When Love Meets Time

This month, we share an insight into our visit to Van Cleef & Arpels’ horlogerie atelier in Switzerland and bring you all the facets of one of our favourite collections, the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux.

During the summer, OHLALA was invited to visit the Ateliers Horlogers de Van Cleef & Arpels (VC&A), the brand’s watchmaking workshop in Meyrin, Switzerland. The atelier is an extension of the famous French luxury house, which specialises in high jewellery and watchmaking. Founded in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels is recognised for its elegant and innovative creations.

As jewellery and watch connoisseurs, we were delighted with the opportunity to delve into the depths of VC&A’s luxurious universe, uncovering the enigmatic and unexplored aspects of what makes this brand a desirable name in its field. We were ready to discover the talent and dedication hidden behind the design of each magnificent creation.

When we arrived at the Ateliers Horlogers, we were warmly welcomed by the Dubai team and the representative of Van Cleef & Arpels, who immediately made sure that we felt comfortable, and the tour started. As soon as you enter through the main door, you are immediately immersed in the fascinating universe of Van Cleef & Arpels with a presentation of the history and its evolution in the world of watchmaking. Pieces dated 1920 are preserved with meticulous care as if they had just left the factory.

At the beginning of the visit, we were immediately impressed by the unique pieces displayed, such as the Secret Pocket Watch, dated around 1920, the Radiator Watch, dated 1930 and inspired by a car radiator, and the Drawer Watch, dated 1961, featuring magnificent gold work and a very precious look. We were invited to partake in the comprehensive tour of the creation process, where we got insights into the various stages involved in crafting timepiece design, starting from the initial concept all the way to the final assembly. We had the opportunity to explore every detail and immerse ourselves in the history of the pieces that we have been admiring for years, such as the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux collection and Lady Arpels Jour and Nuit.

We learned surprising things about the precious materials used to manufacture watches and the technological innovations that characterise VC&A’s creations. Finally, we were allowed to participate in practical workshops to better understand watchmaking techniques. We also met Pascal Narbeburu, Van Cleef & Arpels Timepieces Director, with whom we had the opportunity for an exclusive interview that will be featured in our next issue.

In Meyrin, the ateliers are dedicated to the manufacture and assembly of luxury watches. This site highlights watchmaking craftsmanship, with highly skilled craftspeople working on complex and refined pieces. The place is enchanting and captures the essence of the brand’s timeless craftsmanship, seamlessly blending the marvels of modern innovation.

Not only do these workshops create beautiful timepieces, but they also serve as a sanctuary for the exploration of new techniques, breathing life into the art of luxury watchmaking. Here, tradition dances gracefully with modernity, creating a timeless love story.

It All Begins with Love

Van Cleef & Arpels was established in Paris’ Place Vendôme in 1906, following Estelle Arpels’ marriage to Alfred Van Cleef. Like a strong bond, the ampersand (&) symbolises this union of individuals and skills, as much as the blend of poetry and excellence sets the maison apart.

And just like a sign of destiny, the first creation to enter the sales book in 1906 was a diamond heart. Over the coming years, numerous pieces would accompany the world’s best-known romances, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to the marriage of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. Today, the collections continue to celebrate this noble feeling with wedding and engagement rings, watches and High Jewellery pieces.

Stories from the Heart

As love has inspired Van Cleef & Arpels since its foundation, when it comes to creating timepieces, it offers the perfect marriage between watchmaking and emotions – a seamless infusion of the maison’s Poetry of Time (with its unique rhythm) and dreams. To promote hearts beating in unison, the creations celebrate this fundamental sentiment, from the first warm butterflies to the intensity of long-lasting relationships.

The Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch – a Van Cleef & Arpels icon since 2010 – is a romantic love story revealed in different versions, depicting a kiss in daytime, nighttime and seasonal variations. The Extraordinary Dials collection employs traditional craft mastery to bring the game of love to life. High Jewellery watches dazzlingly relate the stories of legendary couples. In homage to Aida and Radames, Ulysses and Penelope or Tristan and Iseult, eight secret watches cultivate the art of mystery – with interlaced precious stones and subtly concealed dials. An ode to love, captured in all its evocative and awe-inspiring power.

A Poetic View of Life

The well-known Poetry of Time is part of the maison’s DNA and instils a distinctive dimension into the art of watchmaking. It interprets the measurement of time as an invitation to imagine, wander and revel in happiness. To express the poetry of each instant, new tales of love and luck are reflected in the creations that evoke Van Cleef & Arpels’ heritage. Fairies and ballerinas tick away the hours while the rhythm of nature meets that of the cosmos – each piece relates a moment of grace and enchantment.

A Romantic Encounter

The first watch in the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux collection celebrates love at night. In the sleeping city, two lovers are thinking of each other, wishing that they could meet. The young lady moves forward progressively to mark the hours while her beloved crosses his half of the bridge in 60 minutes. She comes closer with a light step, beneath her umbrella and he hides a rose behind his back as a love token. At the stroke of midnight, they finally meet with a kiss in the soft moonlight.

Nine years after creating the first Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux timepiece, the maison added a daytime version to its permanent collection, the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux Jour. On its dial, the lovers come together in radiant surroundings and at midday and midnight, they are tenderly reunited. With this new version, the watches of the Pont des Amoureux collection introduced an animation-on-demand module to have the decisive kiss relived at the press of a button.

Making it Real

To bring these charming scenes to life, Van Cleef & Arpels has combined traditional skills requiring patience and expertise. The grisaille enamel technique – developed in France from the 16th century onwards – is showcased differently on the two dials.

A traditional version is used on the original watch, with white enamel powder placed on a dark background to depict the light and shade effects of the Parisian night. On the dial of the daytime version, the maison has used coloured grisaille enamel for the first time. The craftspeople in the workshop used pink and blue against a white background to evoke the gentle quality of daylight. This type of enamelling calls for 30 to 40 hours of work, with each dial being fired almost 10 times to achieve the desired result.

The bridge’s silhouette is finely carved in gold and stands out from its surroundings to create an effect of perspective. Diamonds set around the dials bring a touch of sparkle to these romantic scenes. As finishing touches, a star of gold flakes twinkles in the sky on the nocturnal version, while two graceful swallows – depicted in miniature painting – fly over the city on the daytime one.

The spectacle continues on the back of the watches, where the lovers are pictured reunited on the bridge. Finally, the day and nighttime watches of the Pont des Amoureux collection are both fitted with interchangeable bracelets. Made of shiny navy blue or purple alligator skin or paved with diamonds, they can easily be replaced by another bracelet, chosen from five shades ranging from glossy white to dark black.

All Year Long

Still following the same love story, the collection also offers four jewellery watches inspired by the four seasons. In spring, the city is adorned with pink flowers, while in summer, delicate butterflies flutter through the streets. In autumn, leaves dance around the couple before snow covers the roofs in winter. On each watch, the light and the colours of the sky create different atmospheres.

As on the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux Jour watch, each dial is finely decorated using the coloured grisaille enamel technique in a varied palette of shades. Some of the scenery’s details are reproduced in miniature enamel painting, while the motifs of flowers, leaves, butterflies and snow beneath the bridge are carved in gold and painted by hand.

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