Exchanged kisses on a Paris bridge, a moonlit rendezvous in a guinguette (open air dance café typical of Paris' suburbs in the 19th century), a romantic dance step under the sky of the "City of Light," and here comes Cupid, firing his most beautiful arrows, his adorable silhouette emerging from a basket of precious feathers: there is no doubt, love is in the air at Van Cleef & Arpels, revealing an unprecedented chapter of its history with wonderful Complications Poétiques and Extraordinary Objects filled with poetic wonder. These tender horological reunions, presented during Watches and Wonders, illustrate the brand's unique vision of the measurement of time. These creations “embody both the Poetic Time so dear to Van Cleef & Arpels, its mechanical expertise, and its attachment to the crafts, while expressing one of its founding sources of inspiration: love,” emphasizes Catherine Rénier, President and CEO of the Maison.
A lot has happened since the first Pont des Amoureux watch won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 15 years ago. Yet, Van Cleef & Arpels has never strayed from its very personal vision of watchmaking. “These creations, born in 2010 and reinvented in several color variations, have become, over the years, a signature of the House,” continues Catherine Rénier.
A Rendez-vous at the Guinguette
Driven by the union of fine craftsmanship and powerful mechanical expertise, this narrative vision is expressed this year through a unique Complication Poétique, once again under the sign of love. Imagined and created through a continuous dialogue between the Parisian design studio and the Geneva watchmaking teams, the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch transports the viewer into the setting of a guinguette on the outskirts of Paris, where two lovers dance and exchange tender kisses. The scene, which unfolds within a white gold case crowned with diamonds on the bezel, is absolutely charming. Within the dial, the eye wanders through five levels of depth highlighted by a palette of shades of grisaille enamel and colored grisaille, evoking the chiaroscuro of a night illuminated by stars. For the grisaille enamel, a complex technique developed in France from the 16th century, Van Cleef & Arpels artisans applied two intensities of white enamel powder, better known as "Limoges white," over a dark blue background. The colored grisaille reveals different shades of blue highlighted by touches of yellow, representing the light from the tavern lanterns. “The depth effects of the dial required meticulous perspective work while considering the volumes of the different elements that dress the scene,” explains the House’s Development Director of Art Crafts about the decoration created on this dial after 40 hours of work and ten kiln firings.
This was all needed to envelop the kiss of the two lovers with sweetness and poetry, orchestrated by a brand-new movement. Upon activation of the animation, at noon and midnight, or upon request, the two finely engraved silhouettes come to life, drawing closer and bowing as their arms, linked together, automatically lower with remarkable realism. “The challenge was in achieving several natural movements without altering the precision of the mechanism,” says Rainer Bernard, Director of Research and Development in Watchmaking at Van Cleef & Arpels. The solution to this need for realism was found after four years of development through a mechanical translation and three joints. The final result, simply enchanting, almost makes us forget the essential: time passing, expressed by this double retrograde mechanism, a signature of the Maison.
A Romantic Encounter Above the Seine
This new romantic chapter naturally follows the story initiated with the Pont des Amoureux collection, which is enriched this year with four new variations, two in rose gold and two in white gold, each set with diamonds. The scene depicting two lovers who meet every day at noon and midnight to exchange a kiss on a Paris bridge remains the same. However, the setting is adorned with new shades of grisaille enamel used in a watercolor style to capture the lights of dawn, morning, dusk, and moonlight. These true miniature living paintings are accented by jewelry bracelets of extraordinary flexibility, entirely set with diamonds and a gradient of sapphires—pink for the Aube and Soirée models, or blue for the Matinée and Clair de Lune versions. These pieces will make our hearts beat a little faster, a little stronger.
As the horological pieces revealed this spring by Van Cleef & Arpels, the feeling of love, enchantment, and emotion are invited in and continue to surprise us. Among the new Extraordinary Objects, the Automate Naissance de l'Amour touches us deeply. Powered by a complex mechanism developed by artisan-magician François Junod, Cupid, with golden curls and wings fully spread, rises above a basket of feathers chiselled in rose gold. His bow is drawn, ready to shoot an arrow. Beware, love is in the air!
