Van Cleef Arpels Watches

Founded in Paris in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels, this luxury French firm began as a high jewelry company. Over the years, it evolved, branching into fragrances and eventually watches. Today, under the auspices of the Richemont Group, Van Cleef Arpels has watchmaking facilities in Switzerland and builds highly complex or high-jeweled masterpieces. It is known for its Poetry of Time series of automaton watches, wherein a couple meets on a bridge, and for its Poetic Complications such as a Métiers d’ arts dial with a butterfly whose wings actually tremble.