As with many Van Cleef & Arpels pieces, the Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux begins with a story, and one we know well. As the sun sets in Paris, leaving its streets in a soft pink glow, a woman under her umbrella and a man holding a rose behind his back reunite on a bridge across the Seine in a lover’s embrace. This scene straight out of a romance film serves as the animation in Van Cleef & Arpel’s iconic Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux, initially introduced nine years ago and now presented in a day version for its permanent collection. The “day” version has a warmth to it, made entirely out of rose gold with a diamond-set bezel and a diamond on the crown. It comes with an interchangeable diamond-set rose gold bracelet or purple alligator strap, complimenting the pink and purple hues of the grisaille enamel displayed on the dial. The woman indicating the hours and the man showing the minutes meet up on the rose gold bridge at either midday or midnight, or on demand thanks to a pusher at 8 o’clock. All of which means the couple never has to part for long.

Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux – Jour

CASE : rose gold with diamond-set bezel and crown DIMENSIONS : 38mm MOVEMENT : mechanical self-winding with retrograde animation developed for Van Cleef & Arpels, 36-hour power reserve FUNCTIONS : hours, minutes DIAL : colored grisaille enamel with sculpted white and rose gold BRACELET/STRAP : interchangeable bracelet in diamond-set rose gold or purple alligator strap