Inside Van Cleef & Arpels’ watchmaking universe: How the jeweller turns time into poetry

As a relatively new watch journalist in the industry a few years ago, I remember one of the first watches by Van Cleef & Arpels that captivated my attention. It was the Pont des Amoureux timepiece – a kinetic display of time that depicts a pair of lovers meeting for a kiss on a Parisian bridge. 

The dial is truly a visual spectacle. The lady indicates the hours, while the gentleman tells the minutes. As time passes through the day, the pair inch closer to each other, until they meet at the top at midnight or midday, and lean in for a romantic kiss. Newer models of the watch are also fitted with an animation-on-demand module that allows the kiss to happen at any time of the day, simply by the push of a button. 

The Pont des Amoureux is just one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ timepieces that encapsulates the maison’s watchmaking tagline, "the poetry of time". Its distinctive approach to horology is defined by the art of storytelling, capturing emotion, imagination, and a sense of wonder within a timepiece.

While Van Cleef & Arpels was founded primarily as a jewellery maison in 1906, it has been making watches since the beginning, naturally infusing its horological creations with the same jewellery savoir-faire that defines the house. However, it was only in 2006 when the “poetry of time” concept was born with the debut of the Poetic Complications collection, a signature line from the maison that blends high-level mechanical watchmaking with romantic, artistic storytelling. 

“What we like to show people is the diversity of the watches we create – jewels that tell the time – and to remind them that wearing a watch can give you a nice feeling,” said Rainer Bernard, head of research and development for watchmaking at Van Cleef & Arpels. “It’s not only about reading the time. Especially with our Poetry of Time watches, they always invite you to be a part of the story, to slow down a little bit and take the time to dive a little deeper [into the watch].” 

WHERE STORY COMES FIRST

For Van Cleef & Arpels, every watch begins with a story, which then shapes its design, mechanics, and display of time. “The story always comes first – that’s very important to us,” said Bernard. While the maison invests deeply in mechanical innovation, that expertise is more often than not deliberately kept out of sight, allowing the wearer to engage first with the narrative and visual poetry of the watch.

“The technical part is really a means to bring the story to life – nothing more. The technical aspects are completely hidden. We never see them in our watches, and we do everything to conceal the mechanism, even though it’s beautiful and something we are very proud of,” he explained.

Bernard likens keeping the mechanical workings “behind the scenes” to attending an opera. “I’m an opera fan, and when I go to the opera, I want to hear the music. I don’t want to see the cables and pipes. They’re in the background. We know they’re there, we appreciate them, and they work.”

The Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier encapsulates how the maison’s ingenious mechanics are artfully cloaked in a gentle, whimsical visual language. The dream-like dial features a total of 12 animated blooms, alongside an array of butterflies. The hours are read simply by counting the number of flowers that bloom at every hour. The order in which the flowers open and close from hour to hour appears to be at random, based on a cycle of three different sequences, giving the wearer something new to discover each time. The minutes are read on a horizontal rotating disc, viewed via an opening on the side of the case.

FROM INSPIRATION TO CRAFT

For the watchmakers at Van Cleef & Arpels, “inspiration comes from different fields”, said Bernard. Key themes, however, revolve around love stories, luck, enchanted nature, fairies and ballerinas, and astronomy. “These areas are so huge and so full of surprises and ideas that we'd rather have the problem of choosing which idea to realise then to find new ideas. It's a very rich environment.” 

The watches are further brought to life by an array of time-honoured crafts. In the case of the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watches, grisaille enamel, a technique first developed in 16th-century France, is used to create a chiaroscuro effect (contrast between light and dark), adding depth and beauty to the scene on the dial. 

The Heures Florales Cerisier is brought to life through miniature painting, where each butterfly and petal is hand-painted with a tiny brush. The branches are sculpted in gold and the clouds carved from iridescent mother-of-pearl.

The making of a Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece typically takes approximately four years. The process begins first with an initial idea, followed by the first conceptual design. This is followed by an extended “architectural phase”. “When you build a house, you have to think about where you place each rooms and how you put them together. It’s the same for the watch. Where do we put the functions and how do we want them to look like?” explained Bernard. 

Only once the foundation is firmly established does the maison move on to engineering, testing, colour development and the execution of the various crafts involved – from enamelling to engraving, gem-setting and more. 

Looking ahead, the next chapter of watchmaking for Van Cleef & Arpels is rooted in continuity rather than reinvention. “We will continue to do what we know how to do,” Bernard explained. “That means creating narrative pieces within our Poetry of Time universe, as well as non-narrative watches – jewellery pieces inspired by fashion, for example. We’re not starting projects in all directions; instead, we’re continuing to build our patrimony. There are still so many stories to tell, and we will choose the ones that truly fascinate us.”

INSIDE THE POETRY OF TIME

Those keen to delve deeper into Van Cleef & Arpels’ watchmaking universe can visit its ongoing Poetry of Time exhibition in Hong Kong, where the maison spotlights its distinctive lyrical approach to horology. Taking place at Central Ferry Pier No 4, the exhibition is open to the public until Feb 8. Previous iterations of the exhibition took place in Shanghai and Dubai in 2025. 

Walking into the space, visitors first enter the Patrimony room, where key pieces showcasing the maison’s early watchmaking direction are on display. They then move into a central hall, offering an immersive glimpse into the various metiers d’art and technical disciplines that underpin the maison’s watchmaking DNA. Here, visitors can discover the art of engraving, enamelling, and complex movement making and assembly.

The exhibition then unfolds across five thematic rooms – Love Stories, Poetic Astronomy, Enchanting Nature, Ballerinas & Fairies, and Jewels That Tell Time. In Love Stories, visitors explore the central role of love in the maison’s history, which began with the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. This room also features the enchanting Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watches, alongside the Lady Arpels Amoureux Automate. The latter continues the tale of the lovers on the bridge as the pair come together for an open-air dance at a Parisian cafe.

In Poetic Astronomy, get up close with the Planetarium automaton, which is making its Hong Kong debut. This one-of-a-kind kinetic treasure showcases the rhythmic movement of the planets visible from the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon at an orchestrated pace. 

Enchanting Nature places the spotlight on another cherished source of inspiration for the maison, where butterflies, flowers, and other natural motifs breathe vitality into its creations. Ballerinas & Fairies tells the story of Louis Arpels’ passion for the world of dance. In the 1940s, the maison began creating dancer clips, which soon captivated collectors with their elegant poses and enchanting costumes. Similarly, the fairy clips feature ethereal winged silhouettes, sometimes complemented by a magic wand. These figures also adorn the maison’s watches, extending their dreamlike presence into the realm of horology.

Finally, Jewels That Tell Time showcases signature collections including Perlee, Alhambra, Ludo, and Cadenas. Described by the brand as “jewels that tell time,” these timepieces are conceived as wearable works of art, reflecting the maison’s roots as a jeweller – where timekeeping is seamlessly integrated into precious design.

CNA Luxury was in Hong Kong at the invitation of Van Cleef & Arpels.