Van Cleef & Arpels turns time into celestial poetry with one of its latest launches: the Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune.
For more than a century, Van Cleef & Arpels has looked to the sky and beyond, drawing inspiration from the vast poetry of the cosmos. From early 20th-century creations to today’s most refined complications, the maison has consistently translated celestial wonder into objects of rare beauty and technical mastery. Its fascination with the heavens dates back to 1929, when it introduced a pocket watch featuring a Moon phase complication – a poetic dialogue between timekeeping and astronomy that continues to define its identity.
This enduring vision evolves once more with a new chapter in the brand’s Poetic Complications collection, where time is not merely measured; it is experienced. The latest creations weave together craftsmanship, artistry and mechanical ingenuity. Enamel work, precious materials and intricate movements converge to evoke the quiet majesty of the night sky.
Van Cleef & Arpels is expanding its Jour Nuit collection, launched in 2008 and revisited in 2024, with the introduction of a new creation in honour of the Moon, a longstanding source of inspiration for the maison, with Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune. The watch is a refined tribute to lunar beauty. Encased in a 42mm white gold Midnight case, the piece features a mesmerising dial crafted from black Murano aventurine glass, with its shimmering surface reminiscent of a starlit sky. Across this cosmic stage, a golden sun and a mother-of-pearl moon engage in a perpetual dance, rising and setting along a softly shaded horizon.
Two overlapping complications animate the display. The first follows a 24-hour cycle, marking the passage from day to night. The second tracks the Moon’s 29.5-day journey, subtly transforming its appearance with remarkable precision. Together, these mechanisms mirror the real sky with poetic accuracy. At the touch of a button, an on-demand animation sets the dial in motion, revealing the Moon’s current phase in a captivating 10-second rotation.
The narrative extends beyond the dial. On the reverse, an engraved white gold surface evokes the Moon’s terrain, while enamel and miniature painting depict Earth and distant planets, offering a perspective as if viewed from the lunar surface itself.
“The key challenge for this creation lay in developing the on-demand animation. To avoid any inaccuracy in the Moon phase, we had to take account of the changes that must occur during the course of the animation, since the discs are performing an additional full rotation,” said Rainer Bernard, Watchmaking Research and Development Director, Van Cleef & Arpels.
Four years of development were required to perfect this intricate movement, balancing technical demands with aesthetic grace. Lightweight rotating discs, precise calibrations and refined ergonomics ensure both accuracy and fluidity. The result is more than a watch: it is a living cosmos on the wrist, where time unfolds in harmony with the universe.