Transforming the passage of time into an enchanting spectacle, the exhibition invites audiences in Hong Kong on a meticulously curated journey of discovery, with each chapter revealing and showcasing the mysteries of mechanical expertise and métiers d’art that bring Van Cleef & Arpels’ poetic vision of time to life.

Born out of the union of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels, the Maison has accompanied the expression of feelings since its creation. To this day, love infuses the Poetry of Time™ with its rhythm and offers a vision of watchmaking imbued with emotions. In 2010, Van Cleef & Arpels unveiled the Pont des Amoureux watch, the first piece of the collection to win a prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. Ever since, the collection has told the story of a woman and a man who, bound by affection, meet on a bridge in Paris. Thanks to a double retrograde movement, the two lovers move toward each other for a kiss at noon and midnight.

Continuing the story that began on the watches of the Pont des Amoureux collection, Van Cleef & Arpels is introducing a new rendezvous. The Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch sets the scene for the young couple’s tryst in a charming guinguette.

The enchantment sparked by this creation was made possible by four years of research and development, creating an automaton unprecedented in the Maison’s collections. Each character comes to life at noon and midnight, leaning in and realistically lowering their arms thanks to a translational movement and three joints.

Representations of the sky have been constant throughout the history of Van Cleef & Arpels. A source of dreams and escape, over the decades this theme has shone in creations, highlighting the diversity of materials and techniques that unite to offer a captivating interpretation of the spectacle of the stars.

Within the dial of the Lady Arpels Jour Nuit watch, the diamond-paved moon and stars perpetually pursue the sun, embellished with snow-set yellow sapphires. Featuring a 24-hour rotating disc, the dial revolves almost imperceptibly. Thanks to the depth effect of the Murano aventurine glass, this piece portrays the immensity of the cosmos and the magic of a starry night.

Van Cleef & Arpels also stands out for its exceptional objects and automatons, blending poetic scenes, noble materials and mechanical movements, imparting magic into every moment. To perpetuate this time-honored savoir-faire and promote its transmission, Van Cleef & Arpels contributed in 2023 to the creation of a Center of Excellence for Art Mechanics in Sainte-Croix, within which the Maison has opened a dedicated workshop.

The Planétarium automaton presents the Sun and the planets visible from the Earth. Thanks to a complex mechanical movement, each celestial body moves at its actual speed of rotation. To evoke the full wonder of gazing at the heavens, Van Cleef & Arpels has meticulously selected and crafted the materials. The ensemble inspires dual wonder, through immersion in the universe and the beauty of the craftsmanship.

As a tribute to nature, a major source of inspiration since 1906, the Maison drew from the concept of the flower clock, developed by Carl von Linné in 1751. The Swedish botanist describes a hypothetical garden composed of a wide variety of flowering plants that tell time by opening and closing at specific moments during the day.

Following this principle, Van Cleef & Arpels created the Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier watch. Its three-dimensional dials tick away the hours with the opening and closing of twelve corollas. Telling time thus becomes a spectacle of poetry performed every 60 minutes. As many as 166 elements are set in motion by a module developed entirely by the Maison to breathe life into this scene. Each petal in the garden is articulated and linked to the watch mechanism, requiring meticulous assembly. Alongside the technical challenge of combining so many moving parts comes the delicate task of designing a mechanism that opens the flowers in three random sequences. With each passing hour, the flowers bloom and close again to reveal a new combination.

The Naissance de l'Amour automaton features the mythological figure of Cupid in a composition that expresses the tenderness of emotion. Crafted in white gold, rose gold, yellow gold and diamonds, the piece emerges from a basket of feathers adorned with a lacquered color gradation. The figurine rises gracefully, turning on itself and fluttering its plique-à-jour enamel wings for a few moments before retreating to its hideaway. Its ascent is accompanied by the melody of a carillon. From the base to Cupid, each material has been carefully chosen by the Maison's experts, then cut and polished to reveal their character and singular beauty.

Since the 1940s, the Maison has celebrated the beauty of fairies and dancers through creations brimming with enchantment. Lady Féerie watches and Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales watches unite watchmaking savoir-faire and traditional craftsmanship in delicate cases.

Like a guardian muse, a fairy in a gown of diamonds and blue or pink sapphires watches over Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetry of Time™. Seated on an iridescent cloud of white mother-of-pearl, the feminine figure indicates the minutes with her magic wand. Her diamond face subtly contrasts with the nuances of the guilloché mother-of-pearl sky. Employed together for the first time by the Maison on a motif, the plique-à-jour, grisaille and opaque enamel techniques create interplays of nuances and depth effects in the wings, bordered with diamonds.

Devoted to preserving heritage, for many years Van Cleef & Arpels has been supporting the transmission and development of métiers d’art. Over the years, the Maison has brought together craftsmen in Geneva who now master more than fifteen different techniques. The savoir-faire behind the arts of enamel, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture is preserved and honed with each new creation.

Dive into the métiers d'art

High Jewelry savoir-faire has been at the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels for over a century. Established at Place Vendôme in Paris, the Maison draws on its rich heritage to breathe life into creations that reflect its pursuit of excellence. This is expressed in particular through the rigorous selection of rare materials. The Maison’s discerning taste, eye and high standards are passed down from generation to generation within the Stones Department, which passionately creates pairings, monochrome ensembles, cameos and even colorful compositions. Working with gold in different textures also gives the creations a captivating sparkle. These jewels that tell time offer the passing hours a highly precious setting, combining artistic craftsmanship and precious materials to enchant each moment.

Ever faithful to a poetic view of life, Van Cleef & Arpels instills a distinctive dimension into the art of watchmaking: that of dreams and emotions. The Maison’s technical expertise has given rise to creations that reinterpret the measurement of time as an invitation to wonder. Expressing the poetry of every moment, the Maison draws on its history and iconic sources of inspiration: love, luck, nature, astronomy, fairies and ballerinas. From the dial to the case back and all the way to the bracelet, each watch recounts a tale of beauty and enchantment.