At SIHH 2015, Van Cleef & Arpels revealed three shimmering feminine watch models from its Charms Extraordinaire Langage des Fleurs collection.
First created in 2008, the Charms timepiece is among Van Cleef & Arpels’ emblematic watchmaking creations. Its clean lines, faithful to the delicate feminine aesthetic cherished by the Maison, are embellished with a lucky charm that spins with each movement of the wrist.
This year, the collection is adorned with shimmering bouquets bearing messages of love, while the charm takes on a floral motif. The dials are decorated with buttercups, daffodils, crocuses, lilacs, wallflowers and forget-me-nots, gracing the Charms collection with the poetry of spring as they chart the first traces and subsequent developments of a love story.
The Maison pays homage to craft skills in the visual style of these three watches. Selected according to the highest standards of purity, precious stones add a delicate finishing touch to these timepieces.
The flowers depicted in the collection are powerful symbols. The watches’ dials are adorned with bouquets bearing messages of hope, love and desire.
The charms blossom into flowers, transformed into precious jewels. The gradations of stones are subtle, blending in with the rows of diamonds and adding refinement to the bezel. The mother-of-pearl dials are decorated using various traditional craft skills, including miniature painting in two or three dimensions and cabochonné enameling.
Using a thick layer of enamel, the dial is embellished with rounded relief motifs. The depth of the unpolished material contributes volume, sparkle and plays of light to the dial’s ornamentation.
The Charms Extraordinaire Langage des Fleurs collection is a numbered edition. It is composed of three models – of different sizes and in different colored gold – each of which bears a message.
The gradation of stones embellishing the bezel matches the color of the watch. Two interchangeable shiny alligator straps adorn the timepiece to suit every mood. The emblematic flower of the watch is engraved on the back of the case, adding a final touch to the story related on the dial.
Van Cleef & Arpels Charms Extraordinaire Espérance Watch
The smallest model in the collection is adorned with sunny colors, illuminating its 25mm case in yellow gold. The buttercup in cabochonné enamel symbolizes beauty; the daffodil designates true love’s desire while the chickweed represents the meeting, so pregnant with hopes.
Embedded in the dial, the daffodil is sculpted in white mother-of-pearl for extra depth, then colored yellow with miniature painting. The craftsmen’s virtuosity is also illustrated by the painting of the chickweed. Their mastery brings the dial to life, contributing relief and adding finesse to the motion of the flowers.
The charm is a buttercup spinning round a row of shaded yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets. Its petals are also fashioned from yellow sapphires, while a spessartite garnet represents a pistil.
The buttercup engraved on the rear of the timepiece echoes the story of the dial.
Technical details
Case
Yellow gold case, 25mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds, spessartite garnets, yellow sapphires; yellow gold rotating charm, yellow sapphires, spessartite garnet
Case back: engraved gold echoing the emblematic flower of the dial
Dial
Mother-of-pearl, yellow gold, miniature painting in volume, miniature painting on sculpted mother-of-pearl, cabochonnéenamel, diamonds, spessartite garnets, yellow sapphires
Movement
Quartz movement
Bracelet
Interchangeable shiny green alligator bracelet, yellow gold pin buckle set with diamonds
Edition
Numbered edition
Van Cleef & Arpels Charms Extraordinaire Désir Watch
Expressing all the desire of a new romance, the Charms Extraordinaire Désir watch is adorned with lilac – synonymous with young love – and crocuses blooming on the dial thanks to cabochonné enamel work. Three yellow gold threads delicately depict the pistil.
The lilac, in pink sapphires and amethysts, grows against a background of sculpted miniature painted mother-of-pearl. A symbol of happiness, a crocus also spins around the dial as a charm: its movement highlights the bezel’s gradation of pink and violet sapphires.
Technical details
Case
White gold case, 32mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds, pink and purple sapphires; white gold rotating charm, purple and yellow sapphires
Case back: engraved gold echoing the emblematic flower of the dial
Dial
mother-of-pearl, white gold, miniature painting in volume, miniature painting on sculpted mother-of-pearl, cabochonné enamel, pink sapphires, amethysts, yellow gold
Bracelet
Interchangeable shiny pink alligator bracelet, white gold pin buckle set with diamonds
Movement
Quartz movement
Edition
Numbered edition
Van Cleef & Arpels Charms Extraordinaire Amour Watch
On this 38mm watch in pink gold, wallflower, forget-me-not and cyclamen symbolize memory, beauty and lasting sentiments. The timepiece highlights the craftsmen’s deft and intricate work that brings the dial to life. The cyclamens appear to be in motion thanks to the enchanting sculpture on painted mother-of-pearl.
Cabochonné enamel also bestows a sense of movement on the wallflowers. A pear-shaped pink sapphire represents a cyclamen bud. The flowers are framed by a gradation of pink sapphires, echoing the wallflower charm in pink sapphires and spessartite garnet.
Technical details
Case
Pink gold case, 38mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds, pink sapphires; pink gold rotating charm, pink sapphires, spessartite garnet
Case back: engraved gold echoing the emblematic flower of the dial
Dial
Mother-of-pearl, pink gold, miniature painting in volume, miniature painting on sculpted mother-of-pearl, cabochonné enamel, pear-shaped pink sapphire, yellow gold, yellow sapphires
Movement
Quartz movement
Bracelet
Interchangeable shiny red alligator bracelet, pink gold pin buckle with diamonds
Edition
Numbered edition
