How Hermès transformed a padlock into high fashion

No one looks at a padlock and thinks: delicate fashion statement. Sure, it's practical and comes in handy to secure important belonging, but most would not consider it a stylish accessory. Until Hermès did.

When the French fashion house launched the Kelly watch in 1975, the padlock-shaped timepiece — secured to an unmistakably Hermès leather strap — was not only stylish, but made an iconic fashion statement.

Founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès, Hermès established itself as a premier harness and saddle-making company. Thierry’s son, Émile-Charles succeeded him, and in 1880 moved the family business to 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and began offering made-to-measure leather goods. The company's reputation for quality and excellence quickly spread throughout Europe.

But why watches? Watches were not on the brand's radar until 1912, when Jaqueline Hermès, Émile-Charles’ eldest daughter, wore the first wristwatch ever created by Hermès.

The story goes that Jacqueline disliked carrying her small pocket watch, finding it restrictive. She asked her father to encase it in a leather pocket that would allow her to strap it to her wrist and take part in leisure activities with ease.

The Kelly didn't launch until 1975 but it made an impact and solidified Hermès' position in the watch world. And if it looks familiar, it is. The watch takes its original design language from the clasp found on the iconic Kelly bag designed in the 1930s by Jean-Louis Dumas, Émile Hermès’ son-in-law.

The Kelly watch became a fashionable accessory overnight. On the novel ways of creating a wristwatch, Dumas is quoted as saying: "We've got to remain true to ourselves, but we've got to change constantly, and it's that tension which is at the heart of Hermès. The idea is always the same at Hermès – to make tradition live by shaking it up."

"The Kelly watch is one of the oldest in the Hermès Horloger collections,” says Philippe Delhotal, creative director of Hermès Horloger. "It has never been reinterpreted and is undeniably Hermès; no other watchmaking brand has created a padlock watch before."

My friend and journalist colleague, Sophie Furley, says the watch’s importance cannot be disputed. "As a watch journalist, there is this unspoken pressure to dismiss quartz watches in favour of their serious mechanical counterparts. But from time to time, I come across timepieces that are just so gorgeous that I don't care how they work – or even if they work – as the design bewitches me," she says. "The Hermès Kelly is not only in this category, but it rocks it! After all, who wants to be a watch snob when you could miss out on timepieces like this?"

Suzanne Wong, editor in chief at World Tempus, says the Kelly watch is a must-have in any Hermès collection, its unique shape setting it apart.

"I see it as a key that could open up a passion for mechanical creations of Hermès, something like the Arcéau, the Slim or the H08," says Wong, emphasising that female clients appreciate the timelessness, and is also a gateway into Hermès watchmakers.

The most recent launches of the Kelly leave no doubt that this legendary watch design is fashionable, here to stay, and has an important legacy to uphold.