Fantasy watch creations from Van Cleef & Arpels at Geneva watch show

Van Cleef & Arpels has designed its new watch collections to enchant through the inclusion of highly feminine figures such as fairies, butterflies, ballerinas and swallows. 

The most emblematic timepiece unveiled at SIHH 2013 was the Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée featuring a dancer with gold wings carved in relief and set in diamonds. This watch has a dial with a translucent enamel decorated back case, a white gold case and a diamond-set bezel.

As well as this exceptional model’s refined design, the brand has focused on mechanical precision with a movement that shows the time on demand. When the wearer presses the button at the 8 o’clock position, the dancer’s tutu starts moving: one skirt shows the hour and another shows the minutes. The wearer can then read the time before each skirt returns to its original position. 

Two other Van Cleef & Arpels collections were presented at SIHH 2013: Cadrans Extraordinaires and Charms Extraordinaires. Each model in the first — embellished with symbols such as lilies of the valley, lotus flowers, dandelions and swallows — bears a lucky motif, while the second depicts butterfly-style kites.

These last two subjects have become running themes for Van Cleef & Arpels who choose to reinterpret “the march of time” every year.