More is more when it comes to these wonderfully elaborate timekeepers
Love, craftsmanship and technical excellence converge within the Naissance de l’Amour, the latest addition to Van Cleef & Arpels’ Extraordinary Objects. A precious Cupid, the embodiment of emotion sculpted in white, rose and yellow gold with diamonds, rises dreamily from a glistening basket of lacquered feathers in regal purple, its plique-à-jour enamel wings beating to the twinkling carillon melody. Another curled feather on the iron eye base indicates the time on a graduated ring.
A one-of-a-kind creation, the Imperial Hot Air Balloon channels L’Épée 1839’s love of the levitating, paying homage to the historic skybound invention through a grand enamel-adorned sculpture. The table (or ceiling, if one uses the suspension kit) clock houses a fully gilded eight-day movement. Time is indicated by the flame-shaped hands of the burner, while the delicate engravings and zodiac motifs emblemise the perennial link between horology, astronomy and discovery.
Futuristic yet nostalgic, the Retrovision ’85 by Hautlence is an ode to innovation, whimsy and the 1980s. It boasts a 3D-printed titanium body with a self-winding Vagabonde Tourbillon movement at its heart, where the wandering display comprises a central minute disc and rotating three-hour satellites. Inspired by pixelated forms and Japanese toys, this robot also transforms into a hefty wristwatch of 64mm by 60mm. You can have the time and play with it too!
Paying tribute to the discoveries of Galileo Galilei, the Panerai Jupiterium is an artistic and mechanical installation mapping the sun, moon and jovial planet relative to central Earth. Constellations in Super-LumiNova adorn the glass sphere, which holds a real-time interactive display of the revolving celestial bodies, complete with a patented retrograde function to emulate the illusion of Jupiter’s regression. At the base, a perpetual calendar with a 40-day power reserve measures the time.
A contemporary reinterpretation of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s iconic Art Deco invention, the Atmos Infinite “Halo” uses slight temperature and volume changes within its gas-filled capsule to wind the spring and generate perpetual motion, where a single-degree Celsius shift provides 48 hours of power. This minimalist monument presents clean, baton-shaped indices and rhodium-finished hands on a pristine white lacquer dial, while the rounded glass cabinet reveals the unhindered majesty of its mechanism.
In its second collaboration with designer Alain Silberstein, Utinam trades colourful kawaii for playful punk with the Skull & Dagger clock — a bold, dramatic wall piece meant to evoke strength and resilience in the face of life’s tribulations. This graphic marvel is fashioned from raw materials including Corten steel, blackened sheet metal, brass, aluminium and a leather-covered weight. It features Silberstein’s signature red pendulum and is driven by the manufacture’s seven-day movement.
