Van Cleef and Arpels Lady Arpels Une Journée à Monaco
It is difficult not to be mesmerised by a timepiece from the aptly named Van Cleef and Arpels Poetic Complications collection and the recently unveiled pièce unique for the up-coming Only Watch 2013 event is instantly seductive. This is the Van Cleef and Arpels Une Journée à Monaco.
Unlike many handcrafted métiers d'art dials where the indication of time is secondary to the artwork, with the Poetic Complications pieces time becomes part of the story and its passing is celebrated in a most delightful manner.
The Only Watch piece pays hommage to the location of the auction event bringing to the dial the silouettes of a mother and daughter as they spend a serendipitous day enjoying the ambience of Monaco. A central rotation disc made from lapis lazuli represents the rich hue of the mediterranean sea and against a backdrop depicting the Monégasque skyline the white gold figures of the mother and her daughter appear before slipping slowly out of view as their day passes by.
Jewellery still forms the mainstay of the Van Cleefs and Arpels orderbook, but its watchmaking department, now under the direction of Denis Giguet who previously worked with La Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps, continues to be developed and nurtured as seen with this years collection which includes the extraordinary Ballerine Enchantée piece with its time on demand complication.
More information on the Only Watch 2013 event can be found here.