Press release
The Maison has employed its most precious craft-skills to relate new tales of luck. From engraving and sculpture on gold to enameling, miniature painting on mother-of-pearl and translucent lacquer, Van Cleef & Arpels has assembled the talents of virtuoso craftsmen to transform the Maison's dreams of beauty into reality. Each piece is adorned with a triple row of diamonds and colored stones, selected using the strictest criteria and mounted on the bezel.
Thanks to this varied savoir-faire, the Charms Extraordinaires watches are adorned with enchanting scenes which overflow from their dials. Four auspicious symbols – the lily-of-the-valley, the lotus flower, the dandelion and the swallow – are depicted in settings of great refinement. Alternately delicate and profound, the gradation of hues continues onto the bezel – which is adorned with variously colored gems – while an ethereal lucky charm evokes the theme of each piece.
Charms Extraordinaire Féérie Dandelion
Inspiration
Suffused with lightness and movement, the Charms Extraordinaire Féérie Dandelion watch depicts a butterfly-winged fairy, flanked by a dandelion blowing in the breeze. Associated with luck and the spread of knowledge, the plant owes its name to the French dent-de-lion (‘‘lion's tooth''), a reference to the outline of its leaves. Blowing on its feathers is said to make a wish come true.
Savoir-faire
This limited edition Féérie Dandelion watch is notable for its intricate detail, highlighted by a wealth of savoir-faire. The dial, struck with a spiral motif, displays a vitality emphasized by translucent blue lacquer. The fairy is a true miniature sculpture in gold, with a rose-cut diamond face and enameled wings. The dandelion's feathers are represented by diamonds floating in the wind.
-White gold case, 38 mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds and sapphires
-Dial: translucent lacquer, champlevé enamel, sculpted gold and diamonds
-Quartz movement
-Limited edition of 22 pieces
Charms Extraordinaire Muguet
Inspiration
The Charms Extraordinaire Muguet watch brings together various poetic motifs: the fairy – an emblematic figure for the Maison – is depicted accompanied by a butterfly, amid radiant sprigs of lily-of-the-valley. In the language of flowers, this lucky plant – offered as a token of affection – can make the most precious wish come true. The lucky charm echoes the dial, with its sparkling openwork silhouette of a butterfly.
Savoir-faire
This limited edition gives pride of place to miniature painting on mother-of-pearl, which has previously graced certain timepieces by Van Cleef & Arpels. This technique enables a drawing to be rendered with extraordinary subtlety, and with an infinite range of nuance and detail: it calls for patience, meticulousness and real artistic sensibility. Created with brush and magnifier, each watch bears the unique imprint of the artist who brought it into being. The iridescence of mother-of-pearl, which has also been sculpted to compose the form of the fairy, contributes sparkle and vitality to the dial.
-Pink gold case, 38 mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds and yellow sapphires
-Dial: miniature painting on mother-of-pearl and sculpted mother-of-pearl
-Quartz movement
-Limited edition of 22 pieces
Charms Extraordinaire Lotus
Inspiration
The lotus flower is an extremely important symbol in Asian culture. Emerging from the water to bloom in the sunlight, it evokes self-fulfillment, enlightenment and purity. Here, the harmonious corolla of the pink lotus forms a gentle composition, mingling powdered tones with a watery shimmer. The lucky charm takes on the stylized outline of the flower to become a precious talisman invoking inner peace.
Savoir-faire
In full bloom at the center of the dial, the lotus flower stands out clearly thanks to the champlevé enamel technique. To produce this subtle effect, the cavities which make up the shape of the motif are filled with enamel; the enamel undergoes successive firings and is then delicately sanded. Like a flower turned towards the sky, the lotus is encircled by a gradation of gems set into the bezel: diamonds, sapphires and Paraíba tourmalines.
-White gold case, 32 mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds, sapphires and Paraíba tourmalines
-Dial: champlevé enamel, diamonds
-Quartz movement
-Limited edition of 22 pieces
Charms Extraordinaire Hirondelles
Inspiration
This piece portrays a pair of brisk and graceful swallows, together symbolizing the coming of spring. In Europe, they are thought to bring good luck to the house where they build their nest. Van Cleef & Arpels here revisits two favorite themes: pairs of birds – offering a tender symbol of love – and the swallows which have inspired its creations from the 1920s onwards. A cloud-shaped lucky charm spins airily about the dial.
Savoir-faire
The Charms Extraordinaire Hirondelles watch is notable for its delicate gradation of colors. The two birds stand out against a highly nuanced background of blue, pink and mauve, produced once again by the technique of miniature painting on mother-of-pearl. The precious stones – diamonds and pink and violet sapphires – set into the swallow's breast, the branch and the bezel add sparkle to this symphony of flowers and clouds.
-Pink gold case, 32 mm diameter, diamonds, bezel set with pink and violet sapphires
-Dial: miniature painting on mother-of-pearl, diamonds and violet sapphires
-Quartz movement
-Limited edition of 22 pieces
