mediately became classics, adored by long-time and recent Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée enthusiasts. Aficionados recognized the spherical shapes and highly polished surfaces of mid-20th-century house collections, like Couscous or Bagatelle, or even the delightful La Boutique animal clips, dating from 1954 and later, which included animals as charming lambs were brought to life by touchable, articulated gold beads. As for new customers, many have adopted Perlée necklaces, bracelets or earrings, seduced by the sensual and sparkling round shapes that are both traditional and modern. The mix of old and new is deliberate. “The roundness of the gold pearls gives the collection a real touch of modernity, amplified by the shine of the polishing”, specifies the house about Perlée.
This year, Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée is continuing its evolution with creations based on dazzling colored stones and, more particularly, five new watches that take up the sovereign characteristics of the collection: fluidity, playfulness, elegance, femininity and, of course, of course, modern classicism. All in yellow gold — four mignons 23 mm in diameter, one 34 mm — they feature a bezel with a double row of gold pearls, to enhance the brilliance of the famous mirror polish, and they create a marvelous play of light. finished off with a sunburst guilloché gold dial. The aesthetic research also applies to the mechanics: the traditional crown is replaced by a push-button on the back of the case, which allows a continuous line of gold pearls around the middle. The watches are presented on interchangeable grosgrain bracelets in elegant white, purple or black colors, or on the bracelet of yellow gold pearls which will undoubtedly be the most coveted, for its suppleness and the sensation of a second skin. he provides.
At Van Cleef & Arpels, secret watches are a mainstay. The Perlée collection welcomes three new ones that give it a retro, colorful and graphic touch, from the 1960s, thanks to a 360-degree swivel system. Van Cleef’s talent for combining charm and sophistication is evident in the “You and Me” concept. The warm red carnelian is juxtaposed with the black pietersite, a stone introduced this year in the Perlée collection, to which multiple streaks bring depth and emotion. The other two watches catch the eye via divine turquoises, one accompanied by classic diamonds and yellow gold, the other counterbalanced by ecological coral in a temperate orange. The secret watches mounted on superb bracelets of gold pearls give a fine example of the marriage of jewelry and watchmaking: the bracelets are made in the French workshops of the house; the dials and movements are assembled in its watchmaking workshops in Geneva.
For watch enthusiasts, Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée is synonymous with complicated yet poetic, delightful and surprising creations — especially this year with the incredible automatons and animated watches presented at Watches & Wonders. The new Perlée watches — sensual, playful, refined and authentic jewels — remind us that Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewelery expertise is as powerful, clear and distinctive as its horological genius.
