Van Cleef & Arpels has long excelled at transforming nature into jewelry, and with the new Perlée Extraordinaire Fruits Enchantés watches, the Maison pushes this poetic vision into the realm of timekeeping. Two new creations—Myrtille and Framboise—celebrate the ripe abundance of summer berries, captured not in paint or gemstone alone, but in a wholly original art form.
At first glance, each dial of Perlée Extraordinaire Fruits Enchantés is a miniature still life, glowing with the warmth of a late afternoon orchard. The blueberries and raspberries swell with volume thanks to a remarkable innovation: façonné enamel, a technique devised in-house after sixteen months of research. Unlike traditional enameling, this method allows for depth and transparency, giving the fruit a sculptural presence that feels almost tangible. The berries gleam as if just brushed by sunlight, while surrounding leaves, delicately rendered in miniature painting, add a whisper of realism. Beneath it all, textured gold suggests a forest floor, shimmering with subtle light.
Around the dial, the familiar beaded frame of the Perlée collection elevates the case into something more jewel than watch. Yet the true magic lies in the details that reveal themselves slowly. Two fairies, sculpted in rose or white gold, dance across the scene, their diamond-set wings catching the light with every movement. Turn the watch over, and a discreet engraving—ladybug for Framboise, butterfly for Myrtille—adds a private note of whimsy known only to the wearer.
The watchmakers at Van Cleef & Arpels call on an orchestra of artisans to realize these pieces: engravers, enamellers, painters, gem-setters. Each dial of Perlée Extraordinaire Fruits Enchantés can demand nearly 300 hours of work, a level of commitment that places these creations not simply in the category of watchmaking, but within the realm of art.
Though powered by a Swiss quartz movement, the technical mechanics feel almost secondary. These watches are not about precision alone; they are about capturing a fleeting vision of beauty, distilling it into something timeless. On the wrist, the Fruits Enchantés models read less as instruments of time and more as declarations of joy—a secret garden, shimmering and eternal, where every glance offers a reminder that luxury is, at its core, about wonder.
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