@athousandbands --- as promised I went to Hermes yesterday to see what they had. They had the band I wanted (1) but it was a display model and I wan't willing to pay full price for a band that was handled over and over. They wouldn't discount it! They had no new ones at that store. The sales lady I spoke with was very knowledgeable and said (as you did) that it was unlikely that Hermes would make that band available again in the future -- they want to keep it "Special" (her words). So while the band is sold out online she did find me a brand new one in San Francisco so I bought it and it will be shipped to me in the next few days.
Pricey but I wanted the "Special" band so I did it.
This is the one!
😀