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Style Edit: Van Cleef & Arpels unveils poetic watchmaking journey in Hong Kong exhibition

STORYSCMP Style Reporter
The Van Cleef & Arpels “Poetry of Time” exhibition, which runs in Hong Kong until February 8, takes visitors behind the scenes to see how the maison’s beautiful watches are created. Photo: Handout
The Van Cleef & Arpels “Poetry of Time” exhibition, which runs in Hong Kong until February 8, takes visitors behind the scenes to see how the maison’s beautiful watches are created. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Running until February 8, ‘Poetry of Time’ blends craftsmanship, storytelling and emotion to showcase the maison’s lyrical approach to watchmaking

For Van Cleef & Arpels, watchmaking has long been a space for narrative as much as precision, and with the recent “Poetry of Time” exhibition in Hong Kong, the maison presents its distinctive approach to horology through an exhibition in Hong Kong open to the public until February 8. Designed as an immersive journey, the show explores how the brand fuses craftsmanship, mechanical ingenuity and storytelling to express a vision of time that is shaped by emotion, imagination and quiet wonder.
The Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition “Poetry of Time” opens with a cabinet of curiosities from the maison’s archives. Photo: Handout
The Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition “Poetry of Time” opens with a cabinet of curiosities from the maison’s archives. Photo: Handout
Rooted in a heritage that began in Paris’ Place Vendôme in 1906, the exhibition unfolds as a sensory journey rather than a traditional showcase of timepieces. Opening with a cabinet of curiosities drawn from Van Cleef & Arpels’ archives, it brings together patrimonial watches, historic documents and early designs that reveal how imagination and technical mastery have always moved in lockstep at the maison.
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These foundational creations set the tone for a philosophy in which time is treated as a carrier of dreams and emotion. “This new journey is an immersion into the singularity of Van Cleef & Arpels watchmaking,” said Catherine Rénier, the brand’s president and CEO. “At the crossroads of savoir faire and expertise, the maison’s creations reflect a distinct philosophy, offering time for emotion and contemplation.”
The intricate craftsmanship behind assembling Van Cleef & Arpels’ exquisite Naissance de l’Amour automaton. Photo: Handout
The intricate craftsmanship behind assembling Van Cleef & Arpels’ exquisite Naissance de l’Amour automaton. Photo: Handout
At the heart of the exhibition lies a central hall dedicated to craftsmanship. Here, visitors encounter workbenches offering a rare glimpse into the métiers d’art and technical disciplines behind Van Cleef & Arpels’ watchmaking. From engraving and enamelling to complex mechanical assembly, the space highlights the quiet precision and patience required to transform ideas into movement – underscoring the fact that every poetic gesture begins with disciplined expertise.
From this core, the exhibition branches into immersive alcoves exploring the maison’s emblematic universes. Love Stories traces a narrative that has shaped Van Cleef & Arpels since its earliest days, inspired by the union of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. Creations such as the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux demonstrate how emotion can be expressed mechanically, using animated movements and nuanced dials to capture fleeting moments of connection.
Flora and fauna echo cycles of transformation, showcasing techniques such as façonné enamel and miniature painting, in the exhibition’s Enchanting Nature section. Photo: Handout
Flora and fauna echo cycles of transformation, showcasing techniques such as façonné enamel and miniature painting, in the exhibition’s Enchanting Nature section. Photo: Handout

Poetic Astronomy turns the gaze skyward, where celestial bodies and planetary rhythms are translated into intricate mechanisms. Among these, the Planétarium automaton epitomises the maison’s quest to unite astronomical precision with poetic imagination.

Nature, another enduring muse, comes to life in Enchanting Nature, where flora and fauna echo cycles of transformation through techniques such as façonné enamel and miniature painting. Ballerinas and Fairies, meanwhile, introduces figures of grace and lightness – iconic symbols that mark time with measured elegance rather than urgency.

Imaginative representations of the sky have been a constant throughout the history of Van Cleef & Arpels, as seen in this Lady Jour Nuit. Photo: Handout
Imaginative representations of the sky have been a constant throughout the history of Van Cleef & Arpels, as seen in this Lady Jour Nuit. Photo: Handout
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