Watches at Van Cleef & Arpels aren’t just for telling time—they are also stories of love. At Watches & Wonders 2025, they’re heading back to their birthplace, Paris, to create beautiful creations of love and sparkles. The way this French jewellery brand does horology is different: it’s told through a language of love and dreams. And that’s because of how the brand started. In 1895, Van Cleef & Arpels began with the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Esther (known as Estelle) Arpels, both from families in the jewellery business. In 1906, the high jewellery and watchmaking Maison Van Cleef & Arpels was founded at 22 Place Vendôme in Paris.
The Poetic Complications Collection
Pont des Amoureux watch
Though Van Cleef & Arpels started as a jewellery company, they’ve not shied away from complicated watches. Since 2016, mechanical movements, precious materials, and métiers d’art have been combined to develop their storytelling—in the form of a watch. The Pont des Amoureux watch, first created in 2010, was also the first Poetic Complication piece to have won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (the Oscars of watchmaking). The story here tells of a man and a woman who meet on a bridge in Paris. Using the double retrograde movement, the lovers move closer together and seal a kiss at noon and midnight. This year, the brand releases four new variations with precious bracelets, while its dials showcase the dawn, morning, dusk, and moonlight. The jewelled bracelets are entirely set with diamonds and pink sapphires, or sapphires respectively.
Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch
Swapping the serene stillness of the iconic Pont des Amoureux watch for the charm of a Parisian guinguette, with stars in the night sky, the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch dances—quite literally—into more playful territory. They call this a tryst. Housed in a 38mm white gold case sprinkled with diamonds, the watch features a dreamy grisaille enamel dial that captures a starlit night in Paris, complete with two lovers who lean in for a kiss at noon and midnight. And as always, there’s a button to let the scene unfold on demand.
The métiers d’art is, without a doubt, magnificent, requiring 40 hours of enamelling work and a dozen kiln firings per dial to achieve the look. But the automaton movement—developed over four years—gives a graceful motion to the couple, their arms lowering naturally as they embrace. The retrograde hour and minute functions, marked by tiny stars, are a signature flourish from Van Cleef & Arpels. The back of the case sees an engraving of the couple dancing under lanterns, further deepening the narrative feel of the piece.
Bal des Amoureux required a new movement, and Rainer Bernard, Head of Research and Development for Watchmaking at VCA, explains, “We wanted to give our lovers the most natural gestures possible. This meant articulating them and combining two simultaneous movements—their approach as well as their inclination toward one another…”
While it’s certainly a visual and mechanical marvel, there’s a familiar air to it. This new watch evolves from the Pont des Amoureux collection launched back in 2010, which introduced the world to Van Cleef’s poetic storytelling through moving dials. That original bridge scene became a beloved icon, and while Bal des Amoureux steps off the bridge and into a more vibrant setting, it doesn’t stray far from the brand’s romantic DNA.
The High Jewellery Collection
Cadenas watch
The Cadenas watch, first introduced in 1935, has long stood as a symbol of Van Cleef & Arpels’ distinctive take on watchmaking. Inspired by a padlock, the name “Cadenas” gives a dual function of a timepiece and jewellery. What sets it apart is the trapezoidal case, with the dial angled so that time is visible only to the wearer. At the time of its creation, in the 30s and 40s, women weren’t expected to be seen wearing a watch. It was more about elegance and presence than punctuality. In that sense, it shares a certain Surrealist philosophy—echoing Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-made” approach by transforming an everyday object into something poetic and precious.
Over the years, it has seen many interpretations and finishes, but that original spirit has remained at its core. Now, ninety years on, Van Cleef & Arpels revive this icon with a new interpretation. The latest Cadenas features a yellow gold bracelet paired with a case adorned with snow-set diamonds. A row of princess-cut sapphires adds a vivid splash of colour.
Ruban Mysterieux watch
Another piece that blurs the line between timepiece and high jewellery is the Ruban Mystérieux watch from Van Cleef & Arpels’ Precious Moments series. At its centre, a 3.72-carat oval-cut DIF diamond floats above the dial, delicately veiling the time beneath. Beneath it lies a hand-wound mechanical movement. Mystery Set sapphires and emeralds—crafted using the Maison’s signature 1933 technique—glide across the design, and the result? A fluid, luminous creation that feels more like a dream than a watch.
Extraordinary Objects
Staying true to this legacy, Van Cleef & Arpels continues to reimagine timekeeping through the magical world of automatons. Since its founding, Van Cleef & Arpels has been known not only for exquisite jewellery and timepieces but also for creating precious objects filled with wonder and surprise. This year, the Naissance de l’Amour Automaton brings Cupid to life in a charming blend of white, rose, and yellow gold, delicately accented with diamonds. He gently rises from a feathered basket, its soft plumes coloured with a beautiful lacquer gradient, while a carillon melody plays in the background. Time is told via a rotating ring, where two lacquered feathers set with diamonds point to the hours in a graceful display.
This year also sees a new addition to the Poetic Astronomy universe—the Planétarium Automaton. Housed beneath a bespoke blown-glass dome, it depicts the Sun and the planets visible from Earth, each one orbiting at its true astronomical pace. As the animation unfolds, a rose gold shooting star, glittering with diamonds and Mystery Set rubies, glides across the scene to indicate the time on a 24-hour dial.
READ MORE
Watches & Wonders 2025: Highlights From Chanel, Bvlgari, Tag Heuer and More
Van Cleef & Arpels’ Treasure Island Is a High Jewellery Adventure Like No Other
A Season Of Luck: Van Cleef & Arpels Celebrates Spring with Plum Blossoms and Ladybugs