Watches by Van Cleef & Arpels are not just a utilitarian thing. It is always a work of jewelry art of a company famous for its incredible, fantastic design finds.
Domino travel Watches by Van Cleef & Arpels
The first “Domino” travel watches, framed in exotic woods, appeared in the 1950s. At first they were mechanical, however in the 1970s the watch was resized to fit the quartz movement. The first dials were simple, then versions with mother-of-pearl dials appeared.
women’s watch Cadenas
In 1935, the company released the women’s watch Cadenas. Cadenas watches look like a bracelet, and only the wearer can see the cleverly hidden slanted dial. Such an elegant solution in bonton times, when it was not appropriate to look at the clock in society, suggested René Puissan.
In addition to Cadenas watches, there were also other versions of watches with a dial hidden inside the decoration.
Pierre Arpels watch
In 1949, Pierre Arpels introduced a watch with a round case and one central strap fastening at 12 and 6 o’clock, which is still produced almost unchanged.
Since 2000, Van Cleef & Arpels has been working in collaboration with the Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, which supplies watch movements. The result of this cooperation was the release of a number of new collections of Van Cleef & Arpels watches: Poetic Complications, Lady Arpels Féérie, Midnight in Paris, Charms.
Watch Lady Arpels Pont
In 2010, the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux received the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in the Women’s Watch category. The original Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux model from 2010 showed how a girl with an umbrella and a young man with a rose on his back walk through the city at night and meet on the Bridge of Lovers. The current hour is indicated by the umbrella of a female figure, and the minutes are indicated by a rose hidden behind the man’s back. The lovers met in the middle of the bridge at noon and at midnight. Before the mechanism returned the figures to the beginning of the movement, the couple froze in a kiss.
And in 2019, Van Cleef & Arpels introduced 6 new models from the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux collection. On the new Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch models, the meeting of lovers is depicted at different times: at night, during the day, in spring, summer, autumn and winter. In addition, the new models are equipped with an animation module with a button, by clicking on which you can admire the gentle kiss of lovers at any time of the day.
Watch Lady Arpels Planetarium
As part of the Astronomie Poétique collection, Van Cleef & Arpels presents a unique women’s version of the Midnight Planétarium watch. On the dial of the exquisite automatic Lady Arpels Planétarium watch, the Sun shines surrounded by the planets closest to it: Mercury, Venus and the Earth, which is accompanied by its eternal companion, the Moon. The planets revolve around the sun, the moon revolves around the earth, the comet tells the current time.
Philémon & Baucis watches
One of the company’s most luxurious watch series is dedicated to legendary love stories. The love story of Philemon and Baucis goes back to the Greek myth: for loyalty and kindness, the gods fulfilled the desire of lovers to always be together. The pavé-set dial of this watch is hidden under a dome of emeralds in an invisible Mystery Set setting.
The Ulysse & Pénélope watch is dedicated to the legendary devotion of the Queen of Ithaca to her husband. Many suitors wooed Penelope and forced her to promise that she would choose a new husband when she finished weaving the carpet. While waiting for the return of her Ulysses, Penelope wove a carpet during the day, and at night she unraveled everything weaved during the day. The dial, decorated with a spiral of sapphires, is hidden under a cover of diamond threads.
The design of the bracelet is dedicated to the love of the young Egyptian commander Radames and the Ethiopian princess Aida. The curves of gold polished to a mirror shine symbolize the dunes stretching along the Nile. Under the central motif is a retractable dial with a marquetry pattern of ornamental stones.
