The Watch: A circa 2004 Van Cleef & Arpels Monsieur Arpels Dual Time Generation Calendar. Like Cartier, Chopard, or Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels (VCA from here on) are a jewelry house with a watchmaking branch. Founded in 1896 Paris by Dutch diamond cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels, VCA grew quickly and the company moved to 22 Place Vendome soon after in 1906, where the boutique still resides today. Estelle’s other brothers Julien and Louis joined the company in 1908 and 1912, respectively. What started out as a modest four-person diamond-dealing business grew into a full-on 14-person luxury jewelry house by 1912.
Along with its rise as a jewelry house, VCA began producing watches, first for women and then for men. And while they weren’t pushing the limits of horological technology, their designs and finishing are impeccable.
This is a great example. In a stainless steel case with welded lugs to give a classic mid-century look, it has a white lacquered dial with three mother-of-pearl counters. The hour, minutes and seconds hands are placed centrally. At 10 o’clock there is a power reserve indicator with a hand that duplicates the shape of the piece within the movement. The date dial is at 2 o’clock and is adjusted from a very discrete push button at 2 o’clock. The bi-directional second time zone dial is at 6 o’clock and is adjusted from the crown at 3 o’clock. Both dials slightly overlap the larger power reserve indicator. The movement is an automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre JLC 939 with a 40-hour power reserve.
And there are two additional subtleties: The first is a small window on the side of the case at 9 o’clock that reveals the movement and the second is a ‘generational’ calendar engraved on a disc at the back of the case. The calendar shows months, days and date from 2004 to 2092, adjustable via the shoulder crown.
Includes: Watch only.
Condition: Some indications of light use. See photos.
