Cover Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate
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Van Cleef & Arpels continues its tradition of poetic storytelling with the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, a captivating expression of love
Under a soft moonlit sky, two lovers meet at a guinguette—a traditional French open-air dance hall and café often found in the Parisian suburbs—for a midnight rendezvous. It’s a dreamy scene almost straight out of the movies, yet it comes vividly to life in Van Cleef & Arpels’s new Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate. Unveiled at Watches and Wonders Geneva this April, the timepiece is the latest chapter in the maison’s unique Poetic Complications collection, where watchmaking artistry is seamlessly woven with the beauty of romance and storytelling.
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Above On the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, two lovers share a kiss at a Parisian guinguette
On the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, two lovers share a kiss at a Parisian guinguette
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As with every Poetic Complication, it is the story that leads, and the maison’s watchmaking expertise serves to bring the narrative to life. In the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, Van Cleef & Arpels continues the enchanting tale of its two lovers, first introduced in the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux watches, where a couple meets for a kiss on a Parisian bridge. This time, their rendezvous unfolds in the soft glow of a guinguette, capturing a new chapter of romance.
The scene, set on the dial housed within a 38mm white gold case, evokes the distinctive charm of these open-air cafés—where music drifts through lantern-lit evenings and couples dance on cobblestone floors. Here, beneath strings of glowing lights, the lovers move toward one another once again, now not on a bridge but on a dance floor—perhaps a little older, perhaps a little wiser, but no less enchanted.
Above Grisaille enamel on the dial
Grisaille enamel on the dial
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The watch’s dial becomes a miniature theatre. Five distinct levels of depth create a richly layered stage, hand-crafted by the maison’s artisans using grisaille enamel. Developed in France in the 16th century, the enamelling technique is used to evoke chiaroscuro—the play and contrast of light and shadow—with exceptional nuance. To create the midnight setting, craftsmen first applied two layers of blanc de Limoges, a fine white enamel powder, onto a dark blue background. This traditional grisaille approach accentuates the depth and contrast of the scene, highlighting its sculptural details. The composition is then further enhanced with coloured grisaille enamel, where subtle variations of blue are layered to build atmospheric richness. Warm touches of yellow are delicately added to suggest the soft glow of lantern light, imbuing the entire dial with a dreamlike luminosity.
This painstaking process demands time and extraordinary precision. Each dial requires approximately 40 hours of work and a dozen kiln firings to achieve the desired effect. The result is a painterly tableau that captures not just a scene, but a mood of intimacy, nostalgia, and timeless romance.
Above The Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch in 38mm white gold set with diamonds is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement equipped with a double retrograde, automaton and on-demand animation mechanism
The Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch in 38mm white gold set with diamonds is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement equipped with a double retrograde, automaton and on-demand animation mechanism
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This intimate encounter is powered by an all-new automaton movement, developed over four years by Van Cleef & Arpels’s watchmakers in Geneva. At noon and midnight, the scene plays out with finesse: the lovers approach each other, lean in while their linked arms lower, and kiss under the lights—before resetting to await their next meeting. This animation can also be activated on demand by a discreet pusher on the case. The complexity of the mechanism is cleverly hidden beneath the dial’s décor, allowing the poetry of the tender moment to take centre stage.
The time is displayed via a double retrograde system—a hallmark of the Pont des Amoureux lineage—where hours and minutes are indicated with two golden stars that fit in seamlessly with the romantic nighttime scene. This thoughtful design ensures that the timekeeping function supports, rather than distracts from, the central narrative.
Yet what truly elevates the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate is not only its mechanical ingenuity, but the emotional resonance it carries. In an industry often dominated by performance and precision, Van Cleef & Arpels offers a different vision: one where love is timeless, and the passing of hours is marked not by urgency, but by beauty and meaning.
Credits
Images: Van Cleef & Arpels
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Annabel Tan is the Editor of Watches and Jewellery at Tatler Singapore, where she covers all things luxury timepieces and fine jewellery across both print and digital platforms. She is also the Editor of Tatler GMT Singapore, a role that deepens her fascination with the ever-evolving world of watchmaking. Outside of work, she’s usually on the hunt for her next favourite watch that she can’t afford, planning her next beach getaway, or catching up on the latest Formula 1 race.
