For greater than 10 years, Van Cleef & Arpels wowed the world with its quirky takes on time, typically powered by progressive actions developed by such luminaries as Christiaan van der Klaauw, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and François Junod. As marvellous as these names may sound to observe fanatics, their collaborations with Van Cleef & Arpels are merely marvels. In different phrases, Van Cleef & Arpels — on the apotheosis of its watchmaking — has succeeded in transcending timekeeping itself. It’s a declare made loudly and boldly by a variety of manufacturers, some unconvincingly, however Van Cleef & Arpels delivers.
The motivation is simple sufficient to know — the model wants its haute horlogerie creations to be on the identical stage as its haute joaillerie ones. Jewelry manufacturers do have the benefit of unfettered creativity, however this solely goes to this point in explaining the weird success of Van Cleef & Arpels. Its watches are definitely the topic {of professional} admiration, however they’re additionally wildly in style. Tellingly, there are quite a lot of watchmaker-jeweller manufacturers that merely can not declare top-shelf standing in each trades.
On the event of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetry of Time exhibition in Marina Bay Sands, we took the chance to seize some face-time with Southeast Asia and Australia Managing Director Hugues de Pins about this. Fortunately, he’s based mostly in Singapore so we may really meet in individual, but it surely was removed from a certain factor because the organisation of the general public exhibition was carried out within the looming shadow of Covid-19, and the unfold of the Omicron variant. “It’s a totally immersive expertise,” mentioned de Pins of the exhibition. “It’s not like being in a museum as a result of you possibly can work together with our specialists, some from Geneva and Paris; there are even actions for the children. It was an enormous query mark, whether or not the protection restrictions would permit us to do it.” Fortuitously the Poetry of Time exhibition went off, and may need launched a brand new era to the wonders of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Poetry of Time exhibition highlights many hyperlinks between the worlds of jewelry and watchmaking at Van Cleef & Arpels. What’s an instance of a watch inspiring a jewelry assortment or piece?
There’s numerous similarities between the jewelry or excessive jewelry collections and the watch collections. The watch assortment is a continuation of our jewelry assortment. We contemplate our watches as nothing completely different to our jewelry — the watches are literally jewelry, within the sense that they inform tales. It goes past simply telling the time. (As for watches influencing the jewelry), I believe you may have seen (within the exhibition) secret watches within the excessive jewelry collections, they usually impressed a few of these collections, whether or not they’re hidden within the pompom (or the pendant) on the finish of an extended necklace or on the wrist as a part of a bracelet.
Within the present assortment, we lately launched the Alhambra watch pendant, and you recognize after all that the Alhambra already existed as a wristwatch. Now we select to precise the watch as a pendant and subsequently as a chunk of jewelry.
Stunning objects must be seen in actual life to be correctly appreciated. How do you method this, on condition that lots of Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations usually are not out there to easily strive on?
I believe we are able to solely do that by educating our purchasers on the exclusivity (facet) as a result of, like another jewellers and watchmakers, now we have very restricted manufacturing on sure references — they usually may even be distinctive. That is one thing watch collectors particularly admire, and it’s a part of a dream, in a means — to someday get to see and check out on the watch (after which maybe proudly owning it). Promoting goals is what we do. Van Cleef & Arpels isn’t about mass manufacturing, in any case… we don’t goal to extend our amount sky-high.
And this exclusivity isn’t a advertising and marketing trick. It’s associated to the sources required to provide the watches (and jewelry too) in Europe. Take the instance of the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux (in any other case often called the Lovers on the Bridge) watch, which has develop into an icon during the last 10 years and impressed the decor of the exhibition, by the best way. We’re not capable of make greater than 200 items a yr, for the entire world. And they’re all offered out; we may promote way more than 200 a yr.
I’m shocked to listen to which you can really full that many in a single yr!
Precisely, me too! You realize, it took us 10 years to have the ability to ship 200 items a yr worldwide. This instance exhibits that we stand on high quality (not on growing manufacturing to maximise numbers). For Van Cleef & Arpels, it’s also the case that we want watchmakers and jewellers to work collectively on our creations, so we’re restricted in that sense too. level.
The intricacies of one thing just like the Pont des Amoureux or the Ballerine Musicale watches actually come to life when you possibly can see them, as you possibly can on this exhibition, and listen to from the individuals who labored on them. How do you deal with the problem of explaining the Poetic Problems, which is a signature of Van Cleef & Arpels?
We’re very captivated with our creations at Van Cleef & Arpels. I believe (all of us who work at Van Cleef & Arpels) endorse its values, and that in some way we’re the primary ambassadors (for the model). It’s as much as us to share the craftsmanship tales, from the standard of the gems to the inspiration behind (any given watch or merchandise of jewelry) and the design components of latest watches from our inventive groups. So, to elucidate Poetic Problems takes numerous information; we must be true specialists in what we promote (throughout our organisation).
In fact, we even have to know our purchasers as a result of poetry is good however they need to be reassured about value-for-money. Clearly, most of our creations are uncommon and costly items… we aren’t simply poets promoting poetry you recognize!
After which I believe we add the tales of the maison to it… Perhaps additionally in a means we add poetic language, with sure vocabulary, with a sure perspective, which can be completely different from our rivals. This resonates very strongly for some purchasers. Typically talking, Van Cleef & Arpels shares a constructive imaginative and prescient of life which is highlighted in each creation and in addition in its communications (of all sorts). That is, maybe, what many purchasers are searching for, particularly lately.
Talking of which, there appears to be a powerful urge for food for extraordinary watches and jewelry proper now. What do you attribute this to, and what do you assume accounts for Van Cleef & Arpels’ success within the final 5 years or so?
I believe now we have to return to the imaginative and prescient of Van Cleef & Arpels, by way of watchmaking, as a result of it is rather completely different from our rivals. Our watches inform tales greater than they inform time, as I mentioned earlier. They belong to the extraordinary objects class, which has existed in our historical past since 1906, the yr the corporate was based. Van Cleef & Arpels at all times created excessive jewelry and extraordinary objects. And what belongs to that second class after all, generally belongs to the primary class as properly.
So the success of Van Cleef & Arpels is perhaps as a consequence of this very completely different method…Our watches promote at a a lot increased worth level to Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne, to call simply two examples, which is perhaps shocking (to those that have no idea Van Cleef & Arpels properly). That is due to the exclusivity that I discussed earlier and the truth that our watches are created to be extraordinary objects, that may even be excessive jewelry.
To return to Poetic Problems, this can be a idea that we created that corresponds very properly to this imaginative and prescient (of watches as extraordinary objects). Shoppers don’t purchase a Van Cleef & Arpels watch for a similar motive as they purchase a watch from A. Lange & Söhne. (Within the second case), you need precision and excessive efficiency, complexity within the mechanical motion, and wonderful timekeeping after all. You don’t purchase a Van Cleef & Arpels for these causes, you recognize, since you can not learn the time (exactly) in lots of our watches!
Sure there is no such thing as a second hand on the Pont des Amoureux watch!
Precisely! Studying the time is secondary, and generally it isn’t actually the purpose in any respect. Your Van Cleef & Arpels watch is a narrative that you simply inform to your self, to your folks and to your loved ones. The success of our watches is due to this, and the differentiation (between Van Cleef & Arpels and different watchmakers) that I discussed. It’s also due to the rising popularity of our maison, as you mentioned, which I insist is a excessive jewelry maison. That is really a great factor whenever you make watches as a result of you must be as much as the requirements of excessive jewelry in every part you do, together with watches.
Given that you simply take care of fairly a variety of completely different markets, from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to New Zealand and Australia, inform us about how these markets understand Van Cleef & Arpels in a different way, if in any respect.
In Singapore between the watch shops, the watch media like WOW, and the watch neighborhood, the scene is second to none in Asia. I believe actually Singapore is main the best way by way of watch training and amassing. We additionally see an growing urge for food for watches in Malaysia and Thailand, though jewelry remains to be extra vital (in each). So I might say, in some nations, when buying a Van Cleef & Arpels watch, the main focus is much less on the technical particulars or the complication, and maybe extra on the sophistication of the watch as an merchandise of jewelry. However the curiosity in watches is certainly rising quick, usually… we’ll be opening new boutiques in Australia and Auckland. Oceania remains to be within the infancy of luxurious, by way of style, by way of information, however it’s beginning and beginning strongly.
So, we see very completely different ranges of maturity from one market to the opposite. If I can converse to a standard thread throughout the area, I’ll say that it’s the common age — the profile of the consumer — which if I’ll say is kind of younger. Largely feminine, of their early 30s. So that is true for Van Cleef & Arpels however not solely. There are self-made entrepreneurs and businesswomen… you recognize, profitable professionals who’re prepared to indulge themselves, or please their household and pals. So I believe the concept of a hoop, or watch or bracelet being supplied by a liked one (if one is feminine) is perhaps not solely from the previous, however it’s not the one choice. Loads of ladies are making these selections for themselves, or for his or her family members, which I believe may be very good.
We all know that Van Cleef & Arpels is a jeweller of no small renown. But the advertising and marketing footprint is modest. How do you clarify the towering popularity of the maison?
Properly, now we have been recognized now by generations of purchasers, particularly feminine purchasers. And I might say maybe the preferred and most iconic assortment of jewelry is the Alhambra. It has actually grown in reputation over 50 years, because it was created in 1969. It’s right this moment a real icon on this planet of jewelry; many youthful generations first got here to expertise Van Cleef & Arpels from this assortment.
It’s true that we aren’t making an attempt to reveal ourselves in every single place, in each media, in each channel… We intentionally attempt to keep fairly discreet by way of our communication to most people. Nevertheless, what we do and the place we focus most of our efforts and investments is on present purchasers. And I believe when you develop into a Van Cleef & Arpels consumer, even when it’s your first buy, and it’s a small Alhambra pendant, for instance, you instantly belong to the Van Cleef & Arpels household and neighborhood of pals. By way of non-public engagements, private invites and personal occasions, you perceive increasingly concerning the maison, and in addition your individual tastes and the way Van Cleef & Arpels can fulfil your goals. I consider that is the important thing issue for the success of our model.
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