Love has been in the air at Van Cleef & Arpels since its inception.
The maison was established in 1906, at Place Vendôme in Paris, just over a decade after the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Esther Arpels. The first piece logged in its sales records from the year of its founding? A heart set in diamonds.
So entwined is love in the story of Van Cleef & Arpels that it has persisted as a central tenet of its creations for over a century, taking shape as bouquets of flowers, fluttering lovebirds and cupids.
Perhaps the most iconic of these motifs is the lovers, who take centre stage in the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch, part of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetic Complications collection. First unveiled in 2010, the Pont des Amoureux has quickly become a signature of the maison and has been released in various new colours since its launch.
Most prominent on its face is the couple, who mark the hours and minutes in a double retrograde function. Twice a day — at midnight and noon — they meet in the middle of the bridge they stand on, for a kiss that lasts for three minutes. (Alternatively, a pusher at 8 o’clock triggers a 12-second smooch at any time the wearer desires.)
This year, four new versions of the Pont des Amoureux have been released, with dials inspired by different times of day and bejewelled straps. Unveiled at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, the new watches, which are powered by a self-winding mechanical movement, follow the couple across 24 hours.
The Aube catches the pair at dawn, with the sun’s rays radiating softly in shades of pink and lilac. We then find them at noon in the Matinée, surrounded by swirling clouds in pale blues. Further on, the Soirée sees the couple at dusk, with more saturated tones of purple and magenta. They complete their full-day tête-à-tête in the dark blue shades of the Clair de Lune, punctuated by glimmering stars.
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The watercolour-like effect on the new dials is achieved with grisaille enamelling. The technique, developed in the 16th century, was originally meant for only black and white enamel, but the maison has used it with coloured enamels to achieve a sense of depth and transparency. The result is a subtle gradient of tones, with saturated hues blending seamlessly into pastels.
Like previous editions, this year’s Pont des Amoureux watches comprise three distinct layers on their faces: the dial forms the background, and the bridge serves as the foreground, with the couple situated in between.
The Aube and Soirée have their cases and bridges in rose gold, while the Matinée and Clair de Lune are rendered in white gold. All four 38mm cases are gem-set, with round diamonds on the bezel and a mix of diamonds with coloured sapphires on the outer edge.
Taking the watches to another level are their fully gem-set straps, which gradate from colourless diamonds to coloured sapphires that match each watch. Despite the intricate setting technique — besides the gems, only the prongs that hold them in place are visible — the watches lie comfortably on the wrist, thanks to a specially designed meshing system. The watches are also delivered with another interchangeable alligator leather strap.
Continuing the tale
Extending the legend of the couple is a new watch, also released at this year’s Watches and Wonders: the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, where the pair continue their date in an open-air cafe. This time, a pair of stars marks the hour and minute, leaving the couple to focus entirely on each other.
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“For the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch, we wanted to give our lovers the most natural gestures possible,” says Rainer Bernard, head of research and development for watchmaking at Van Cleef & Arpels. “This meant articulating them and combining two simultaneous movements — their approach as well as their inclination toward one another — while giving them a degree of freedom to ensure the fluidity of the animation.”
Each character on the Bal des Amoureux Automate is composed of three articulated segments. When they come together, their arms lower, and once they’re within kissing distance, their bodies tilt towards one another until their lips meet.
Creating a movement to do this took four years. “The difficulty lay in achieving several natural gestures without altering the precision of the mechanism,” says Bernard. The final self-winding movement, which has a power reserve of 36 hours, features the classic double retrograde function and on-demand animation.
The dial of the Bal des Amoureux Automate, like the Pont des Amoureux, is brought to life with grisaille enamelling. Van Cleef & Arpels uses both versions of the technique — the original and the one where colour is used — to create a wider range of tones on the dial. This all takes some 40 hours of work, with 12 kiln firings.
Completing the dial and evoking the essence of Paris are pops of yellow and white “lanterns” and a handcrafted white gold cobblestone path. The 38mm case is rendered in white gold, with round diamonds set along the bezel.
As we look at the lovers’ latest chapter, we can’t help but wonder too where they’ll be heading next, especially as Van Cleef & Arpels celebrates its 120th anniversary.
