Watch how this Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Automate Flutters its Wings As You Move Your Arm
The Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon automate has been launched after three years of waiting.
Last week, Van Cleef & Arpels has launched one of the greatest watches we’ve ever seen.
The company CEO Nicolas Bos has arrived from Paris, with his entire management team, to present two big new launches for 2017.
Turns out, the company will still be making jewelry that tells the time, as well as pieces driven by mechanical movements.
Two of these themes have been mixed together in one stunning creation, an impressive piece that took almost six years of research and development.
The dazzling piece, which has the Van Cleef & Arpels signature, required a number of craftsmen and technicians from different fields.
They were very secretive with the design and the functionality of the watch and before the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) this January nobody knew anything they weren’t supposed to know.
Lady Arpels Papillon Automate watch was designed with an exclusive automaton module, which lets it captures the fluttering of a butterfly and brings it to life on the dial.
As an iconic house motif, the butterfly has been a recurring theme for Van Cleef & Arpel’s watches and high jewelry pieces alike.
Its automation movement allows the butterfly to move its wings, two to five times in a row as the hours and minutes pass.
This cool movement can be manually operated as well, thanks to a push-button that triggers five beats of the butterfly’s wings.
The flowers are pave diamonds, mother of pearl and enamel, displayed on the dial, with a variety of decorative techniques applied to achieve the beautiful effect.
The butterfly’s wings are adorned with two shades of plique-à-jour enamel, while the Champleve enamel is applied to the flowers for a light blue hue.
The result is a dial that features three-dimensional depth. The transparent sapphire crystal glass case back reveals the painstakingly decorated movement.
Would you want this watch in your home collection?
