Timepieces that Will Be Passed Down Forever #19 Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux Watch

Van Cleef & Arpels upholds its unique vision of "Poetry of Time." While using the Métiers d'Art, which can be said to be the pinnacle of dial decoration, the brand has also depicted a world full of poetry through the use of complex mechanisms. The lovers on the bridge, a symbol of the "Poetic Complication," weaves a story of eternal love.

The love story never ends, lovers' time will last forever

　The story of love has been at the core of Van Cleef & Arpels' philosophy in both jewelry and watches. It is a story that began with the marriage of Estelle Arpels, the daughter of a jeweler, and Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a jeweler. Through the creation of eternal love, the Maison has built a unique worldview of emotional poetry.

　For high jewelers, innovation in creation is always accompanied by rare gemstones. While Van Cleef & Arpels has passed down numerous legends that will be remembered for generations to come, the Maison has also dedicated itself to preserving the savoir-faire required to craft dream stories. For example, the Mystery Set technique, patented by the Maison in 1933, maximizes the beauty of precious stones and expresses the smooth sculpting of flowers and leaves, a boundless celebration of nature. Similarly, the fairy and ballerina clips, introduced in the 1940s, were crafted by experts in each field, from the wax prototype to the engraving, with precision measured to the millimeter, to depict dreamlike worlds with the tilt of the head and the artistic shapes of the hands and feet evoking minute movements. The high jeweler's pursuit of unique expression extends to watches, where it is passed down to the gem-setting and fairy-like dials of high jewelry watches crafted in the Maison's Paris workshops.

　The "Poetic Complications" collection, which incorporates the movement of mechanical watches into the art of high jewellery and depicts a world filled with poetry, was introduced in 2006. The dial decorations come to life as they move, evoking the imagination as if watching a stage performance. The collection has offered a diverse lineup, including the latest automaton "Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux," a retrograde model in which a fairy's magic wand tells the time, and a complex design inspired by botanist Carl von Linnaeus' flower clock. However, the most iconic and dominant piece of the collection is the "Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux," which was introduced in 2010.

　The painting depicts the banks of the Seine. A woman holding an umbrella and a man hiding a rose gradually approach each other through the double retrograde mechanism, kissing at noon and midnight. Grisaille enamel is used to depict the Paris cityscape shrouded in darkness and the moonlit and starry sky. Grisaille enamel, believed to have originated in France in the 16th century, is a technique in which white enamel, known as blanc de limoges, is layered over a dark background, creating a watercolor-like world of light and shadow with a monochrome optical effect of contrasting light and dark. Grisaille enamel, which recreates a moonlit night scene, has been called the watch's signature métiers d'art.

　Furthermore, thanks to an on-demand system not available in the original model, the animation of two lovers meeting can now be recreated at any time. A stop-motion mechanism was added at this time. The lovers pause for just a moment before kissing. It is this moment of stillness that completes the worldview of "Poetic Complication," in which "time tells a story." This is because even the subtle emotions of the two people who have longed for their rendezvous, meeting and gazing into each other's eyes, and cherishing their joy, are hidden in this brief movement.

　For Van Cleef & Arpels, complications are not a way to show off technical prowess, but rather to weave a love story, as the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux tells us.