Hermès Chaîne d’ancre: The Link That Became a Legend

Some motifs never fade — they shapeshift. Since 1938, the Chaîne d’ancre has been one of Hermès’ most quietly radical designs: born as a nautical link, reborn now as a cult jewel in its own right.

For 2025, creative director Pierre Hardy takes the icon even further, stretching, twisting, and electrifying it into new worlds

At its core, the Chaîne d’ancre was always about tension: strong but light, bold but refined. Hardy seizes on that duality, blowing the link up to XL scales, shrinking it down to whispers, and daring the clasp itself to take center stage. Here, the utilitarian becomes jewel, the link becomes language.

This isn’t your grandfather’s chain. Think white or rose gold dripping in diamonds, links dusted with black spinels or sapphires, a necklace blazing with 5,191 diamonds and a 15-carat orange sapphire. Elsewhere, punkier twists surface: a double ring with irreverent links, or even a sac bijou minaudière in gold and diamonds that swings between jewel and handbag.

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What makes this collection so modern is its refusal to stay still. Links merge, pile up, and collide in multichaînes necklaces, or morph into unexpected objects: an ear cuff, a Calypso bracelet set with diamonds, even a Danaé necklace in yellow gold that feels like sculpture more than adornment. It’s Hermès’ classic equestrian spirit, but recast with an edge.

In Hardy’s hands, the chain isn’t just a motif — it’s a playground. “Accumulating, merging, fluidifying,” he says. And that’s exactly what the Chaîne d’ancre does here: it multiplies, mutates, but always remains instantly recognizable. The result is high voltage, high glamour, and very Hermès

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