During Watches and Wonders 2024, I was able to discover and photograph the 2024 novelties from Van Cleef & Arpels. Novelties with which Van Cleef & Arpels pays tribute to the expertise of its workshops and the Maison’s savoir-faire. A blend of tradition and innovation, combined with crafts that are sometimes centuries old. I was able to discover/photograph three watches, each combining jewelry and high watchmaking, with designs that can hardly leave you indifferent, featuring a style very characteristic of Van Cleef.
Van Cleef & Arpels Photographing 2024 Watches and Wonders Novelties
Lady Arpels Jour Nuit
The Poetic Complications watches reveal a unique vision of time where craftsmanship and technical skill go hand in hand to bring the stories on their dials to life. Time passes, animated by a 24-hour rotating disc and marked by the daily rotation of the celestial bodies. The yellow sapphire sun illuminates the daytime hours, chased by a diamond-set moon contemplating the starry sky. Thanks to the depth effect of Murano aventurine glass, the dial recreates the immensity of space and the magic of a starry sky. A striking combination of materials: blue aventurine glass, white gold, yellow gold, round diamonds, round yellow sapphires, white mother-of-pearl sheet with guilloché engraving…
The 38 mm diameter case is made of white gold set with round diamonds. It features sapphire crystal both on the front and on the display case back. The case back features a combination of beautiful finishes, engravings, brushed surfaces…
Inside, it houses a self-winding mechanical movement (Valfleurier) equipped with a 24-hour module and a 36-hour power reserve.
The watch is sold with a complimentary second interchangeable strap to be chosen at the time of purchase.
The approximate RRP is €130,000.
Lady Arpels Brise d’Eté – Enchanted Nature
A watch with which Van Cleef & Arpels evokes flora and fauna, while celebrating the spectacle of a benevolent nature in constant renewal. It celebrates the freshness of a summer morning. The butterflies in white and yellow gold not only tell the time, but flutter thanks to an on-demand animation module that also brings the flowers and their stems to life.
The dial is a masterwork combining an imaginative design and meticulous handcrafted finishing. Every flower, every stem, every leaf, all the small details are painstakingly finished. On the mother-of-pearl dial, garnets, mother-of-pearl, miniature painting, and enamel are combined…
The case is made of white gold with a diameter of 38 mm. It features sapphire crystal on the front, and the back has a beautiful finish.
Inside, it features a self-winding mechanical movement with an automaton module for on-demand animation.
The approximate RRP is €130,000.
Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté
Another striking watch from the house of Van Cleef inspired by flora and fauna, celebrating the spectacle of a benevolent nature that constantly renews itself. In the Maison’s collections, time flows in harmony with the endless cycle of the seasons.
Set in a 41 mm white gold case, the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté watch reflects the Maison’s fascination with benevolent nature. These three-dimensional scenes, combining technical prowess with poetry-infused pictures, come to life thanks to a play of perspectives that pays homage to enchanted nature. This creation depicts a fairy gathering flowers under the morning sunbeams. The story continues on the back of the watch with an engraving that echoes the dial.
Inside, it features a manual-winding mechanical movement with a 38-hour power reserve.
The approximate RRP is €411,000.
