First released in 1975, it’s been decades since the Hermes Passe-Guide Bag graced the shelves of an Hermes retail store, but the heavily hardwared bag made a comeback for Spring 2012 and will be produced again for fall. In very limited quantities, that is; the design starts at $11,700 for regular leather, and good luck finding one to purchase. What, you thought that Hermes would launch a new bag by making it widely available to all interested parties?

After the jump, though, we have a video from Hermes that sheds some light on why the number of Passe-Guides on the market might be so low: to put it simply, they seem far more difficult and time-consuming than average to assemble. Most of us have seen photos of how Birkins and Kellys are made, which is without a doubt a detailed process, but the Passe-Guide takes things to the next level, particularly in its ultra-structured, hardware-adorned, immaculately curved gusset. See how it’s done after the jump.