Planétarium
Gazing up at the vault of the sky, Van Cleef & Arpels dreamed of living in step with the cosmos and created the Planétarium watches, reflecting the Maison’s signature Poetry of Time. Today, the Sous les étoiles collection includes a High Jewelry version of the feminine Lady Arpels Planétarium model.
At the center of a bracelet entirely set with precious stones, the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Earth – accompanied by its satellite, the Moon – come to life, thanks to an exclusive watch module developed in partnership with Christiaan van der Klaauw. Blending in with this ballet, the circular trajectory of a shooting star indicates the time with poetic grace. Equipped with an automatic movement produced in Switzerland, the Planétarium High Jewelry watch is also remarkable for the care invested in selecting and crafting its precious materials, such as mother-of-pearl and turquoise.
The spectacle continues around the wrist: a gradation of blue sapphires and black spinels amplifies in intensity, evoking the mystery of the heavenly vault. The astral bodies, symbolized by diamonds, spessartite garnets and colored sapphires, punctuate the bracelet’s generous three-dimensional volume; meanwhile, glittering lines – depicted in relief – seem to whirl
towards the dial, creating an effect of rising movement. The ensemble, which required 1,370 hours of work, celebrates an alliance of savoir-faire: watchmaking prowess and virtuoso jewelry-making come together to recreate the magic of the universe on the wrist.
