Van Cleef & Arpels

Founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris, Van Cleef & Arpels is a house renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship and represents the pinnacle of Haute Joaillerie today. With countless numbers of award-winning celebrities and royalties endorsing their artisanal creations, their passions for jewelry have been recognized by the luxury world. While jewelry making maybe Van Cleef & Arpels forte, their creations of wristwatches are often adored by collectors as their creations are unbounded by the traditional formalities of watchmaking such as the Cadenas collection and its unorthodox design. 

The present lot offering is the “Midnight Poetic Wish” model released in 2012 and was supposed to be presented as a pair of watches along with the “Lady Arpels” model as a collection. While it was an option to be sold separately, when the two watches are combined, they illustrate the romantic story of a couple in Paris that gaze longingly at each other from a distance and would occasionally meet on bridges to kiss at midnight. With both watches made to serve as the different perspectives from the man and woman in the story.

The watch features a five-minute repeater with a constant force mechanism and an automaton display. It is also designed with an extravagant dial with mother-of-pearl inlay, relief engraving on gold, and hand-painting. With the activation of the repeater at 2 o’clock, the automaton would activate and the male character on the dial would position itself at the respective hour with the kite above the river illustrating the time. A mesmerizing thematic watch, the “Midnight Poetic Wish” is a luxurious creation where no other timepieces in the market can compete.