Ah, Van Cleef & Arpels – the brand that forever trumps all others when it comes to producing the prettiest Swiss timepieces on the planet. But we should never forget that in the watchmaking industry, a pretty face might just be hiding some of the most impressive horological feats out there. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a handful of the incredible highlights to emerge out of Van Cleef & Arpels in 2024.
Poetry of Time
Lady Arpels Brise d’Été
As we explored in our article on the Lady Arpels Heueres Florales, Van Cleef & Arpels often fixates itself upon expressing the ‘poetry of time’. The new Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch is no different. Paying tribute to nature, the timepiece evokes a crisp summer morning, featuring brightly coloured flower petals with Vallonné enamel. Two white- and yellow-gold butterflies in yellow or blue plique-à-jour enamel not only indicate the time, but also flutter around the dial on demand via an animation module. Thus, the garden scene springs to life and becomes not just a miniature painting, but a living artwork. The visual spectacle sits amidst a matt mother-of-pearl dial displaying the hours across the top with Arabic and diamond hour markers. This keeps the dial nice and clean, not to mention legible.
The watch case is in 18-carat white gold and is embellished with diamonds around the bezel. Despite the lively complication within, it manages to retain a 38 mm diameter. Inside ticks a self-winding mechanical movement featuring the innovative automatic module with on-demand animation. Last but not least, the watch comes on a self-interchangeable green alligator leather strap.
Lady Arpels Jour Nuit: Two new models
Also new to the Lady Arpels line are two ethereal Lady Arpels Jour Nuit editions. These watches house a self-winding mechanical movement that integrates a 24-hour module developed in-house, which is visible via the caseback. Ever the aesthetes, the movement’s beautiful module gradually changes the decoration on the dial throughout the day. Thus, the two new editions bring the celestial interplay of the Sun and the Moon together via the dial.
Ever ones to admire the stars, Van Cleef’s Jour Nuit editions have been around since 2008 – over two decades. These updated white-gold models, which were three years in development, measure a dainty 33 or larger 38 mm in diameter. Diamond-set moon and stars chase the Sun, which flaunts either yellow sapphires in a snow setting or glowing guilloché yellow gold. In addition, the dial plays host to a 24-hour rotating disc, rotating almost imperceptibly. Thanks to the depth of the open-worked blue Murano aventurine glass, which takes over a month to create, the dials can evoke the immensity of the cosmos and the magic of the diamond-studded white-gold stars. A horological and cosmological sight to behold.
Extraordinary objects
Now we can move onto the highlight of every Watches & Wonders show over at Van Cleef. Each year, awe-struck retailers, honoured guests and journalists alike pause their busy schedule to gaze in awe at this mechanical wonder: the automaton. This year, Van Cleef & Arpels is introducing two new automatons, so let’s make sure to take a good look at both.
This year’s automata from Van Cleef both draw their inspiration from the fluidity of nature and feminine forms. In addition, the Apparition des Baies and Bouton d’Or automata pay tribute to the enchanting world of flora and fauna, weaving a dreamy narrative that elevates the brand’s ‘poetry of time’ mantra. The ca. 30cm-tall table decorations were created alongside François Junod, an automaton maker from Sainte-Croix, Switzerland. Skilled gemstone cutters, enamellers, engravers, and gem-setters all unite to bring the level of savoir-faire one would expect from the maison. Each automaton also rings out a specially composed melody.
The Apparition des Baies
The Apparition des Baies automaton features intertwined rose-gold leaves with a lacquer coating. These come together to form a green dome with a hidden surprise. As the leaves gradually unfold, it reveals a bird crafted from white gold, diamonds, and sapphires, spreading its wings with lifelike authenticity. After its flight, the bird returns to rest inside the object, while the leaves gently fold back up. Van Cleef & Arpels developed an innovative rotating mechanism to open and close the bouquet, later implementing it with the aid of François Junod. The mechanism comprises 112 overlapping leaves, creating a striking spatial effect.
Meanwhile, the automaton’s base includes two parts crafted from Dalmatian jasper and a shell made of thulite, a lesser known and notably rare pink mineral. The materials are meticulously cut and polished to highlight their various unique qualities. Also at the base, a white-gold butterfly rests on a rose-gold branch, accompanying the hours displayed on a rotating ring adorned with golden pearls, yellow-gold hour markers, and diamonds. As the ring begins to turn, a lyrical melody adds an audible element of charm.
The Apparition des Baies measures approximately 27 cm in height and 21.5 cm in width. It is crafted from white, yellow, and rose gold, adorned with light and intense blue sapphires, diamonds, red spinels, Dalmatian jasper, thulite, lacquer, ebony, goatskin, aluminum, and steel. The ornate creation features a mechanical movement and animation mechanism, offering a 12-hour time function displayed on a 360° rotating ring. It can animate and produce chimes upon request, with an eight-day power reserve.
The Bouton d’Or
As for the unique Bouton d’Or automata: here we have a piece that draws its inspiration directly from the maison’s history. The Automaton Bouton d’Or celebrates the brand’s eponymous jewelry collection by reimagining its hallmark ‘sequin’ motif. This motif was first introduced by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1930s. The design features concave and convex sequins that are reminiscent of couture fashion. The thulite base in pink tones complements the tones of the charoite mineral, adding a more modern touch.
The Bouton d’Or is also the result of extensive research. Principally, it takes inspiration from the mechanism of the Rêveries de Berylline automaton. Its creation required an extraordinary degree of precision and technical skill. In addition to perfecting the countless gold elements by hand, various polishing processes were necessary, with the curved discs requiring particular skill. Van Cleef’s craftsmen bring out the lustre of the precious metal while carefully preserving the shape of the motif. The 684 discs, painted using both airbrush and traditional techniques to enhance the brilliance of each colour, were mounted by hand on slender metal pins.
The Automaton Bouton d’Or measures about 27 cm tall and 21.5 cm wide. It’s made of yellow, white, and rose gold, along with colored sapphires, diamonds, tsavorite garnets, plique-à-jour enamel, thulite, charoite, lacquer, amaranth, goatskin, aluminum, and steel. It operates with a mechanical movement for both timekeeping and animation, displaying a 12-hour time function on a 360° rotating ring. It can animate and produce chimes upon request, and has an eight-day power reserve.
