watch trade’s uniform), approached the task with an open mind and a sense of humour.

Rather than adhering to the industry’s playbook, Delhotal began rewriting the rules and asking questions about the concept of time. “If you can’t differentiate yourself, you can’t exist,” he says. So he introduced Le temps suspendu (French for “suspended time”), an award-winning complication that allows the watch to be stopped with the single press of a pusher.

The innovative idea brought the house the acclaim that it had sought among the watchmaking community. It also created new opportunities to tell stories about the ultimate luxury that is time, riffing on themes such as the importance of having moments to yourself and being able to enjoy the present. This year the house has reintroduced its Le temps suspendu complication in refreshed versions, featuring an openworked dial and available in deep-blue, red or brown colourways.

The summer months are a time of sunny getaways and seeking a slower pace of life, and Delhotal seems to capture the spirit of the season with his optimism and relaxed demeanour. He has often turned to nature for inspiration. Some of his sportier, more casual designs, such as the Hermès H08, are fitted with an array of yellow and blue straps, which look particularly good on the beach. The Hermès Cut, another recent hit featuring a round, satin-brushed case and sharp angles, was introduced last year on the Greek island of Tinos. Alongside marble artisan Giorgos Palmaris, who works in an open-air workshop in the village of Pyrgos on the island, Delhotal spoke about drawing inspiration from the ways in which materials such as marble and steel are shaped.

The creative director of watches has made Hermès well-known for artistic, one-of-a-kind pieces featuring hand-painted dials and the same kind of intricate drawings that you’ll find on the house’s silk scarves. Now he is also experimenting with jewellery watches, rethinking what a watch should look like and how it should be worn. His latest design, Maillon Libre, can be clipped on a sleeve, pinned on a lapel or strung on a leather cord and worn as a necklace. Here, Delhotal tells Monocle about breaking design rules and viewing timekeeping through a new lens.

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How did you approach the challenge of establishing Hermès as a serious player in watchmaking?
It wasn’t easy because from early on we were up against intense competition and a lot of important watchmakers. When it comes to mechanical movements, the big challenge is creating something different. We aren’t a watch brand – we’re a house that specialises in 16 different métiers – so we needed to have a movement that would prove to the horology community that Hermès was capable of entering this territory legitimately. In other words, we needed to chart our own path and come up with a compelling story. I quickly realised that this story should revolve around the concept of time. I wanted to talk about it in a different way than the rest of the industry and be a little unconventional. So we began discussing time that runs, stops and speeds up, as well as precious moments. Then we decided to explore the notion of stopping time and created a new complication based around this idea. We presented it in 2011 at Le Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and won. It was both a joy and a surprise. It allowed us to talk about Hermès as a maison that was daring to be different, to offer something that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. That’s our mission.

Why do you think the concept of suspending time has proven to be so compelling?
Horologists have always been making complications that are extremely precise in terms of telling the time but what we did is turn the concept on its head. When you stop time, it’s a moment of privilege that you can dedicate either to yourself or to others. Imagine a meeting in which you can talk without worrying about how much longer you have left or being in a space where nothing else exists aside from the present moment.

Le temps suspendu put the house on the watchmaking map more than 10 years ago. Why did you choose to return to it this year?
It has been three years since we activated the relaunch of the concept. But three years ago we weren’t in the situation that we’re in today, facing huge uncertainties both politically and economically. We all feel the need to escape, to talk about something else and take advantage of the present moment because the future seems so precarious.

Is that also why you’re doubling down on humour with this year’s limited-edition art watches?
Yes. We presented a watch that depicts a horse whose tongue sticks out because it’s funny. Watchmaking is a craft that is very serious. I have worked for many traditional watchmakers and that’s how they tend to be. At Hermès, it’s not that we’re not serious but we are different. We do things with lightness and people enjoy it. These days we need that, as well as a sense of fantasy that encourages us to stop and take a breath.

Do you draw inspiration from other departments of the house?
I’m always inspired by the silks, which are a canvas for so many types of drawing and colour experimentation. I find leather interesting too, especially when I’m researching colour. There’s a certain exchange between us and it’s interesting to see the collaboration between the silk, leather-goods and accessories departments. We share experiences because we are ultimately one house and all of our creations need to have stylistic coherence. The Métiers d’Art range of artistic, hand-painted dials is a signature because it reflects the drawings of our silk scarves. There’s so much richness and history in these drawings and every square also encourages us to speak about our heritage and play with colour.

As well as unique Métiers d’Art watches, you have also introduced more casual, sporty designs, such as the Hermès H08. Why is it important for you to have such a wide repertoire?
There are people who only wear one watch but others prefer to adjust to different situations. I would wear the Hermès H08 on the weekend because it’s more casual, while the Arceau is a watch that you can wear throughout the week. Every design has its own community. We have customers who are extroverted and fashion-forward and others who are a little more discreet. The diversity of our customer base is what makes it so interesting. Different times of the year also call for different watches. Sometimes people lean towards watches that are more elegant and jewellery-inspired, while at others they prefer something more sporty. We need to take advantage of this with a sufficient offer that caters to various types of people and occasions. If you only focus on one category, things become more complicated.

Your new designs, including the Hermès Cut and the Hermès H08, have been very well received by collectors. Do you see them becoming future icons?
The making of an icon happens naturally. You can’t control it. In perfumery, for example, there are certain scents that are iconic – Chanel No 5, Mugler’s Angel and so forth. But when they were being created, no one could have imagined that they would achieve this status. Even if you try to design an icon, it won’t necessarily become one – only time can tell. I simply design a watch and it’s either welcomed by the community or not. Sometimes it might not be the right time; at others, everything just aligns, from the trends of the moment to people’s interests. I hope that all of our watches will become icons but for the moment they’re not. We need to wait and see. It’s just like in the film and music industries: when an actress or a singer makes a great movie or song, people are quick to call her a star but in reality she’s not. A star is someone with a 30- or 40-year career.

You have been experimenting with making jewellery watches, including the brooch watch, which nods to the house’s anchor chain motif and also challenges a lot of watchmaking conventions. Was that your intention?
We had this idea of offering a new watch and a new way of wearing it. The anchor chain motif has existed for a century on our bags, on our belts and on our pocket watches – so why not tell a new story with watches and break some rules? That’s what makes you original. There’s nothing more boring than things that look identical. There are so many parallels in other industries as well: just look at cars or even clothing.

Having now firmly established the house in the world of Swiss watchmaking, what’s next?
We want to be more creative and audacious. Once you have built a solid foundation, you need to continue doing better. Every year we try to build on what we already have, just like in life. In this industry, you always need to be proving yourself and your ability to make things well.