Poetic Wish
Their wishes may have met. What did they say to each other'
That is up to our imagination...
This is the magic of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetry of TimeTM: creating watches that are full of emotion, that tell a story and invite us into a dreamlike world. They also offer the chance for the wearer or the giver of these remarkable timepieces to listen to his or her heart’s desire and make a wish, no matter how secret.
Midnight Poetic Wish timepiece
A young man is standing at the top of the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral. It is dusk and the last rays of sunshine light up the stained-glass windows of the cathedral. The young man slowly steps out onto the terrace of the tower to the rhythm of Notre-Dame’s ringing bells.
The scene is animated on demand and a diamond shooting star appears. The star is the messenger of the young man’s wish, carrying it towards the Eiffel Tower, minute by minute, note by note.
The watch case is in white gold. The bracelet is made of two materials: alligator “Clair de lune” skin and calf suede.
Each of these precious timepieces has required hundreds of hours of work to complete. On their dial, the technical prowess of the master watchmakers is enhanced by the virtuosity of the artistic craftsmanship: the sculptors, painters and jewellers.
Extraordinary DialsTM are at the foundation of Van Cleef & Arpels' Poetry of TimeTM. The extremely precise skills of the craftsmen who work with the most precious materials accentuate the exquisite detail and refinement of the timepieces. Rising to the challenge set by the master watchmakers, the Mains d’Or (golden hands) - artisans for whom nothing is impossible - practise their art on the dials to create miniature masterpieces.
The movement
Changing the representation of passing time...
The Poetic ComplicationsTM, created in 2006 by the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, are inspired by a unique idea: how to take the measure of time while telling a story.
The two Poetic Wish watches are time-keeping masterpieces. With them, the Maison once again pushes the limits of technical prowess. Each watch features three integrated automatons. As is the case for all of the Van Cleef & Arpels Poetic ComplicationsTM, in addition to their ornamental function, they show the hours and the minutes.
The Poetic Wish movement indicates the hour and the minutes thanks to a “poetic animation” and a 5-minute repeater mechanism: striking the hours and then the number of 5-minute periods since the hour. The action of the hammers for the repeater strikes the bells situated behind the crystal case back.
The crown, located at 2 o’clock, triggers the animation:
On the left side of the Midnight Poetic Wish tiemepiece’s dial, a young man, standing on one of the terraces of Notre-Dame Cathedral towers, steps slowly towards the centre of the watch to indicate the exact hour. A second automaton, a mother-of-pearl cloud, moves horizontally towards him. When the two meet, the bells of the cathedral ring out to strike the hour. A diamond shooting star then appears from behind the cloud and flies across the sky to indicate the minutes, to the rhythm of the musical chiming of the bells.
The three automatons resume their initial positions just in time to make a wish.
The 5-minute repeater mechanism uses a low tone for the hours and a high tone for the minutes. These watches offer a double indication of the time. A transparent crystal case back reveals the movement, the hammers, the bells and two display dials: one indicates the hours and minutes; the other is for the seconds. Each watch is equipped with a patented, mechanical 21 600 Ah movement featuring a central opening for the hammers.
The movement has a 60 hours power reserve.
A Precious Box
Each Poetic Wish timepiece is presented in its own extraordinary cabinet made of precious woods and mother-of-pearl inlay. The boxes tell the story of the Poetic Wish watches and, when they are put together, the young lovers are reunited. The cabinet’s interiors have been conceived following the tradition of stringed-instrument makers so as to enhance the sound of the Poetic ComplicationsTM.
The watch, placed in its customised box, becomes a collector’s piece.