Some watchmakers count the hours. Van Cleef & Arpels turns them into poetry.
At Watches & Wonders 2025, the Maison brought together its two greatest strengths — mechanical mastery and storytelling — in a showcase that felt more like a dream than a product launch. Love, starlight, Parisian romance, and precious craftsmanship came together in a collection that didn’t just measure time, but made you feel it.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Pont des Amoureux: The Lovers’ Bridge
This year, the beating heart of the presentation was an expanded chapter in one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most beloved tales — Pont des Amoureux.
Four new editions — Aube (dawn), Matinée (morning), Soirée (evening), and Clair de Lune (moonlight) — each capture a different moment in the day’s emotional arc.
On the dial, a man and a woman begin their journey from opposite ends of a Parisian bridge. Every hour brings them closer, until they meet for a kiss at noon and midnight. The movement behind this ballet is a double retrograde mechanism, but the effect is pure theatre. Collectors can also press a button to bring the moment to life on demand, because some love stories deserve to be replayed.
Even the bracelets play a part in the narrative — their gemstone gradients shifting in tone to reflect the changing light of the sky.
Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate: Dancing in the Moonlight
If Pont des Amoureux is a quiet anticipation, Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate is its celebration.
The scene is a Parisian dance hall bathed in lantern light. A couple, hand in hand, begin a waltz.
At the touch of a button, they move — slowly, gracefully — until the dance ends with an embrace. Time is read in two star-shaped retrograde displays in the upper corners, leaving the central stage free for the lovers. The backdrop, crafted in layers of grisaille enamel and sculpted gold, has the depth and atmosphere of a painting. Available in white gold, with the option of diamond-set cases and straps, it is as much a jewel as it is a watch.
Automatons Beyond the Wrist
The Maison’s flair for animation isn’t confined to wristwatches. Two extraordinary automata brought an entirely different scale to the artistry.
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Naissance de l’Amour — Cupid emerges from a feathered shell, his enamel wings beating as a melody plays. Made from materials like petrified wood, pink opal, and iron-eye stone, it’s a celebration of the first spark of love.
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Planétarium Automaton — A miniature solar system in motion, with all eight planets orbiting a radiant sun at their true speeds. A shooting star marks the passing time while music underscores the celestial choreography.
When Jewellery Becomes Time
Van Cleef & Arpels also revisited two icons from its high jewellery archives:
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Cadenas — First created in 1935, this padlock-shaped design returns in yellow gold, snow-set diamonds, and sapphire accents. Its discreet, slanted dial remains a hallmark for those who prefer to keep their time private.
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Ruban Mystérieux — A flowing ribbon of gems, hiding a mystery-set dial beneath a 3.72-carat diamond. It’s jewellery first, watch second — yet both at once.
The Poetry of Time
For Van Cleef & Arpels, a watch is never just a watch. It’s a scene, a mood, a memory in motion.
At Watches & Wonders 2025, the Maison showed us that precision is only half the magic. The other half is the ability to make a moment linger — to let you wear a love story, a starlit sky, or a ribbon of light on your wrist.
Because in the end, time is only as beautiful as the way we choose to tell it.
