The Maison’s consummate savoir-faire, a blend of tradition and innovation, reflects the ingenuity of its craftsmen, virtuosos who master, refine and share skills which are sometimes centuries old. To instill wonderment, Van Cleef & Arpels draws from its sources of inspiration and its heritage, developing new techniques that arouse a distinctive perception of passing time.
True to its unique Poetry of Time, Van Cleef & Arpels instills a dimension of dream and emotion into the art of watchmaking. Two new watches are enriching the Poetic Complications collection, two invitations to bask in the allure of the heavens: Lady Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Jour Nuit. The journey continues in the Maison’s garden with the new Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch. Our path then meanders through an enchanted forest, where the Extraordinary Dials collection embraces the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté and Lady Arpels Nuit Enchantée creations. Finally, perpetuating the Maison’s tradition of precious objects, two original automatons – Apparition des Baies and Bouton d’Or – round out this voyage to the core of savoir-faire, uniting artistic craftsmanship and a quest for movement to enchant the hours as they tick by.
Métiers d'Art: a Van Cleef & Arpels Tradition
Throughout its history, Van Cleef & Arpels has continuously expressed its attachment to the values of creation, sharing and transmission. This abiding commitment can be seen in a variety of educational partnerships and cultural sponsorship initiatives. Since 2021, the Maison has also engaged with younger generations and adults considering a career change through the “de Mains en mains” initiative, which aims to promote jewelry culture and spark new vocations by opening the door to this still little-known sector. In 2023, Van Cleef & Arpels provided support to the French Center of Excellence for Art Mechanics, reaffirming its particular attachment to preserving rare skills such as the savoir-faire of automaton makers. In Geneva, the Maison has brought together within one of its workshops a legion of craftsmen. Enamel, miniature painting, marquetry of precious and ornamental stones, the arts of sculpture and engraving are among the techniques of artistic craftsmanship perpetuated or heightened with every creation.
Painting a landscape, sculpting a figure, materializing a ray of light... With every dial they fashion, artistic craftsmen breathe life into a story, all with high precision. To complement the work of master watchmakers, Van Cleef & Arpels teems with the expertise of professionals whose artistry is born of passion and time, as certain motifs require hundreds of hours of work. On the various creations, the Maison’s signature skills come together to imbue timepieces with poetry and wonder. Going beyond time-honored gestures, Van Cleef & Arpels also stands out for the development of innovative enameling techniques − such as façonné enamel and setting in enamel − to create decors of singular vivacity.
Perspectives
Nicolas Bos, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels
Why did you choose to pay tribute to Métiers d'Art for this 2024 Watches and Wonders event?
Craftsmanship has lain at the heart of our every initiative for more than a century at Van Cleef & Arpels. It defines our jewelry and High Jewelry creations, where we perfect traditional techniques while also incorporating innovations. Likewise, in the field of watchmaking, we apply jewelry savoir-faire adapted to fit the scale and particular function of watches − such as stone setting and metalwork − while also developing new approaches.
Thanks to enameling, engraving, marquetry, miniature painting and other fields of expertise, we are able to render figurative decors that breathe life into this vision of the Poetry of Time so central to our spirit.
Is it important for you to have this in-house talent?
Since its founding, Van Cleef & Arpels has sought to work with the finest craftsmen, wherever they were to be found. As such, we have partnered with outstanding independent workshops that stand out in the fields of watch movements or automatons. Nonetheless, in terms of jewelry and métiers d'art, we firmly believe in the uniqueness of our savoir- faire. That is why we chose to develop our own enamel workshop, which no doubt ranks among the world’s most accomplished.
By improving on traditional techniques − such as guilloché and plique- à-jour enamel – we have succeeded in creating level surfaces akin to a painter’s canvas, while also instituting sculptural forms in spaces as small as a watch case. Furthermore, having our own workshop enables us to innovate, adapting our techniques to suit new market standards, particularly with regard to materials. For instance, our new formulas no longer use lead, a heretofore standard ingredient in enamel.
Rainer Bernard, Head of Watchmaking Research & Development of Van Cleef & Arpels
Within Van Cleef & Arpels, how do you contribute to preserving métiers d'art?
We keep métiers d'art alive by using ancestral gestures, all the while broadening the technical and creative scope thanks to new processes. For example, by cultivating our knowledge of the art of enameling, we have managed to compose new and absolutely awe-inspiring effects. That is what makes these occupations so dynamic and so fascinating.
Can you describe the interaction between métiers d'art and the Maison's watchmaking experts?
This dialogue is essential to impart beauty and mystery into the objects we create. It is a complex relationship through which two worlds, each highly demanding in its own way, join together. That convergence leads to intense discussions.
This focus on co-creation lies at the heart of our Poetic Complications: métiers d'art tell a story on the dial, while the technical mechanism – always invisible – brings the watch to life, showing the time as if by magic.
Is there a feature common to all these métiers d'art? If so, what is it?
The common denominator linking all our métiers d'art is a quest for excellence. This is demonstrated by the acute attention we pay to two components we see as fundamental: light and color. All of our creations play with light. Polished, enameled, engraved surfaces: we often spend hours deliberating on how to achieve the blend of textures that will produce the most exquisite reflection. The same goes for colors. For instance, it took a full year of research to create the perfect shade of pink for the Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée Rose Gold* watch. Our pursuit of perfection drives us ever further.
*The Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée Rose Gold watch was presented at the 2022 Watches and Wonders event.
