Paris has been home to Van Cleef & Arpels since the maison was founded at Place Vendôme in 1906. The city of love and romance is the backdrop for showcasing its Pont des Amoureux collection at the brand's pop-up boutique in Siam Paragon.
Pont des Amoureux refers to a famous pedestrian bridge over the River Seine. A romantic scene with two lovers meeting and kissing on the bridge is animated on the face of the Pont des Amoureux, which was awarded the Ladies' Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2010.
The signature poetic complication illustrates a fantastical vision of time through inventiveness that brings the love story to life.
The dial portrays a young lady holding an umbrella and her beau hiding a rose behind his back. She moves forward progressively to mark the hours, while he crosses his half of the bridge in 60 minutes. In the original they kiss in the soft moonlight. The scene becomes more radiant in a daytime version, Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux Jour, launched in 2019.
The self-winding mechanical movement is fitted with a retrograde module, developed exclusively for the French brand. The Pont des Amoureux watches now have an animation-on-demand module, for the lovebirds to kiss at the press of a button at any time, not only at noon and midnight.
The collection also include bejewelled variations, whose colours and details change to represent the four seasons; and the masculine Midnight Pont des Amoureux with the reworked grisaille enamel scenery, silhouetted by paving stones, roofs, chimneys of Paris. On the case back, an engraving further depicts a nocturnal view of France's capital.
Likewise, the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique transports customers to La Ville Lumière through an immersive installation for exploring the amorous timepieces, until Dec 6.
