Scene Setting
Never one to chase complications for their own sake, Van Cleef & Arpels has an uncanny gift for transforming watchmaking into vivid storytelling, the kind that would make the greatest masters proud. Drawing on a rich palette of metiers d’art techniques such as enamelling and engraving, and infusing just a touch of tech – albeit of the 18th-century kind – the firm brings its horological canvases to life. Whether it is a planet moving in real time or a flower unfurling with each passing hour, these creations do not just measure time; they evoke it.
Here, time is not of the essence. It seems to stand still, reminding us to enjoy the stillness and beauty that surrounds us. It is poetry in motion, and little wonder Van Cleef & Arpels has dubbed these creations Poetic Complications.
And the approach is working. According to a Bloomberg report, timepieces now account for around 10% of the Richemont-owned brand’s revenue (the group does not disclose the performance of individual brands). Despite being a jewellery-first brand, Van Cleef & Arpels frequently ranks among the top 20 watchmakers in the world, a testament to the strength of its horological vision. Its 2025 novelties build on this momentum, continuing to assert the brand’s singular take on watchmaking. A fitting place to begin is with its automaton clocks, which are talking pieces that we barely even get to every year, focused as we are on wristwatches. The first of this generation debuted in 2017, and since then, around 11 have followed, each one-of-a-kind. Van Cleef & Arpels does not disclose pricing, but industry estimates place each at around $10 million.
LOVESTRUCK
For 2025, the brand continues the series it started in 2022 with the Rêveries de Berylline, and subsequently 2023’s Éveil du Cyclamen and 2024’s Bouton D’Or. The 2025 Naissance de L’amour automaton (right) – meaning the birth of love – is a music box that defies simple descriptions but the images here do give an impression.
Like its predecessors, the Naissance de L’amour is a work of art, a vivid tableau that would not look out of place in The Louvre. The craftsmanship is sublime, and here, Van Cleef & Arpels truly shows the depth and breadth of its savoir-faire.
For the first time, the brand has worked with petrified palmwood for the base. It holds a basket of precious flowers, which opens to reveal Cupid, who has been realistically depicted in white, rose, yellow gold, diamonds and sapphires. His wings are rendered in an ethereal plique-a-jour enamel, a notoriously challenging technique to master. The rise of the column is accompanied by the gentle chime of a carillon, as Cupid flutters his wings and pirouettes amidst a flurry of clouds, rendered in white gold, diamonds, and pink sapphires in three delicate shades.
The objet d’art doubles as a clock as well, with a rotating ring indicating the time with two bejewelled feathers.
COSMIC WONDER
Van Cleef & Arpels’ second launch of the year is the latest iteration of the Planétarium automaton, a creation that brings the cosmos down to earth. Here, the Sun and planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are rendered in precious gemstones, each encircled by a gilded ribbon inscribed with its 18th-century name. These celestial ribbons are further embellished with mythological symbols, such as lightning bolts for Jupiter and arrows for Mars, lending narrative and nuance to this cosmic ballet.The sun, for instance, is a radiant orb of rose gold, adorned with spessartite garnets, diamonds, and yellow sapphires, all set atop more than 500 delicate gold stems. Adding to the automaton’s charm, it employs the trembleur technique, allowing the sun to quiver with the slightest touch.
Unsurprisingly, the galaxy itself is portrayed by 15 concentric rings of lapis lazuli, the natural sparkle of this deep blue stone perfectly capturing the starry expanse.
Beyond its artistic merits, the clock’s whimsicality belies a powerful mechanism where the sun and planets move in real time, emulating the actual speed of rotation of these celestial bodies, while an on-demand mechanism triggers a dance by the stars. The time is indicated by a shooting star set in rose gold, diamonds and Mystery Set rubies, accompanied by a crystalline melody.
The clock also features a perpetual calendar and a 15-bell chime that can be seen through a door.
LOVERS IN PARIS
The brand continues to bring the magic of its savoir-faire and poetry to the wrist with its Poetic Complications timepieces.
It pays homage to its first-ever Poetic Complication, Les Ponts Des Amoureux, which won the women’s watch category at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève when it was launched in 2010.
The lovers rendezvous again at the bridge at dawn, morning, dusk and moonlight. Four new iterations of the timepiece showcase the city in its magnificent glory, using the grisaille enamel technique. Each avatar comes with a fully bejewelled bracelet – the Aube and Soiree models feature a gradation of pink sapphires to emulate the rising and setting sun, while the Matinee and Clair de Lune are studded with blue sapphires. The bracelets are beautifully articulated on a mesh that hugs the wrist snugly.
The technique of grisaille enamel is once again employed in the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate (left), which features a new movement that was four years in the making.
This automaton depicts two lovers meeting on a cobbled street, evoking the charm of 19th-century Parisian dance cafes. The true challenge lay in the articulation of their movements. The Van Cleef & Arpels strove to make their gestures appear natural and fluid, far from robotic. To fit this intricate choreography within the compact Lady Arpels case, the movement had to be expertly miniaturised.
Much like the couple on the bridge, he moves swiftly with the retrograde minutes, she glides with the hours, and at noon and midnight, they meet to link hands, a tender moment brought to life by meticulous craftsmanship. This mechanism is also available on demand.
This story was first seen as part of the WOW #79 Summer 2025 Issue
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