The latest version of the Pierre Arpels watch, designed 1949, features a bracelet in pressed Milanese stitch – a rare craft skill. Focus on the pink gold model.
For more than 60 years, the Pierre Arpels timepiece has epitomized Van Cleef & Arpels’ vision of masculine elegance. Designed by Pierre Arpels in 1949 for his own personal use, the watch was reproduced for his immediate circle before finally going on general sale in 1967.
In 2012, Van Cleef & Arpels unveiled a new interpretation of this iconic timepiece, which has established itself as one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ signatures. The shape of the watch form is a perfect circle, the most ancient of geometric figures, while the thin case with its beveled edge is designed to slip discretely beneath a shirt cuff. Unobtrusive central attachments produce an impression of weightlessness: the dial appears to be suspended in space. With its baton-shaped hour-markers and slender hands, the Pierre Arpels is a masterpiece of refined simplicity.
The Pierre Arpels watch has until now associated gold with the allure of alligator leather; this new creation accentuates the profound harmony of the design. A handcrafted bracelet echoes the precious metal and pure lines of the case, extending its tones into a unified composition of rare finesse. Diffusing the pink gold’s warm glow, the bracelet’s pressed outer surface evokes a subtle combination of smoothness and strength.
Roman numerals in the same precious metal illuminate the watch’s white lacquer dial, while the piqué motif at its center recalls a black‑tie shirtfront. Nestling unobtrusively inside the crown, a round diamond underlines this new creation’s blend of elegance and restraint.
Each handmade bracelet of pressed Milanese stitch requires more than 15 separate operations. After being drawn and shaped into a spiral, gold wire is cut into lengths that are then interlinked to form the bracelet. Once the sides have been welded and filed, it undergoes successive firings: these contribute to its extraordinary flexibility and enable it to be pressed to create a silky smooth outer surface – when complete, the bracelet forms a veritable second skin. It is then polished until it gleams, before a hallmarked gold buckle is attached. Combining refinement with savoir-faire, the gold bracelet contributes a new facet to this iconic Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece.
A white gold version is also available.
A white gold version is also available.
Featured brand
