Perlée Watch, 23mm

POETRY OF THE HEAVENS

Watches and Wonders 2026

For more than a century, Van Cleef & Arpels has pursued the dream of living in time with the cosmos. Awed by the spectacle of the stars and the heavens, the Maison pays tribute to celestial wonders through creations that express the full scope of its expertise. As of 1929, it designed a pocket watch fitted with a complication showing phases of the Moon. In the 1950s, Van Cleef & Arpels once again turned its gaze to the night sky, especially with the Meteor secret watch.

This year, the Maison is observing the Moon’s subtle variations through a new Poetic Complications timepiece. The hours of Poetic Astronomy tick by in harmony from one time zone to the next, within an elegant setting highlighting the art of enamel. Meanwhile, Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewels that tell time interpret the boundless depth of the sky in rare materials. Finally, the Extraordinary Dials collection welcomes two new watches—legendary tales of love set against a celestial backdrop.

"Watches and Wonders 2026 gives us the opportunity to again showcase our Poetic Complications collection. Born in 2006 with the Lady Arpels Centenaire watch and its Quantième de Saison movement, this assortment instills emotion thanks to the confluence of watchmaking expertise and a narrative vision of passing time. Over the years, these creations have become iconic embodiments of the Poetry of Time dear to Van Cleef & Arpels. This conception is further enriched today with a new and enchanting chapter."

Perlée

The golden beads iconic of the Perlée collection come together in a shimmering circle to create a new watch. This white gold model combines watchmaking savoir-faire and jewelry inspiration to offer a contemporary vision of jewels that tell time.

The creation exhibits a round contour bordered with a double row of golden beads, meticulously polished to bring out their full brilliance. Under the gently convex crystal, the dial reveals a decor in aventurine glass, its midnight blue nuances reflecting the boundless depth of the cosmos. The material features a radiating guilloché aspect, an innovative technique that further enriches the interplay of light. Its intense sparkle adds a vibrancy to the passage of time, measured with solid hands.

The diamond-paved edge of the case mirrors the flange, which also features diamonds selected by the Maison’s expert gemologists based on the highest objective quality standards. A button on the back of the case sets the time while remaining invisible on the wrist. The watch comes with an interchangeable alligator bracelet, as well as a second bracelet to be selected among the different colors in the collection. Easy to fasten and remove, bracelets can be switched out according to the wearer’s fancy.

Murano aventurine glass

Production of aventurine glass in Murano begins with the manufacture of glass, heated to 1,200°C. The presence of mineral ore in a crucible suffuses the glass with a sparkling deep blue color. The crucible must then cool completely before being broken with a hammer. This step in and of itself takes a full month.

The pieces of aventurine glass are then cut to extract thin layers, calling for highly exacting savoir-faire. A particularly rigorous selection process guarantees uniformity in terms of hue and glitter on the disc making up the dial. These challenges go hand in hand with the need to give the glass a guilloché quality, the sunbeam-like striations heightening the overall radiance.