Fairies and ballerinas tick away the hours, butterflies flutter delicately on dials, flowers sway in the breeze, blooms spring to life—these are not scenes from a latest Disney fantasy, but whimsical timepieces created by luxury high-end jeweller, Van Cleef & Arpels.
The esteemed French maison has created a must-see pop-up exhibition at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne, entitled ‘A Journey Through The Poetry Of Time’, which highlights the brand’s distinctive style of watchmaking.
Featuring some 40 extraordinary timepieces many of which have not been seen in Australia before—the pop-up is also a celebration of the brand’s love of big themes: love stories, nature, dance and astronomy. So very French.
The house’s detailed designs are not the traditional cogs-and-wheel territory of old-style watchmakers. Each timepiece is an intricate piece of art with incredible technical innovations that allow ballerinas to dance and nature to burst into life, while still keeping time. They are designed with an aim to transport the wearer to moments of heightened enchantment every time they steal a glance.
Van Cleef & Arpels watch designs are definitely for the poets, the lovers and the dreamers.
The exhibition is on for a short time only until July 30th (free entry). Here’s a sneak peek of the not-to-miss highlights:
Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watch
One of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most beloved designs, it tells the romantic tale of a young man and a young woman meeting on a bridge in Paris. As each minute and hour passes they inch closer and closer to their meeting spot in the middle where they finally share a romantic kiss at noon and again at midnight.
For those who cannot wait, the kiss can also be replayed on-demand. The Pont des Amoureux has been rolled out in many different iterations, including a daytime version and coloured iterations that reflect the changing seasons of the year. J’adore.
Lady Arpels Heures Florales watch
This is not your everyday timepiece. The passing of time is measured by the opening and closing of the intricately designed 12 flowers on the watch face. With each passing hour the petals of the open flowers close and re-open to recreate a brand new bouquet.
Every hour creates a new random combination. The rhythms of Mother Nature are not easy to recreate as some 166 parts are required to combine the flower opening mechanism with the house’s timekeeping prowess.
Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch
Translated as `Summer Breeze’, the new Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch was only launched earlier this year and is the first of its kind to capture the movement of the wind within a dial.
As nature is a constant source of inspiration for the house, the watch face displays animated flowers that sway in the breeze, while white and gold butterflies circle the dial in a soothing meditative rhythm.
Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale watch
The Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale watch has never been seen in Australia before. The timepiece was inspired by the chance meeting between Claude Arpels and famed choreographer George Balanchine in the 1960s which resulted in the three-part ballet, Jewels.
The Ballerine Musicale is a beautiful homage to dance where, on-demand, ballerinas come to life between the stage’s curtain, all magically accompanied by classical music. On the back, the watch is inscribed with an inspirational quote from Balanchine: “Music must be seen and dance must be heard.”
`Van Cleef & Arpels, A Journey Through the Poetry of Time pop-up is open to the public from July 17 to July 30 at Chadstone Shopping Centre, Malvern, Victoria.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
