Hermes Bearn Mini Wallet Card Holder Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 73 Bleu Saphir

An overnight flight is the best wallet test I know: nothing in your pockets, everything in one small bag, and a cabin light too dim to read anything by. The Bleu Saphir mini Bearn came through it — deep blue against silver, twelve by nine and a half centimetres, four centimetres deep, and everything I needed in one place without a single fumble at the gate.

This version is the roomier cut of the mini, and the extra depth shows in what it swallows: cards at the front, notes folded once, a boarding pass tucked flat and a spare key card behind. The flap folds over all of it and closes under the strap without resistance, which is the behaviour I want from a wallet that has been opened and shut a hundred times in a week of travel.

Epsom’s pressed grain gives the sapphire a slightly matte depth that photographs almost navy; in daylight it is unmistakably blue, and the silver hardware sharpens it further. The leather takes the knocks of a tray, a tray again and a taxi without collecting marks — mine emerged from two weeks away looking exactly as it did on departure, with the fold the only place showing a faint, even polish.

Worth knowing: at this depth and size it is the least pocket-friendly wallet in the mini range; it prefers a bag, a tote or a coat. Carried that way, the Bleu Saphir has been the most dependable travel wallet I have owned.