Timepieces
Lady Arpels Heures Florales and Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier
Drawing inspiration from the Swedish botanist Carl Von Linné in which he wrote about a garden plan made up of a variety of plants, whose flowers open and close at specific moments of the day to show the time, Van Cleef & Arpels has taken up this magical idea to bring two brand-new creations into being: the Lady Arpels Heures Florales and Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier watches. Their three-dimensional dial offers a poetic rendition of the passage of time, thanks to the opening and closing of 12 corollas. Telling the time becomes a spectacle, as the flowers blossom and close, renewing the dial’s scenery every 60 minutes.
To bring the dial to life, up to 166 elements are set in motion. With each passing hour, the open flowers close to make way for a new combination. The next day, the sequence of the bouquets that succeed one another from hour to hour will be different.
Lady Arpels Ballerines Enchantées
Originally created in 2013, this year Van Cleef & Arpels reinvents the Lady Arpels Ballerines Enchantées in two new pieces suffused with grace and modernity, one in white and the other in rose gold. The dancer’s graceful silhouette has been revisited, with her posture taking on a slender and dynamic attitude, while her tutu unfurl in new materials and colors. Depicting a dancer part woman and part butterfly, these crea-tions follow in the footsteps of the ballerinas and fairies so dear to the Maison. On demand, the figure indicates the hours and minutes by raising its arms.
Lady Duo de Lions and Lady Duo de Lapins
On the dial of the Lady Duo de Lions watch, in the foreground, a couple of lions is in-tricately sculpted in relief from white and yellow gold, with particular attention to the three-dimensional volume of the silhouettes and their polished coats. At their feet, a surface of diamonds and pink sapphires contrasts with a background of turquoise and onyx marquetry, traversed by round diamonds that suggest the shimmer of water in the sun. Depicted in mirror-polished and guilloché rose gold, the latter emerges from behind clouds of white mother-of-pearl.
The new Lady Duo de Lapins’ sculpture on mother-of- pearl brings to life a pair of rabbits, exchanging tender glances. Around them, a garden of emeralds, tsavorite garnets and pink sapphires is home to vegetation in plique-à-jour enamel. The sun – in guilloché and mirror-polished rose gold – spreads intense reflections, while a cloud in lapis lazuli adds to the tableau’s impression of depth.
Extraordinary Objects
Renowned for its High Jewelry savoir-faire, Van Cleef & Arpels has been prominent in a lesser-known field since its foundation in 1906: objects that create a sense of enchantment and surprise.
Planétarium automaton
Distinguished by its impressive dimensions, the Planétarium automaton presents the Sun and many of the planets of its system visible from the Earth: Mercury, Venus, the Earth – accompanied by its satellite, the Moon –, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Fontaine aux Oiseaux automaton
Combining on-demand animation and a retrograde time display, Fontaine aux Oiseaux automaton offers a double spectacle. On the side of the base, a feather moves progressively along the time scale. Once it reaches 12 o’clock, it returns to its point of departure to repeat its journey for the next half-day.
Rêveries de Berylline automaton
Some 30 centimeters high, the Rêveries de Berylline automaton presents a flower that blooms to reveal a fine winged creature. A flower born in an imaginary garden animates on demand, opening its petals to unveil a hummingbird ready to take flight.
