Last week, I reviewed the new titanium Hermès Cape Cod. It’s a great, more masculine, sportier version of a typically more feminine, dressier watch, but it maintains its quirky, Chaîne d’Ancre-bracelet-inspired design. It is certainly a surprising release, especially considering the model’s previous iterations. However, it perfectly fits Hermès’s approach to creating designs that feel fresh, original, and well executed. That approach is why I love the brand so much and why I (finally) added one to my collection recently. And no, it’s not the new titanium Cape Cod, but an older Cape Cod reference in stainless steel with a gray sunburst dial.

Over the past few years, I’ve admired Hermès’s outsider approach to watchmaking. The brand’s designs, like the H08, the Cut, and the Arceau, stand out in a world where it feels like every other design has already been done. But it wasn’t until a watch discovery event at the Hermès boutique here in Amsterdam that I tried on the Cape Cod in several sizes.…