“Every year there is spring, but every year, there are also new flowers,” shared Jean Bienaymé, Van Cleef & Arpels’ international marketing and communication director. It’s day one of Watches & Wonders, and the excitement and buzz filling the Maison’s booth is palpable – it’s little wonder we’ve managed to find a quiet room away from the crowds. In our hidden oasis, the 2024 novelties are waiting on the table; and although it was my second opportunity to connect with and explore the pieces, the enchantment had certainly not worn off.
It’s well known that the Maison is in the business of storytelling. From its high jewellery collections to the universe it has built through its timepiece offering, narration is at the centre. For this year’s collection, this world-building is made possible through an emphasis on métiers d'art; the Maison paying tribute to the expertise of its workshops and the ingenuity of its craftsmen. When I asked Bienaymé why this year felt like the right time to honour the preservation and transmission of this internal know-how, he wisely shared, “enchantment is more important than techniques, but without the techniques you can’t enchant.”
“Creating value through the pieces – whether in horology or high jewellery – is extremely important to us as a Maison,” he continued. “You achieve this through the identity you present to the world, your creativity, inspiration, design and of course your craft and expertise.”
With this sentiment front of mind, this dimension of emotion shines through in Van Cleef & Arpels' Poetic Complications collection; enriching the offering with the new Lady Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Jour Nuit. Originally introduced in 2008, the most recent additions –presented in a 33mm and 38mm – have been carefully crafted over a period of three years. Like all the Maison’s creations, there is magic hidden within the pieces, utilising movements as a source of wonder. In the Lady Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Jour Nuit, the self-winding mechanical movement, developed by the Maison, gradually transforms the decor on the dial throughout the day; creating a sun/moon cycle. You watch as the diamond-paved moon and stars perpetually pursue the sun, which is embellished with snow-set yellow sapphires, or alternatively guilloché yellow gold.
Keeping true to the Maison’s spirit, the caseback of the watch tells its own story. Decorated using the enamel decal technique, the sapphire crystal cover reveals a protective fairy admiring the ballet of the planets – an image that comprises between 30 and 36 coats of enamel to achieve.
I asked Bienaymé – who began his career with Van Cleef & Arpels in 2008, the same year the timepiece was first introduced – how he feels the storytelling has evolved over the years and how this has influenced its return amongst this year’s novelties. “This is a Maison full of energy, and there is a consistent focus on the idea of permanent renewal. And if you feel comfortable with that – because it can be quite demanding – the adventure and opportunity that exists within the worlds that are created can last for years,” he shared. “Part of the Poetry of Time that we reference is allowing collections like Jour Nuit the space and time to grow.”
Continuing this journey, the Maison also debuted a new addition to its offerings, with the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch. Paying tribute to nature – a source of inspiration Bienaymé shares is “a positive vision of life and all the stories that come from it” for Van Cleef & Arpels – the new timepiece celebrates the freshness of a summer morning. It brings the corollas of the flowers into bloom through the use of a self-winding ‘on-demand’ movement that activates the animation at the push of a button. White- and yellow-gold butterflies rendered in plique-à-jour enamel not only tell the time, but replicate a flutter effect that breathes life into the flowers and their stems. It’s a creation that must be seen in action to truly be believed; and just like the perfect summer morning, time melts away in this bucolic and dreamy landscape.
Editor's notes:
The flowers that adorn the dial of the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch are created using an age-old technique that involves applying the enamel colours one by one using a thin marten-hair brush. The colours must be applied in a highly precise order from lighter tones to deeper shades, with every hue requiring its own firing procedure.
The first extraordinary object was released in 1907, just one year after the first boutique was opened at Place Vendôme. The creations allow Van Cleef & Arpels to enhance their storytelling beyond the capabilities of high jewellery or timepieces on a larger scale. This is a look inside one of two creations released this year, titled Apparition Des Baies Automaton.
The dials of the Lady Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Jour Nuit watch have been crafted from Murano aventurine glass, which creates a depth that evokes the immensity of the cosmos and the magic of a starry night.
