The Lady Arpels Extraordinary Hummingbirds Series consists in five watches named as Berylline, Ruby-Throated, Violet-Crowned, Blue-Throated and Calliope. They are designed to pay tribute to the lovely Hummingbirds, expert players in aerial acrobatics. Look at the beatiful dials, we are allowed to appreciate several vivid images in which those lovely birds take in nectar and pollen from flowers with their long and curved beak. As the perfect combination of gem stone mosaic, cloisonne and “stained-glass” by master enameller Dominique Baron, the Lady Arpels Extraordinary Hummingbirds Series catches our love in the world of bird and blossom.

Move our imagination from the beautiful nature to the origin of the universe. The Midnight Jour Nuit watch tells us a story about light and darkness. Since their separation after the initial creation of universe, light and darkness have both lost their sacred nature. So in order to recapture the lost glory, darkness has been chasing light since the eternal separation. As darkness and light will never appear at the same time, the sun and the moon won’t be grouped together. But the Midnight Jour Nuit watch have realised darkness’s wish by putting the sun and the moon together in the same sky. Coupled with the moon outlined with platinum and diamonds, the sun depicted by gold or yellow sapphire seems like having melted among the stars. It is a perfect interpretation of eternity.

Waking from the romantic story of darkness and light, we step into the new age of modern technology. As a exceptional embodiment of distinguished discretion and seductive style, the Midnight Tourbillon Nacre watch astonishes us with its white mother-of-pearl dial and hand-made volume on the surface. I must say the volume is amazing, a admirable fusion of aesthetics and sophisticated craftsmanship. It depicts the unique and magical light of dawn, when the sun’s rays softly light up the trees in the early morning. The mechanical tourbillon movement resembles the column of Place Vendôme, as seen through the dial opening. This exquisite watch is limited to 100 pieces. In fact, all the Van Cleef & Arpels novelties are launched as strictly limited editions.

Specifications:

Lady Arpels Extraordinary Hummingbirds Series

Platinum watch case inlaid with round diamonds, diameter of 38mm
Three-dimensional enamel dial
Engraving of brand name Van Cleef & Arpels on the side
Engravings on the watch band
Crocodile leather watch strap
Platinum watch buckle inlaid with diamonds
830P mechanical movement
A limited quantity of 8 pieces for each design

Midnight Jour Nuit Watch

Platinum watch case inlaid with round diamonds, diameter of 41mm
Aventurines dial with gold sun and platinum moon or yellow sapphire sun and diamond moon, with platinum stars
Meteorite trim
Crocodile leather watch band
Platinum or platinum and diamond buckle
800P automatic movement
A limited quantity of 100 pieces

Midnight Tourbillon Nacre

Platinum/platinum inset with round diamonds watch case, diameter of 42mm
White mother of pearl dial
Crocodile leather watch band
Platinum/platinum inlaid with diamonds buckle
Mechanical Tourbillon movement
A limited quantity of 100 pieces

Van Cleef & Arpels has been inspired by the wonderful scenery in Japan. This is all the more reason to create a series of watches to embody both oriental foundation and western color. Marvels have always appeared in the coordinations between different cultures. And this time is no exception. The brand has invited the Japanese lacquer artwork master Hakose San to create the marvelous dials with his incredible skills. Integrated with the relatively closed beauty of the Midnight watch case and the meticulous handicraft of painted lacquer, the five different dial creations stem from the traditional scenery, including the sakur (cherry blossom) and ryusui (running water). Moreover, the brief bezel in platinum sets off the colorful dial and boosts the beauty.

Coincidentally, the Midnight Extraordinary Landscapes Series also takes the inspiration from the beautiful scenery, only this time the place changes to California. From splendid canyon to rushing waterfall, from mysterious caves to prodigious mountains, the dials of the five watches in the Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Extraordinary Landscapes Series vividly depict the famous and beautiful scenery of California and express the vulnerability and tenacity of the wild nature. It is admirable and full of visual appeal. The watches are named after the fascinating sceneries – Big Spring, Apache Terraces, Turquoise Canyon, Granite Peak and White Creek, all wonderfully demonstrating the beauty in the sun of the western coast. Only 8 pieces are made available for each design.

The vintage watch manufacturer Van Cleef & Arpels has recently introduced some exceptional novelties for the new year. Those new watches are more complex in artistry than in horology. Each of them highlights an artistic dial design, symboling an original story, a true emotion, a sincere compliment and a big love in nature. Among them, the brightest and most exquisite is definitely the Lady Arpels Extraordinary Butterfly series.

There are five watches in the Lady Arpels Extraordinary Butterfly series, each of which presents a work of art. Combining enamel technique with mother of pearl setting and gold engraving, the butterfly watches has for the first time applied the “stained-glass” enamelling technique by master enameller Dominique Baron, in order to simulate and depict the movements of butterflies on a 3D dial. As you can see in the images, the dial creations are really amazing.

The case style follows the design which was created by Pierre Arpels for the well-known PA 49 timepiece in 1949. The watch case in white gold is decorated with round diamonds, measuring 38mm in diameter. On the case side is the engraving of brand name Van Cleef & Arpels. On the case back, we can find some excellent carvings. The two-hand watch is completed with a crocodile leather watch strap, coupled with a white gold watch buckle inlaid with shining diamonds. Inside the watch is a Caliber 830P automatic mechanical movements, ensuring high precision and reliability.

The five watches of the Lady Arpels Extraordinary Butterfly Series are named as Parvana, Vanessa, Euthalie, Kimama and Caligo, representing the inspiring butterflies from various cultures. Each design of the collection is limited to 8 piece available. Prices are not sure but will definitely not be set at a low level.