Tell us about the brand DNA.
Van Cleef & Arpels was built on a love story. Towards the end of the 19th century, Estelle Arpels – the daughter of a dealer in precious stones – met Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a stone-cutter. It was the beginning of a love story and a great adventure beyond expectation. In 1895, they were married. Over the years that followed, they succeeded in making Van Cleef & Arpels synonymous with the most exquisite jewellery in the world.
What goes into making a timeless Van Cleef & Arpels creation?
Ever since its beginnings in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has embodied the brilliance of jewellery savoir-faire. Inspired by constant inventiveness, the Maison’s excellence has given birth to iconic creations and exceptional techniques: Mystery Set™, Zip necklaces, Poetic Complications® watches. From the outset, the story of Van Cleef & Arpels has been punctuated by historic stones and legendary jewels.
Skills are passed on from generation to generation, and complimented by the most modern techniques to give birth to exquisite creations.
What do you think the customers are looking for nowadays and who is your customer?
The Van Cleef & Arpels client is an admirer of beauty. I believe that the clients should choose a creation that they can relate and feel close to. Each creation by Van Cleef & Arpels tells a story, whether it is about love, happiness, nature, or luck: cherished sources of inspirations of the Maison.
Tell us more about the novelties that were presented this year, and what caught your attention at SIHH. Did you feel there were a lot of new offerings or it was just about enhancements of existing products?
“The SIHH 2015 celebrated the reappearance of one of the Maison’s icons: the Cadenas® watch. It is sentimental, bold, timeless and feminine – a jewel that tells the time. First created in 1935, it has been today magnified and, on occasion, adorned with white diamonds of the best quality. Alligator straps and gold bracelets inaugurate new horizons.
Underscoring the Poetry of Time™ philosophy, the Maison enriches its Enchanted Nature(TM) with:
3 Charms Extraordinaires timepieces evoking the flowers’ language and different steps of the love story.
Faithfull to high jewellery identity, the Maison also presented High Jewellery timepieces among which the À Cheval watch, that celebrates the savoir-faire and quest for stones that express an emotion.
What do you think are the difficulties that the luxury watch manufacturing is facing today and what are you doing to overcome them?
One of the main challenges the industry is facing is to remain faithful to the Maison’s identity while the level of competition is getting faster than ever. To have the ability to handle both technique and technical skills represent also one of the challenges.
At Van Cleef & Arpels, our Poetry of Time™ illustrates, more than just being the fastest or the most technical, the Maison’s desire to respect the Métiers d’art and the excellence of our know-how which requires time.
Tell us about your latest collection of high jewellery, seven seas treasures.
In this collection, the wonders of the aquatic world are idealized: sea horses, mermaids and imaginary worlds. Sea creatures have long had a fundamental presence in many collections, for example, Les Voyages Extraordinaires.
Like all aspects of life’s journey, the sea is forever-changing. The constantly moving waves and the grace of the sea’s denizens inspire the new collection of High Jewellery: Seven Seas.
An emblem of the collection is the Pangée set of the Atlantic & Indian Oceans – in white gold, round and pear shaped diamonds. Pangea (Pangée – in French) was a single continent that separated 200 millions of years ago, creating the seven seas.
The necklace draws upon the inspiration of the Océan Tiara/necklace, which was created for H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco as a wedding gift from H.S.H. Prince Albert II. A tribute to H.S.H. Princess Charlene’s passion for the sea, the Maison created the Tiara – which is transformable into a necklace – to symbolize the delicate waves of the mysterious oceans.
How would you describe the brand in 3 words?
Expertise, poetry , enchantement.
Your personal motto?
Refuse to compromise.
Interviewed by Lara Mansour Sawaya
