Hermes Roulis Double Tour Bracelet Rose Gold Swift Calfskin and Metal Étoupe H071727FO18T2

Every leather has a colour that flatters it most, and for Swift calfskin that colour is Etoupe. The fine, silky grain of the braid holds the greyed taupe beautifully, and because the cord is so thin, roughly three millimetres, the leather reads as cord rather than strap, more like something woven than something cut. Rose gold plating on the clasp adds a small, warm punctuation.

The fit is generous by the standards of the double tour family: 5.7 to 6.1 inches, worn twice around the wrist with the metal Roulis closure threading through the braid and pinning it shut. On a six-inch wrist you get a little drape, which I prefer, and it means the bracelet never presses. Mine has been worn through several long days of typing without loosening.

Etoupe is also the easiest of these leathers to style, and I wear it with everything from a grey suit to denim, but I think its best moment is with cream and camel, where the taupe looks expensive without trying. It works equally well stacked against the enamel pieces, because the matte leather next to glossy enamel is a genuinely nice contrast rather than a clash.

Two cautions learned the slow way: keep Swift away from water, since a soak can leave a slightly raised, dull patch that never entirely evens out, and be careful with hairspray and perfume, which spot the surface. Store it coiled loosely in the pouch rather than folded sharply. If you look after it, Etoupe deepens to a beautiful stone tone. Made in Italy.