The first timepieces appeared in the Maison's sales records from its foundation in 1906. Fashionable at that time, jewelry watches such as pendants hiding a dial on the reverse and lapel watches, worn on a jacket or a bodice, gradually gave way to more practical wristwatches. The 1930s thus saw the development of the Cadenas watch and the Ludo models. 

Awarded at the 2022 edition of the Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de Genève, the Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier creation draws its inspiration from Carl von Linné's floral clock concept. In his 1751 book Philosophia Botanica, the Swedish botanist evokes a garden plan whose flowers open and close at specific moments of the day. Van Cleef & Arpels has taken up this principle to design a three-dimensional dial. To find out what time it is, one must count the open flowers...

Another tribute to nature's vitality, the new Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch highlights the freshness of a summer morning. Illuminated by matte mother-of-pearl, the dial displays a bucolic scene enlivened by métiers d'art.

A symphony of know-how come together to give rise to this Poetic Complications piece: two butterflies rendered in plique-à-jour enamel come to life among flowers in vallonné enamel and grass in plique-à-jour enamel. With a simple press of a button, the creatures take flight around the dial amid gently swaying petals, as if caressed by a mellow breeze. The Maison's taste for gemstones is also higlighted as diamonds border the case while spessartite garnets and tsavorite garnets brighten the pistils and leaves.

Renowned for its savoir-faire, Van Cleef & Arpels shone as of its foundation in 1906 for the creation of precious objects that spark awe and enchantment. Folded onto themselves, the lacquered rose-gold leaves of the Apparition des Baies automaton form a luxuriant dome that conceals a secret. Like a delicate blooming, the gradual opening of the bouquet reveals a white-gold, diamond and sapphire bird spreading its wings with lifelike authenticity.

Starry night, Zodiac constellations, ballet of the planets... Representations of the sky have been constant throughout the history of Van Cleef & Arpels. A source of dreams and escape, over the decades this theme has shone in creations – jewelry, watches, and precious objects – highlighting the diversity of materials and techniques that unite to offer a captivating interpretation of the spectacle of the stars.

The Lady Arpels Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Planétarium watches evoke the magic of a starry night. The former symbolizes the horizon behind which the trajectories of the Sun and the Moon are displayed while the latter recreates on the wrist the dance of the Sun and its neighboring planets. Adorned with precious and ornamental stones, the ensemble moves at its actual rhythm in space. 

The Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée and Lady Féerie pieces display a ballerina and a fairy against a tender backdrop. The former, adorned with gold, sapphires and diamonds, turns into a butterfly, while the latter in a precious gown points to the minutes with her magic wand.

A watchmaking signature of Van Cleef & Arpels since 2010, the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch features a tender reunion. In a decor that recalls Parisian streets, two lovers move towards each other throughout the day to share a kiss at noon and midnight. The timepiece is revealed in new versions, depicting the kiss in daytime, nighttime and seasonal variations.

The Ludo Secret watch celebrates the timeless elegance of one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ signature pieces: the Ludo bracelet. Created in 1934, this aesthetic evoking the shape of a belt bears the nickname of Louis Arpels, one of the Maison’s founding members. On this timepiece, rose gold mingles with pink sapphires, meticulously selected and set in keeping with the Maison's tradition of excellence. Perpetuating Van Cleef & Arpels’ tradition of secret watches since the 1920s, the watch reveals its dial in guilloché white mother-of-pearl at the simultaneous pressure on the two sapphire motifs.