The Ludo Secret Collection

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The Ludo Secret Collection - Van Cleef & Arpels
The Ludo Secret creations celebrate the timeless elegance of one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ signature pieces: the Ludo bracelet

Created in 1934, this aesthetic was named after the nickname of Louis Arpels, one of the Maison’s founding members. Shaped like a belt – the fashion accessory for any daring woman in the 1930s – the Ludo pieces have enjoyed widespread popularity since their release.

Van Cleef & Arpels highlights this iconic collection with a new size of watch and two combinations of materials. Rose gold marries with diamonds or pink sapphires, minutely set in the High Jewelry tradition of excellence. To compose these gemstone ensembles, the Maison’s gemologists gathered their expertise to pair diamonds of similar brilliance and pink sapphires of harmonious intensity.

The Ludo Secret Collection

As in the original creation, the watches’ flexible, brick-pattern meshwork recalls a belt. Like a finely woven fabric, the mesh links are carefully assembled by hand, one by one, to deliver optimal articulation and flexibility.

In the tradition of secret watches so dear to Van Cleef & Arpels, these novelties reveal their dial in guilloché white mother-of-pearl at the simultaneous press of the two motifs in diamonds or pink sapphires.

The Ludo Secret Collection

The Maison is also unveiling a unique new creation inspired by the 1941 Ludo Hexagone Macaron secret watch. The dial is hidden behind a motif adorned with Mystery Set emeralds, remarkable for its intense color effect and the complexity of its realization. Because of their delicacy, emeralds require particular attention when cutting and inserting the stones into the motif’s structure. Slightly rounded, this section complements the diamond-studded curves of two concentric arcs framing the case. For its part, the bracelet is composed of a meshwork of yellow-gold hexagons, punctuated with star-set emeralds.

The Ludo Secret Collection

The Ludo Secret watch sheds light on a signature savoir-faire of the Maison’s repertoire: the Mystery Set. This technique, requiring an extremely high level of precision and skill, consists of using golden rails to hold up precious gems carefully paired for color and meticulously cut for the creations. Once in position, the stones fit entirely over the setting, lending the surface a velvety brilliance. The level of technical expertise required to execute the Mystery Set is such that only a few lapidaries and master jewelers hold the secret. 

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