Poetic Wish by Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels presents Poetic Wish, two exceptional timepieces in which the time is not read but contemplated—told as a story.

The Lady Arpels Poetic Wish and the Midnight Poetic Wish follow on from the Pont des Amoureux, a magical watch launched in 2010 by the Parisian Maison.

Poetic Wish watches are equipped with three automata that display the time through a truly poetic animation, enhanced by a chiming of the hours and the five-minute intervals elapsed.

The crown at two o’clock activates the mechanism, and the watch comes to life in a poetic mise-en-scène. The figure on the left moves forward gradually until it reaches the exact hour. Another automaton, depicting a mother-of-pearl cloud, advances along the same line from the right side of the dial towards the left. Once they have reached their positions, the bells of Notre-Dame de Paris chime to tell the hour. At that moment, a shooting star, on the Midnight Poetic Wish model, or a kite, on the Lady Arpels model, springs into motion to indicate the minutes with a new musical note.

“Just enough time to make a wish, and the three automata gently return to their initial positions,” says Van Cleef & Arpels.

The dial brings together the crafts of engraving, miniature painting, gem-setting, and sculpture in gold and mother-of-pearl. A white-gold Eiffel Tower, mother-of-pearl clouds, the Seine and Notre-Dame de Paris form the scene of the Lady Arpels Poetic Wish. The Midnight Poetic Wish stages a young man atop one of Notre-Dame’s towers, with the Eiffel Tower on the horizon. The two lover-watches are thus linked.

It is not excessive to speak of a masterpiece of haute horlogerie and the métiers d’art.

The movement offers a 60-hour power reserve and a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour. A hole at the centre reveals the hammers.