The art of complications:
technique at the service of enchantment
Embodying Van Cleef & Arpels’ distinctive vision of the Poetry of Time™, the watch creations recount a moment of beauty and wonder.
Inspired by emblematic themes of the Maison, such as the vitality of nature, astronomy and love, they interpret the measurement of time as an invitation to imagine and adventure. Van Cleef & Arpels’ singular savoir-faire in complications allows each dial to tell a story. This expertise is illustrated by the Poetic Complications® collection, which has brought enchanting tableaux to life since 2006.
Rainer Bernard, Research and Development ManagerThe Poetry of Time is telling time by telling a story, and not just through the traditional means of watchmaking.
A range of skills come together to give expression to the mechanisms that animate the dials. Conducted in-house, research and development is a crucial stage. This process turns a concept—a blooming flower, the ballet of the planets, a tender kiss—into reality by establishing a dialogue between the creative teams and technical manufacturers.
Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier watch
Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch
Lady Arpels Planétarium watch
The latter then design the future timepiece in three dimensions, down to the tiniest details. Technique is thus placed at the service of imagination. Dual retrograde displays on the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch, rotating disc movements in the Lady Arpels Jour Nuit watch and on-demand animations on the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch exemplify this encounter between creativity and watchmaking expertise.
The watchmaker then assembles the timepiece with complications. Reserved for the most experienced craftsmen, this stage requires concentration, precision and meticulousness. Assembly is particularly delicate because of the numerous small elements that comprise each creation. The craftsman slips into the shoes of a musician to adjust the melody of the Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale watch; a gardener who tens to the opening of the flowers and their oscillation speed on the Lady Arpels Heures Florales watch and the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch, respectively; and an astronomer who captures the ballet of the stars in the Lady Arpels Planétarium creation.
Lady Arpels Brise d'Été watch
Nods to the story told by each dial also enliven the mechanism nestled in the heart of the case. Preciously concealed, a flower, a fairy or a couple of lovers express Van Cleef & Arpels’ attention to detail, tradition of excellence and poetic universe. Each watch plate is engraved with a fairy, a feminine figure emblematic of the Maison. The ingenuity of the Watchmaking Workshops extends to quality control, an essential stage in the manufacture of a timepiece.
Assembling of the movement by the watchmaker
Positioning of the flower lever on the movement of the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch
Close-up of the signature element of the movement of the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch
Positioning of the minute cam on the movement of the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch
Close-up of the signature element of the movement of the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch
Movement of the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch
New tools were developed to assess the performance of original mechanisms, such as the random fluttering of a butterfly’s wings for the Lady Arpels Papillon Automate creation or the blossoming of flowers for the Lady Arpels Heures Florales model. One of the Van Cleef & Arpels creations awarded a Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2022, the Lady Arpels Heures Florales watch won the prestigious Innovation Prize for “the best competing timepiece that stands out for its remarkable precision timekeeping performance and/or opening up new development pathways for the watchmaking art.”
Mechanisms integrated within a precious décor
Luck is in sight
