Sameera Gamage 
A love story told through time, brought to life with every passing hour. Van Cleef & Arpels captures the magic of a midnight kiss on the Pont des Arts.
There are very few brands in the world of horology that can weave a story as beautifully as Van Cleef & Arpels. Known for their Poetic Complications collection, Van Cleef & Arpels brings romance and imagination to life through the exceptional craftsmanship and enchanting mechanical artistry of these timepieces.
During Watches & Wonders 2025, Van Cleef & Arpels released several timepeices that celebrate love as part of the brand’s various collections, which include the Ruban Mystérieux watch for the High Jewellery collection, new additions to the Extraordinary Objects and Cadenas collections, as well as several new models for their Poetic Collection. One of these latest additions to the Poetic collection is the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate. Through this timepiece, the brand continues a love story that began in Paris, where a young girl once wandered the City of Light in the watch, “Une Journée à Paris.”
The story goes that, now grown, the girl has become a woman, now deeply in love with a young man who invites her to a midnight rendezvous on the Pont des Arts. The dial of the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate captures this intimate moment as the two lovers lean in for a kiss at both noon and midnight, with this animation brought to life through a beautifully orchestrated automation movement. And for those moments when love can’t wait, the animation can also be activated on demand with the push of a button.
Case Design
Van Cleef & Arpels presents the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate in a 38mm rhodium-plated 18k white gold case, which features a delicate bezel that is set with brilliant-cut round diamonds. The crown and lugs also feature diamonds, which gives the timepiece a “full-circle” sparkle. The side profile of the case comes beautifully polished, which complements the sparkle of the diamonds nicely, adding to the elegance and luxury of this stunning timepiece.
Dial Design
Staying true to Van Cleef & Arpels’ romantic and poetic designs, the dial of the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate is an artistic masterpiece made from grisaille and coloured grisaille enamel. Grisaille is an ancient enameling technique that is monochromatic three-dimensional designs, created using a black enamel as a base and then applying either white or light-coloured paint to get different shades and contrast.
In the case of the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, the grisaille technique is used to create the beautiful background, which takes inspiration from “a charming setting reminiscent of the Parisian guinguettes of the 19th century, an open-air dance café typical of Paris’s surrounding areas”. The various shading of the clouds, cafe and surrounding building against the black enamel background give the dial depth and a three-dimensional effect, as if this is a scene straight from a movie!
Movement
The movement powering the poetic movement of the two lovers is a mechanical self-winding calibre that features a double retrograde function and an automaton mechanism which allows the two to move in harmony towards each other. The movement also allows the wearer to activate the animation instantly, which is otherwise reserved for when the time hits 12 o’clock (noon and midnight). The slider to activate the instant animation is on the left-hand side of the case. The movement also comes with a decent power reserve of 36 hours.
On the case back, there is a beautifully engraved image of the two lovers dancing through the streets of Paris at night, surrounded by buildings similar to the ones on the dial, with a backdrop that is filled with stars and a crescent moon. This image, unlike the dial, however, is presented in grayscale.
Initial Thoughts
When Van Cleef & Arpels set out to create these exceptional timepieces, they don’t merely create it just to portray the beautiful imagery and the incredible skills of their artisans. They create timepeices that tell a story, one where it’s like a scene from a dream. There’s a warmth and charm to the animation that evokes a childlike wonder, however, the timepiece is built with a level of artistry and craftsmanship that speaks to serious haute horlogerie collectors.
Van Cleef & Arpels continues to blend emotion with mechanical brilliance in a way that few others dare attempt. With its latest creation, the maison shows us once again that time isn’t just something to measure; it’s something to feel. And sometimes, when the stars finally align, to fall in love with!
Specification: Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate (VCARPERV00)
- Dimensions: 38mm – rhodium-plated 18K white gold case with brilliant-cut round diamonds (122 stones, 2.82 carats on entire watch)
- Dial: Rhodium-plated 18K white gold dial, grisaille enamel and colored grisaille enamel
- Movement: Mechanical automatic movement (unspecified)
- Movement Power reserve: Approx. 36 hours
- Water resistance: 30m (3 Bar)
- Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
- Case back: Grayscale decoration of Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate love story
- Bracelet/Strap: Shiny alligator, square scale (Parisian Sky Blue), self-interchangeable with ardillon buckle
