A sports watch does exactly what it says on the tin: robust, durable and there to withstand the harsher elements of our surroundings. And for the most part, it’s a pretty male-dominated genre in watchmaking. Cutting through the standardisation, Hermes’ hails a shift in dynamic for this athletic approach to watchmaking with a sports watch designed for women in mind.

Aptly named the Cut, the French Maison uses the power of a circle to contest tradition and create a watch that is first functional for a cause, but at no cost of its beauty. For those not in the know, Hermes offers a strong contender to a sports watch done with style (a given for the Maison adept in fine accessoring) with the hallmark H08. But in protest of creating a watch for women, the House offers a riff on geometrical gratification with sharp angles and crisp lines.

Much like its fraternal counterpart (said H08), this new iteration championing women’s wrists dances in a spectrum of colour through the modification of the strap. A range of eight colours from the Hermes palette make this possible, meaning you can pick your fighter whatever the mood: white orange, gris perle, gris étain, glycine, vert criquet, blue jean and capucine.

In the spirit of turning things on their head, Hermes continues to jibe with the unexpected, taking the crown out of its usual context, placing it between 1 and 2 o’clock instead. Why? Well, why not. Coming in at 36mm, it’s generous in proportion, but not to the extent that it feels too obtuse for the wrist.

Catering to the mood of versatility and the renaissance of a watch as an accessory (particularly if you’re stacking, too) two tone options in rose gold are up for grabs, along with a diamond set bezel, should something more sparkly resonate with your love language.

Whichever player you pick, know that this watch affirms the insistence of women entering the watch world, and for good. It speaks to the kind of watchmaking that feels authentic, a watch created for women, rather than a pre-existing male model, shrunk down, or bussed down because it’s what they think women want. Fair to say that with this novel watch, Hermes are cutting some serious shapes.