At this year’s edition of Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Van Cleef & Arpels presented “The Poetry of Time.” Presented against the backdrop of a garden filled with floral and celestial wonders were its newest additions, including the “Poetic Complications“collection joined by the Lady Arpels Jour Nuit and Lady Jour Nuit watches. The maison also showcased its Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch, two additions to the Extraordinary Dials collection—the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté and Lady Arpels Nuit Enchantée creations—and two original automatons for its Extraordinary Objects collection—Apparition des Baies and Bouton d’Or.
Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Celestial Beauty at Van Cleef & Arpels
The new Lady Arpels Jour Nuit watch models reinvent the original watch introduced in 2008. After three years of development, the Maison added two models to the collection: the 33-mm Lady Arpels Jour Nuit watch and the 38-mm Lady Jour Nuit watch. The models feature a 24-hour rotating disc that subtly transforms the scenery on the dial, depicting a graceful dance between a snow-set yellow sapphire sun and a diamond-paved moon against the backdrop of Murano aventurine glass.
Lady Jour Nuit. Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
A mother-of-pearl shroud, white for the 38-mm model and painted blue for the 33-mm model, creates a horizon from which the sun and moon rise and set. The back of both cases is covered by sapphire crystal, adorned with stars and a scene of a fairy watching the stars. The maison’s artisans developed two new technical approaches for the Jour Nuit crystals: the use of platinum for the fairy silhouette and a pointillism technique to create a blue color gradient.
Lady Arpels Jour Nuit. Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
A Fresh Summer Morning
The Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch captures the serene beauty of a fresh summer morning with azure-hued corollas blooming brightly against a backdrop of matte mother-of-pearl. The dial is animated with white and yellow-gold butterflies, crafted in plique-à-jour enamel, that not only indicate the time but also flutter upon activation of the watch’s unique on-demand animation module. The scene is brought to life with vallonné and champlevé enamels, creating a vivid scene of greenery and blossoms, enhanced by spessartite garnet pistils and tsavorite garnet grass blades.
Lady Arpels Brise d’Été. Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Extraordinary Dials Collection‘s Magical Ambiance
From lush gardens to celestial dances, the two new additions to the Extraordinary Dials collection do more than measure time with their extraordinary three-dimensional scenes. The Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté watch is encapsulated within a 41-mm case and features a white-gold fairy picking flowers under an early morning sun, rendered through a combination of façonné and plique-à-jour enameling techniques. The scene is set against a sky crafted in shades of turquoise, where the sun shines with spessartite garnets and colored sapphires. The innovative use of lifted settings allows precious stones to appear as if floating.
Lady Arpels Nuit Enchantée. Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Extraordinary Objects Collection‘s Intricate Whimsy
The Apparition des Baies automaton, crafted in collaboration with François Junod, features lacquered rose-gold leaves that unfold to reveal a meticulously crafted bird made of white gold, diamonds, and sapphires. The bird animates with a lifelike flutter of wings before retreating back into the concealment of the folded leaves. The mechanism itself consists of 112 intricately overlapping leaves designed to create a stunning volume effect. A base adorned with dalmatian jasper and a rare thulite bowl complements the spectacle, which is completed by a melody that plays with each animation.
Apparition des Baies automaton. Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Bouton d’Or automaton features a fairy with a rose-cut diamond face and a rose-gold gown with blue lacquer trim. With plique-à-jour enamel wings and clutching a briolette-cut sapphire, the fairy dances atop a charoite and thulite base surrounded by gold paillettes that mimic the sequins of 1930s haute couture. The intricate design required the meticulous assembly of 684 lacquered caps.
Bouton d’Or automaton. Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels.
