Van Cleef & Arpels: The Solar System on Your Wrist

Van Cleef & Arpels

The Solar System on Your Wrist

Unveiled at SIHH 2014, Van Cleef & Arpels' new creation is a fantastical astronomical watch that will captivate not only astronomy enthusiasts but anyone with a sense of wonder.

Text by SHIBUYA Yasuhito

The Gentle Flow of Cosmic Time

Mechanical clocks, born in the 14th century, were originally designed to replicate the movements of the cosmos and to demonstrate the church's understanding and embodiment of the world's order. Consequently, many prominent European churches, such as the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg in France—a masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic architecture—feature astronomical clocks that reproduce the movements of celestial bodies.

As a premier jeweler and watchmaker, Van Cleef & Arpels continues its creative journey under the theme of "Poetic Complications." The "Poetic Astronomy" collection emerges as a continuation of this tradition and aesthetic, rooted in the history of astronomical clocks since the Middle Ages.

The "Midnight Planetarium," presented by Van Cleef & Arpels at SIHH, stands as the pinnacle of their 2014 novelties—a stunning astronomical complication watch. Against a dial of deep, shimmering blue, reminiscent of the aventurine glass cosmos, six celestial bodies—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—crafted from hard stones, orbit a three-dimensional sun motif at their true orbital speeds.

Saturn, the outermost planet depicted, takes over 29 years to complete one revolution around the dial. This celestial dance of the solar system, transcending the hurried pace of daily life, offers a glimpse into the gentle flow of cosmic time.

Daily time is indicated, much like a single-hand watch, by the position of a shooting star motif that completes one rotation of the dial in 24 hours. Furthermore, on the turquoise-crafted Earth's orbit, a frame named the "Lucky Star" can be set using the calendar display on the outermost edge of the dial. On a chosen anniversary, when the Earth enters this frame, it signifies a special day.

True to its name, the Planetarium allows the wearer to view the celestial arrangement for any given date by setting the date on the case back. A new masterpiece of fantastical astronomical watchmaking has been born, one that is sure to captivate not only astronomy aficionados but anyone with a sense of wonder.