The Une Journée à Paris timepiece will be unveiled for the first time at the SIHH on the 19th of January 2009

Fresh from the Une Journée à Paris high jewellery collection, the Une Journée à Paris timepiece is an invitation to stroll through the most emblematic scenes of the city of lights.
To admire dawn in the Jardin des Tuileries.
To catch the perfect light at noon on the Ile de la Cité when the sun shines through the rose window of Notre Dame.
To window shop the haute couture boutiques of the Avenue Montaigne.
To be dazzled by the Eiffel Tower and its dress of shimmering lights.
To dash to the Opera and admire a ballet performance, followed by an evening at Place Vendôme, where the high jewellery creations of the House adorn women in the most precious way since 1906.

Who has not dreamt of following such a wondrous route?

Today, Van Cleef & Arpels, magician of all jeweller-watchmakers, creates a new Poetic Complication, offering this exceptional promenade: the Une Journée à Paris timepiece.
 
Invented by Van Cleef & Arpels, the Poetic Complication unveils a new dimension of High Watchmaking: the discretion of a meticulous complication combined with the virtuoso creativity of the House’s workshops.

United in this sophisticated new creation, they enhance that unique rhythm; the strength of a fleeting moment and the poetic beauty of the passing of time.

A romantic stroll

This watch is a romantic escapade through the city of lights’ most emblematic scenery. Its moving dial causes our imagination to wander from the Tuileries gardens to the île de la Cité, on avenue Montaigne and then to finish at the Opera and Place Vendôme. 
The set onyx disk serves as the background and represents a 24 hour cycle on which are superimposed seven feminine silhouettes and a child who stroll in a carefree and stylish manner, following a seamless rhythm of time that leads us to discover a dreamlike Paris.
Appearing magically from the mother of pearl dial, they emerge in turn and then disappear…only to return 24 hours later.

This latest creation perfectly illustrates the philosophy of the Poetic Complication , imagined by Van Cleef & Arpels : to successfully combine the emotion of spectacular High Jewellery with the meticulous precision of the movement complication expertise.

Poetry of the complication

Adorned with pink gold (according to the model), diamonds, mother of  pearl and onyx, the watch case discreetly contains the complex movement.

All of these adornments pay a modern homage to the city of lights:
The round cut diamonds that circle the dial replicate the sun’s infinite incandescence. The delicate contrast between the pale mother of  pearl and dark onyx echoes the play of shadow and light. The pink gold’s soft hues imitate the changing intensity of the light that bathes the city from morning till night.

The Une Journée à Paris timepiece will be unveiled for the first time at the SIHH on the 19th of January 2009, proof that once again Van Cleef & Arpels transforms the measuring of time into an art de vivre.

The Une Journée à Paris timepiece also exists in white gold.
 

Source: Van Cleef & Arpels