Van Cleef & Arpels Pierre Arpels Rose Gold Ref. HH40850

Identity Van Cleef & Arpels Pierre Arpels, Ref. HH40850, 2010s. Manual-winding mechanical movement, Piaget calibre 830P. 18-carat rose gold case, 42 mm, central attachments, crown set with a diamond. White lacquered dial, centre with piqué motif, Roman numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, baton indexes. Sapphire crystal. Leather strap, signed rose gold pin buckle. Horological context Van Cleef & Arpels was born of the 1895 marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels, from two families of precious-stone dealers. In 1906 Alfred and his brother-in-law Charles Arpels opened the first boutique at 22, Place Vendôme, joined by Julien and then Louis Arpels. From its beginnings, the high jewellery maison made time one of its fields: a skeleton pocket watch in 1925, its first automata in 1927, and in 1929 the secret watch, whose dial hides beneath a jewelled design. In 1935 the Cadenas, created at the initiative of the maison's artistic director Renée Puissant, gave the watch the shape of a padlock. In 2006 the centenary Lady Arpels inaugurated the Poetic Complications, in which time is told through scenes animated on the dial. In 1949 Pierre Arpels, Julien's son, designed a sober, round, extra-thin watch held by two central attachments, for himself alone and with no intention of selling it. Only reluctantly did he agree to have it reproduced for his family and a few close friends; it entered the catalogue only in 1971, twenty-two years later, under the name PA49. The maison revived it under his name in 2012, keeping the slim case and the attachments of 1949. That reluctance is what defines the very nature of the watch: its restraint is not a stylistic choice, it is its history. Character The rose gold of the case carries on into the Roman numerals, the hands and the fine ring around the centre of the dial, with its couture-like piqué, offering a sophisticated, discreet contrast. The white lacquer of the dial heightens the effect, without flourish yet unmistakable. The slim case makes it a natural fit beneath a shirt cuff and a dinner jacket. Serviced watch. Very good condition. Delivered with a Contre-Temps box and the Contre-Temps 24-month warranty certificate.