SIHH 2014 | Van Cleef & Arpels The Midnight Planetarium Poetic Complication

Just in time for the upcoming SIHH 2018, the house of Van Cleef & Arpels announces the launch of its magnificent new creation, the Lady Arpels Planétarium. Described as a planet suite for a lady’s wrist, the beautiful new timepiece is inspired by the iconic Midnight Planétarium watch, which was introduced exactly four years ago. Just like its predecessor, the Lady Arples Planétarium puts an entire planetarium on the wrist, with six of our solar system's planets revolving around a miniaturized representation the sun in real time. This highly...

The new member of the Extraordinary Dials™ collection, the Lady Arpels Peau d’Âne Forêt enchantée, boasts a completely unique, colorful watch face, which demonstrates the jewelry expertise cultivated by Van Cleef & Arpels. The picturesque scene, rendered in diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and garnets, is said to be inspired by Charles Perrault’s illustrious “Donkey Skin” fairy tale. For the very first time ever, the artisans of the Maison have combined the arts of gem-setting, sculpture, engraving on gold, and miniature painting, to enliven the e...

In case you don’t remember, Pierre Arpels was one of the founders and runners of the Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry business and a person who opened the brand's first boutique at 22 place Vendôme. The very first Pierre Arpels watch, introduced in 2012, was a simple and refined timepiece, designed in the spirit of classic watchmaking traditions and after the vintage model that was created especially for Pierre Arpels in 1949. This elegant and discreet model symbolizes the unadorned luxury that Mr. Arpels appreciated more than anything else – “a perf...

On the occasion of the SIHH 2014 exhibition, the famous Parisian jewelry, watch and fragrance company - Van Cleef & Arpels – launched its new Midnight Constellations collection of Extraordinary Dials. The new range of gorgeous and delicate watches includes four different dials, each inspired by the depth of the nocturnal sky and the symbolic power of its constellations. The skillful watchmakers and decorative artists of the Maison had combined various traditional crafts to create graphic images of Gallus, Aquila, Pegasus and Phoenix – four dif...

The new Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Zodiac collection is inspired by the jewelry collection created by the brand back in the 1950’s. At that time, Van Cleef & Arpels released a full range of golden medallions, featuring the signs of the Western Zodiac, which were intended to be worn as talismans. This is not unusual at all, if we remember that the symbol of luck echoes through the Maison’s creations for almost 100 years. Even today, the Maison is quoting Jacques Arpels - the famous nephew its founder Estelle Arpels – who used to say that “to...

The fifth edition of Only Watch charity auction will be held on September 28, 2013. The last year’s auction raised above € 4 million for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This year, no less than 38 watch manufactures to help finance the research into this severe degenerative neuromuscular disease, Van Cleef & Arpels among them. The auction itself will take place on September 28th at 11 a.m. (GMT+1) in the “Salle Belle Epoque” of the Hôtel Hermitage Van Cleef & Arpels has created a gorgeous piece unique, Lady Arpels Une journée à Mon...

One of the lovelies pieces from Van Cleef & Arples Poetry of Time collection is certainly the charming Papillon Rouge Gourmand, which depicts a cheerful summer-inspired scene with butterfly and strawberries. The dial of this watch is made from white mother-of-pearl which has been decorated using various enameling techniques. The gorgeous burst of vibrant colors – yellow, green and red – is accomplished using translucent plique-à-jour enamel, which has been applied by brush inside the thin gold borders. The Unpolished cabochonné enamel is used f...

What makes the Van Cleef & Arpels Charms Extraordinaires collection unique are the lucky charm motifs, spinning around the dial. The very first watch in this lineup was launched back in 2008, and now the brand presents four new limited editions, all relating to the new tales of luck. Each piece in the collection is crafted using the most demanding watchmaking skills from engraving, miniature painting, lacquering and gem setting. Each of four models is decorated with a triple row of precious stones and each tells its own tale on the dial: the li...

At the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Van Cleef & Arpels has presented a couple of new watches inspired by the world of classical dance. The piece that truly stands out from the rest of the creations is the newest addition to the Lady Arples collection - Ballerine Enchantée. The dial of this gorgeously delicate piece shows a figure of a ballerina with openworked butterfly wings. The new creation only perpetuates the tradition of ballerinas and fairies, which have inspired many of the brand’s iconic works. One of the Estelle Arpel’s...

Pierre Arpels (1919-1980) was one of the founders and runners of the Van Cleef & Arpels jewelery business and a person who opened the brand's first boutique at 22 place Vendôme. For the renowned Parisian luxury brand, this new watch is actually the return to the history and deep reflection into their heritage and classic watchmaking values. Here's a short animated story of Pierre Arpels and his precious watch: The discrete Pierre Arples watch was even then envisioned as the embodiment of simplicity – a perfect circle, as one of t...