ISSUE 58
In recent Issues, QP has devoted plenty of space to the resurgence of ambition on British watchmaking and QP58 is no exception as we recount the debut of M [...]
In recent Issues, QP has devoted plenty of space to the resurgence of ambition on British watchmaking and QP58 is no exception as we recount the debut of M [...]
The youngest of the Arpels brother, Pierre – born in 1914 – went on to have the biggest influence on Van Cleef & Arpels’ design and creative process. By the time he was 35-years-old, he was already wearing a watch that he had developed exclusively for himself, soon giving in to demand to put the design into limited production.
The piece itself was effortlessly chic – an ultra-thin, round case, white dial and simple Roman numerals. The watch was the perfect accessory for the discreet and elegant socialite that its inventor had become and, when it went into serial production there was really only one name that it could be given: The Pierre Arpels.
In 2012 the Maison launched a contemporary version of the watch, which has now been joined by a model with handmade pink- or white-gold Milanese bracelet. And, while the visual effect is everything one would expect from a jewellery house of the standing of Van Cleef & Arpels, the movement inside the piece is equally impressive – the manual wind 830P, made by the master of super-slim, Piaget.
Further information: www.vancleefarpels.com
