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.