This is the new and very cool watch “Le Temps Suspendu” watch, or “Time Suspended” watch from Hermes.  The wearer can literally suspend time…and return to it whenever he wishes!  Works like this:  Pressing the  button on the nine o’clock side of the watch brings both the hour and minute hands to noon and hides the retrograde date hand (the one on the lower right quadrant of the watch).   The movement, however, continues running so that when the button is pressed again the hands fly back to their rightful position, taking into account the period that has passed.   Nice bit of mechanical ingenuity,  eh?!?

Update: the time module was developed in cooperation with Agenhor (Geneva) and its founder Jean-Marc Wiederrecht (a man with a hand in many famous and/or highly complicated watches)

Hermes Time Suspended Watch

43mm pink gold or stainless steel case, retrograde hours, minutes and date; stop/start pushpiece for hands

“Time Suspended” zone at 12 o’clock and retrograde date between 4 and 6 o’clock