Ever since its origins, Van Cleef & Arpels has celebrated the beauty of fairies in creations that evoke dreams and wonder. Today the Maison is offering a new interpretation of the theme, in the form of the Lady Féerie watch.
A new addition to the Van Cleef & Arpels Féerie timepieces collection, this piece blends watchmaking skills and traditional craftsmanship within a delicately proportioned 33mm case. In a dreamlike scene, a fairy marks the passage of time with her magic wand by the gentle light of the Moon.
Like a protective muse, a fairy in a sapphire and diamond gown watches over Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetry of Time. Her face, depicted by a diamond, forms a dazzling contrast with the bluish tones of the sky, in guilloché mother-of-pearl. The same tones adorn her translucent wings, crafted from a combination of plique-à-jour and grisaille enamel.
Used together by the Maison for the first time on a single motif, the techniques create an interplay of shades and effects of depth on the wings, which are also edged with intricately-set diamonds following the enamelling work. Seated on a cloud of iridescent white mother-of-pearl, this feminine figure points out the minutes with her magic wand; meanwhile, the Moon harbours the passing hours in a window of mother-of-pearl, haloed by a gentle glow. On the back of the watch, the visible oscillating weight is engraved with a full Moon in a star-studded sky.
Watchmaking, jewelry and traditional craft skills have come together to bring this poetic scene to life. The Lady Féerie watch is fitted with a self-winding mechanical movement, with a retrograde minute display and jumping hours. Great precision was required in its design and assembly, to fit this sophisticated movement into a Lady case just 33mm in diameter. The case is embellished with a rounded sapphire glass, maximizing the light that enters and providing a gentle finishing touch to the watch’s silhouette.
Fairies, protective muses of Van Cleef & Arpels
Initiating one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most cherished traditions, the Maison’s first feminine figures were created in the early 1940s, in the form of a precious ballerina and fairy clips. Conceived as symbols of joy and hope, the fairies rapidly won over collectors with their graceful postures and delicate wings. Seemingly ready to soar into the air, they are often endowed with a rose-cut diamond face crowned by a headdress. From 2007 and the first Lady Féerie watch, these ethereal silhouettes have accompanied the passing hours, like the guardians of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetry of Time.
Poetic Complications collection
The Poetry of Time
Ever faithful to a poetic view of life, Van Cleef & Arpels instils a distinctive dimension into the art of watchmaking: that of dreams and emotions. A blend of inventiveness and fantasy, the Maison’s creations interpret the measurement of time as an invitation to imagine, wander and revel in happiness.
The Maison draws from its history and emblematic sources of inspiration to depict the poetry of each instant. New tales of love and luck join creations evoking Van Cleef & Arpels’ heritage. Fairies and ballerinas tick away the hours, while the rhythm of nature meets that of the cosmos. In line with the various watch collections, each piece relates a moment of grace and enchantment.
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Féerie watch Technical Specifications
Reference VCARO8ZD00
Details
- Poetic Complications Collection,
- Lady Féerie Watch. 33 mm white gold case, round diamonds; white gold bezel, round diamonds;
- guilloché mother-of-pearl dial, round diamonds;
- sculpted white gold fairy, round sapphires, round and rose-cut diamonds, miniature painting;
- white gold wings, grisaille enamel on plique-à-jour enamel, round diamonds; white mother-of-pearl clouds, white gold;
- white gold crown, round diamond;
- interchangeable shiny white alligator strap;
- interchangeable white pin buckle, round diamonds; DEF, IF to VVS diamonds;
- self-winding mechanical movement (Valfleurier Q020) with jumping hours and retrograde minutes developed exclusively for Van Cleef & Arpels,
- 36-hour power reserve;
- numbered edition.
- Watch sold with two interchangeable straps and one interchangeable pin buckle set with diamonds.
Movement
- Automatic mechanical movement (Valfleurier Q020) with a jumping hour and retrograde minutes module,
- developed exclusively for Van Cleef & Arpels,
- 36-hour power reserve.
Stone
- STONE: Diamond: 364 stones, 4.73 carats
- STONE: Mother-of-pearl: 2 stones
- STONE: Sapphire: 12 stones, 0.01 carat
Case
- Dimension: 33 mm
- Water Resistance: 3 ATM
Bracelet & Buckle
- Material: Alligator (White) self interchangeable
- Buckle Type: Ardillon buckle
