From February 12 to 20, Van Cleef & Arpels will bring its ‘Poetry of Time’ event to Marina Bay Sands’ Expo Hall B. We take a look at four major themes that have shaped the world of Van Cleef & Arpels since 1906, referencing pieces that will be on display at the exhibition — read on to discover the creations, and to find out how to visit the exhibition.
Love stories, modern and mythical
Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels were said to have shared one of those legendary romances – the sort that has inspired sonnets and plays throughout time. It’s little wonder that so much of the Maison’s has been informed by love stories: Take the Aïda & Radamès secret watch, for example. Inspired by Aida – a famous opera that has been sung over a thousand times since its premiere in 1871 – this fascinating piece of high jewellery belies the legend of the tragic romance between an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian commander.
The watch is wrought of diamonds, mirror-polished gold and a deluge of blue sapphires, turquoise and lapis lazuli – echoing the warm sands of Egypt, and the famed Nile. The watch’s crowning jewel, a 5.93 ct Madagascan sapphire, hides a sliding dial adorned with fine stone marquetry – a subtle nod to the lovers’ secret romance.
Enchanting fairies, ethereal ballerinas
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Louis Arpels – one of the House’s original co-founders – was famed for his love of ballet. He would often bring his nephew and future scion Claude to performances at the Paris Opera. Later, Claude would continue his uncle’s legacy by collaborating with George Balanchine to create Jewels, a three-act ballet that premiered at the New York State Theatre in 1967.
Fairies, likewise, hold the same sort of ethereal fascination for Van Cleef & Arpels – as seen in the diaphanous Lady Féerie watch. But delicate muses do not preclude extraordinary technological additions: In 2021, the Lady Féerie watch won the Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, a ceremony that many have called the “Oscars of watchmaking.” The diamond-studded fairy uses her wand to indicate the minutes, thanks to a retrograde movement developed exclusively for the brand, while a window of mother-of-pearl indicates the passing hours.
Messages from the stars
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In 2019, the Maison introduced the Lady Arpels Zodiaque Lumineux watches, the feminine counterpart to an existing collection – inspired by the 12 signs of the Western zodiac – for men. Like the original collection for men, the Lady Arpels Zodiaque Lumineux watches utilise a special light-on- demand module that allows electrical energy to be generated mechanically: At the press of a button, the translucent enamel beads on the watch face illuminate, lighting up the corresponding constellation.
These symbolic figures are adorned with precious stones and enamel, using shades that correspond to each sign’s element: Water signs, like Pisces, are glided with blue sapphires and translucent blue enamel beads, while fire signs like Aries are given stones like yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets.
Of flora and fauna
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It’s not just the beauty of nature that Van Cleef & Arpels is enthralled by – it is the constant state of metamorphoses of both flora and fauna that they admire, and aim to encapsulate. See the wondrously complex Dahlia secrète watch, where dozens of corollas in yellow gold and diamonds wrap ensconce a central diamond; the high jewellery watch required over 1,000 hours of work to complete. A system of subtle articulations give movement to each individual petal when touched, giving the watch the illusion of being a live, quivering flower.
Visit this link to book your visit to The Poetry of Time.
This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.
