Arpels: Just How Realistically Designed Are They Compared To Their Botanical Muses?

Van Cleef & Arpels is a leader in creating jeweled watches shaped like flowers, be these secret watches, one-of-a-kind creations, or small series For me, the Van Cleef & Arpels jeweled creation most closely resembles Paeonia lactiflora James Kelway, which boasts a single or double row of broad petals that are normally white or pale pink with a yellow center Conclusion: Van Cleef & Arpels's artisans have re-created the Paeonia lactiflora James Kelways's white blooms using magnificent gold-and-diamond petals and a yellow center in spessartite garnets.

Is there a more romantic flower than the forget-me-not? Okay, maybe the rose, but that flower as a watch motif is - let's face it - somewhat overused Which makes the 12-millimeter diameter of the Van Cleef & Arpels Myosotis's dial just a bee's whisker larger than the real flower Van Cleef & Arpels's Dandelion secret watch is a beautiful representation of nature's perpetual renewal as evidenced by the metamorphic life of one of these wildflowers, combining the twin motifs of yellow bloom and seed-dispersing Pusteblume.

Each side of the flower depiction reveals a unique element: the yellow gold dandelion bloom set with yellow diamonds can be pivoted to the side to reveal a sunny quartz-powered watch, while the Pusteblume's ethereal diamond sphere contains a trembleuse diamond setting that quivers like the delicate seed disperser in the wind. . Source