Stepping into the world of Van Cleef & Arpels is to cross the threshold into an atelier where dreams are rendered tangible, draped in gold and painted with light. The house’s unwavering devotion to handicraft, evidenced across generations, becomes evident in every detail of the Perlée Extraordinaire Fruits Enchantés collection. Watchmaking—here—transcends function, blossoming into a living allegory of nature’s vital forces and the eternal feminine.
A Fantasy Brought Forth by Innovation and Skill
Gaze upon the dial, and the first impression is one of sheer animation: luscious berries, caught at the zenith of ripeness, seem poised for picking. The secret behind this vibrant three-dimensionality lies in the exclusive Façonné-Email technique, devised and patented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 2023 following sixteen months of research and development. This approach starts with email powder, which is gently poured into a bespoke mould and twice fired at controlled temperatures. These firings relieve the internal tensions, producing an email body of remarkable solidity. Once cooled, the enamel undergoes shaping and polishing, then receives a final high-temperature glazing, yielding a surface that both shines and hints at unfathomable depth.
Accompanying the berries are delicate leaves, rendered in miniature painting, that encircle and elevate them atop a textured gold backdrop. The backdrop itself comes alive under shifting light, revealing intricate engravings and captivating glimmers. Yet, amidst this enchanted forest scene, two diminutive fairies, cast in rose- or white-gold, take centre stage. These poetic creatures, adorned with diamond-encrusted wings, appear both ethereal and eternal, signifying the ceaseless passage of time and the intimate connection the Maison holds with nature’s rhythms.
Material synergy defines these dials: Enamel meets goldwork, miniature painting flirts with diamond-setting, and the watchmakers’ savoir-faire is mirrored in every infinitesimal brushstroke. The process is a confluence of disciplines: each defining detail is the result of exhaustive dialogue between designers and artisans, with some techniques demanding years to perfect.
The Quiet Heart of Precision
Nestled within each piece is a Swiss quartz movement. While mechanical enthusiasts may pine for whirring gears and visible escapements, the choice here is intentional. Quartz serves as an elegant solution for creations designed primarily as jewelled objets d’art: it offers unwavering accuracy and ease, ensuring the aesthetic poetry remains undisturbed by the rituals of winding or setting.
Though specifics on finishing are guarded by the Maison, one can expect exacting touch in the assembly, with careful attention paid to both reliability and longevity, echoing traditional Swiss values. Gold—white, rose, and the rarest shades—forms the most visible shell, yet the full architecture is built upon a foundation of discreet expertise.
A Golden Embrace Infused with Light
Encasing these marvels is a round case, framed by an ensemble of lustrous gold beads, a hallmark of the Perlée aesthetic. Fashioned in both rose and white gold, these cases harmonise with the enamel dial, creating a unified silhouette that glows with feminine grace. Diamonds set into the bezel refract and reflect light, generating a halo that further animates the wrist.
The caseback deserves its own attention, adorned with fine engravings: a ladybird on the Framboise model, a butterfly for Myrtille. The process of shaping these figures is wholly manual, starting with wax-sculpting before using silver prototypes to achieve ultimate fidelity in gold. Specialised jeweller’s tools, some crafted by the artisans themselves, ensure utmost precision and individuality.
Celebrating Femininity and the Magic of Craft
What emerges in the Perlée Extraordinaire Fruits Enchantés watches (Framboise – € 59’500 / Myrtille – € 63’500) is not only a keeper of hours, but a poetic ode to nature: its fruitfulness, its colours, its mythic narratives. The watches pay tribute to those aligned with fresh possibilities and the enduring joy of beauty. At Van Cleef & Arpels, every gesture, every grain of enamel and every carved surface is a celebration not just of technical mastery, but of femininity in all its forms: radiant, inventive, enduring. In wearing these pieces, a lady does not simply adorn her wrist; she partakes in a legacy of artistry, enchanting every moment with the quiet magic rendered by the hands of extraordinary creators.
