Dance is the best art form that carries the beauty of rhythm. In particular, it injects endless ingenuity into the Extraordinary Dial series. The Maison’s creative imagination and unremitting pursuit of excellence have resulted in the birth of two magnificent watch masterpieces, performing two classic ballet repertoires from the 19th century. The new Lady Arpels Casse-Noisette (Nutcracker) and Lady Arpels Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty) watches use exquisite miniature-painted scenes to stimulate imagination and invite viewers to dance together. Brand-new enamel technology combines tradition and innovation to start a wonderful new year for the Maison.
Each watch combines métiers d’art master craftsmanship, professional jewelry attainments, and watchmaking technology. It is loyal to Van Cleef & Arpels’ imagination of the Poetry of Time and vividly interprets dreams and miracles.
Van Cleef&Arpels and ballet dance
Louis Arpels, who loved ballet, often took his nephew Claude Arpels to watch performances at the Paris Opera House near the Place Vendôme boutique. In the early 1940s, the Maison’s first ballerina brooch was launched and immediately became a classic. The agile posture and gorgeous dance costumes have attracted many collectors. The precious headpiece, inlaid with yellow gold or rose-cut diamonds paired with diamond or colored gemstone pointe shoes and a flowing tutu, adds beauty to the dancer’s face, making the graceful dance movements come alive. Since then, the dance world has continued to inspire Maison’s high-end jewelry and watch works, presenting countless graceful figures of ballerinas. For example, the Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales watch pays tribute to famous dance works; many masterpieces pay homage to Anna Pavlova. (Anna Pavlova) and other legendary dancers, such as the Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée watch launched in 2013. Replica swiss watches.
Dance brooch, 1944
Yellow gold, rubies, sapphires, diamonds
Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
Swan Lake Compact, 1946
Yellow gold, rubies, sapphires, diamonds
Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
LADY ARPELS CASSE-NOISETTE watch
The legendary French choreographer Marius Petipa’s “Casse-Noisette” was first performed in 1892. Its prototype can be traced back to the fairy tale written by the German romantic master Hoffmann. Story. In Petipa’s “The Nutcracker,” the ballerina’s dream comes alive in Tchaikovsky’s lively and colorful music. On the dial, the faces of the dancer and the prince are outlined with rose-cut diamonds, and the miniature-painted dance clothes show the lithe figures. A pair of beautiful women come to life against the colorful winter scenery. The Van Cleef & Arpels Geneva watchmaking workshop produced such an exquisite portrait. It is a lovely collection of high-end jewelry and métiers d’art master craftsmanship. Bell and ross replica.
Lady Arpels Casse-Noisette watch
41 mm white gold case set with round diamonds
White gold bezel and crown set with round diamonds
White gold, rose gold, colored sapphire, blue tourmaline, diamond, sugilite, onyx, lapis lazuli,
Painted glass enamel, filled enamel, sealed and three-dimensional enamel, enamel beads, miniature painting
Manual winding mechanical movement, 40 hours power reserve
The numbered edition is limited to three pieces.
This watch combines 70 colors and various finishing and enamel techniques, making it the most complex Van Cleef & Arpels work. The dial is like a miniature work of art, and the delicate scenes reveal complex and profound levels. Diamonds, colored sapphires, blue tourmalines, onyx, sugilite, and lapis lazuli are a ballet of precious and decorative gemstones that recreate a poetic daydream. Three-dimensional enamel beads carved with new technology developed by the Maison in 2023 bloom a pleasant atmosphere on the dial. The colorful “candies” are inlaid on enamel bases of different shapes using Van Cleef & Arpels’ first sealed enamel technology. The moving dance music continues on the back of the white K gold case, hand-engraved to reproduce the winter scenery of snow-covered spruce trees in fairy tales.
LADY ARPELS BELLE AU BOIS DORMANT watch
The ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” (La Belle au Bois dormant), released in 1890, was choreographed by Petipa and scored by Tchaikovsky. It is a treasure of classical ballet. The witch Carabosse cast a spell that caused Princess Aurora to sleep for hundreds of years. She has a rose-cut diamond face on the dial, wears a tutu, and dances with the miniature-painted prince, vividly recreating the scene when the prince lifts the princess’s curse. In this tender pas de deux, the princess leaned forward and kissed the prince. Behind her was a hand-engraved rose gold castle. The ribbon of white K gold, diamonds, and filled enamel fluttered in the wind, giving off a soft sound. Pink, like a velvet ripple in the golden light. Stained glass enamel creates brilliant sunlight that scatters outward from the bottom of the dial, enhancing the depth of field effect.
Lady Arpels Belle au Bois Dormant watch
41 mm rose gold case set with round diamonds
Rose gold bezel and crown, set with round diamonds, rose gold, white gold, yellow gold, colored sapphires, rubies, emeralds, spessartine garnets, diamonds,
Glass-painted enamel, filled enamel, hilly enamel, three-dimensional enamel, miniature painting.
Manual winding mechanical movement, 40 hours power reserve
The numbered edition is limited to three pieces.
Nature also seems to be slowly awakening from a deep sleep, letting the fragrance of lilac bloom and the color of sapphires bloom from the matte hilly enamel petals. The branches of lilac hang from the top of the dial, giving the composition a more distinct layer through the patented three-dimensional enamel technology developed by Van Cleef & Arpels. Six gemstones – rubies, purple sapphires, diamonds, yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets, and emeralds – symbolize the loving fairy protecting lovers, adding affection to this dance. The back of the case is hand-engraved with the scene of the princess sleeping deep in the shade, telling another chapter of the story and showing the delicate brushstrokes of the engraving process.
The Poetry of Time
Since its inception, Van Cleef & Arpels has been loyal to the poetic association of life, extending unique dreams and emotions to the world of watches and clocks, giving its exquisite watchmaking craftsmanship unique creativity and poetic emotions. The Maison’s watch works combine creative ingenuity and fantasy, telling the beautiful rhythm of time, touching the imagination, and making people indulge in happiness and joy.
The family draws creative nutrients from its rich historical heritage and sources of inspiration and writes every moment into a touching poem of love and luck, paying tribute to the tradition of Van Cleef & Arpels. The dancing postures of ballerinas and fairies move time forward while the rhythm of nature and the universe complement each other. Each watch continues Maison’s watchmaking tradition, interprets elegant and charming style, and details the poem of time.
Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée watch decorated with enamel filling.
The Van Cleef&Arpels Enamel Workshop
The family sublimates the trajectory of time with the craftsmanship of métiers d’art masters, refines the poetic and exquisite world, and creates intoxicating treasures on the wrist. Van Cleef & Arpels’ watchmaking workshop in Geneva inherits this precious craftsmanship through its enamel workshop and training school.
The family not only passed down ancient techniques from generation to generation but also made outstanding achievements in innovating enamel techniques and creating three-dimensional and vivid decorative details. Faced with every new challenge, the Maison’s artisans devote several years to research and development to realize the design concepts of Van Cleef & Arpels’ creative studio. In the process, science and art are in constant dialogue to balance superb technology and aesthetic style and to tell the poetic story in the square-inch watch.
Enamel craftsmanship: tradition and innovation
Enamel is an art made with flames. Silica powder and pigments make up the glaze, which is tempered by the kiln’s fire and becomes beautiful enamel. Each enamel pattern goes through a complex production process, with bright colors and translucent light, and is the perfect crystallization of skillful craftsmanship.
Van Cleef & Arpels obtained patents for several complex processes in 2023. Three-dimensional enamel uses delicate lines to create vivid miniature sculptures. The Maison’s artisans melt the enamel glaze at high temperatures, pour it onto a tray, and then cut and carve it in stages to create a three-dimensional shape. The low-temperature flame weakens the tension of the material itself so that after the enamel is fired at more than 500 degrees Celsius (930 degrees Fahrenheit), the surface is clear and smooth as a mirror, and the effect is comparable to polishing. The three-dimensional enamel finished product is rich in layers, blooming with translucent luster, and the visual impact is unparalleled.
Another technology Van Cleef & Arpels developed is sealed enamel, which requires high skill and ingenuity. The Maison’s artisans must join two shaped enamel elements, an innovative and precise process. The enamel is fired in a cold fire kiln for 12 hours. The temperature changes must be strictly controlled before the two enamels of different colors can be combined without using adhesives or metal welding techniques to form an integrated three-dimensional enamel pattern, showing a sharp contrast. , the effect of clean lines.
