The Pierre Arpels watch created in 1949 perfectly shows Van Cleef & Arpels’s interpretation of the firm and elegant man’s style. This finely balanced, understated and elegant watch masterpiece is equipped with a thin case. The connection between the strap and the dial is decorated by two central lugs, and the smooth lines show the classic and simple charm. In 2012, Van Cleef & Arpels re-interpreted this watchmaking classic, and continued to enrich the collection with new styles, in order to convey to Estelle Apel’s nephew Pierre Apel Pierre Arpels) pays tribute to the lifestyle. As an aesthetician, designer, and businessman, he is also a social celebrity and traveller; in the SIHH 2014 exhibition, Van Cleef & Arpels Van Cleef & Arpels, the founder of this immortal design with two new works. A tribute to Mr. Yabao.
Inspiration
The new Heure d’ ici & Heure d’ ailleurs watch embodies a great journey with subtle poetic strokes, thus highlighting the unique taste of Pierre-Albert. In order to meet the needs of the family’s eminent customers, Mr. Pierre-Albert has traveled around the world and was inspired by foreign cultures. He transformed it into a long-standing creative tradition of Van Cleef & Arpels. One of the most famous creations in the world took place in 1966, when Van Cleef & Arpels was commissioned to create the royal jewellery collection for Iranian queen Farah Pahlavi for the next year’s coronation ceremony. Mr. Pierre Yabao visited Tehran 24 times in six months, selected applicable gems from the treasury hidden in the Iranian Central Bank, and built a complete jewelry workshop in the building where the treasury is located. Pierre also traveled throughout India, and with his brother Claude, he continued to visit the world’s most magnificent and rare gems.
Design and Craftsmanship
Today, Van Cleef & Arpels continues to yearn for foreign cultures, while adhering to the timeless aesthetic features of the Pierre Arpels series: minimalist lines, thin central lugs, and slim The case, and the honeycomb pattern in the center of the dial; the latter is more reminiscent of the front of a dress shirt and Van Cleef & Arpels brand imprint. The newly designed watch also shows many classic styles of the century, such as Van Cleef & Arpels Van Cleef & Arpels commonly used in jewelry creation of irregular designs, and engraved on the watch, pay tribute to poetic text calligraphy name. The equally elegant and charming crown can wind the movement and adjust the minute hand and two time zones at the same time; a single diamond set at the top illuminates the elegant arc of the case frame.
Dual time zone movement
For the first time, the Pierre Arpels collection has a dual time zone complication watch, echoing the poetry of Time ™ by Van Cleef & Arpels. Its unique self-winding movement was developed by Van Cleef & Arpels and Agenhor (Atelier Genevois d’ Horlogerie). It is equipped with a double-jump time and retrograde minute hand display. The hour is displayed on the top display window, while the other display window at the bottom indicates the hour in the second time zone. Both are driven by a synchronization member that connects the two hour dials and the retrograde minute hand, thus achieving a complete synchronous beating. When the retrograde minute hand reaches the 60-minute time mark position, it will fly back to the starting point, and the hour displayed by the watch will jump accordingly. In order to keep the case thin, this Pierre Arpels collection is a classic feature. This automatic movement is equipped with a platinum micro balance, which takes up very little space. The balance wheel generates power by swinging back and forth to drive the movement. The sapphire crystal mirror sees the exquisite movement, the Van Cleef & Arpels classic bridge plate with spiral texture, and the blue lacquer processing balance wheel echoing the honeycomb texture of the dial.
The above is the latest cutting-edge information of SIHH 2014 brought to you by the special editor of Watch House. Next, we will provide more and more intuitive exhibition reports, so please pay attention.
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