It makes these highly collectible rare objects with movement, sound and plenty of gemstones
by KRISTEN SHIRLEY
PLENTY of companies are producing robots these days, but few are doing it the 18th-century way. Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the world’s biggest jewellery brands, is now in the business of making self-powered automatons, ingenious devices that the monarchs and nobles of Europe once collected. (Think of the mysterious wind-up boy in the 2011 film Hugo.) These mesmerising machines, each one unique, are covered in gold, diamonds and gemstones.
Van Cleef has made what it calls “Extraordinary Objects” ever since it opened in Paris in 1906. The first such piece was a private commission from a wealthy New Yorker who wanted a miniature replica of his boat, Varuna, rendered in gold and painted with colourful enamel. The scale model of the schooner sits on an enormous bed of sculpted jasper that looks like crashing waves and hides a discreet call button for butler service. Other objects — a clock, a birdcage — were soon rendered in precious materials, and they’ve become valuable collectibles.
A shooting star set with rubies rotates around the outer ring
In the 2010s the company added a new layer of complexity to the objects: Movement. Van Cleef partnered expert craftsman François Junod to create a fanciful table-top-size high-jewellery automaton. This first effort depicted a fairy — an emblem of the maison — relaxing on a glossy lily pad near a closed water lily. On demand, the lily pad ripples, the flower opens, revealing a shimmering butterfly flapping its wings, and the fairy raises her head and moves to watch it flitting about.
When the Fée Ondine was revealed at an international watch show in 2017, it caused a sensation. Van Cleef has now made 11 automations in total, and CEO Catherine Rénier said they have become an “integral part” of its collection. The company wouldn’t disclose the prices of these objects (or the names estimate they go for about US$10 million (RM43.83 million).
In addition to its fairy- and nature-inspired creations, Van Cleef’s artisans have made one with a flying cupid and crafted astronomical pieces inspired by its award-winning Midnight Planétarium watch.
The 2025 version (below) is a precise astronomical clock: The planets revolve at the same speed as they do in the sky, so it will take Saturn 29.5 years to orbit the gleaming sun, made from yellow gold, rose gold, yellow sapphires and more. But you can push a lever to make the music box play, spin the planets and send a ruby-set shooting star flying around the outer ring. When the cycle is finished, each element returns to its original spot and continues on its cosmic journey.
So, who’s buying these very expensive, very large objects? Rénier said they are “connoisseurs of rare craftsmanship, who have a passion for unique creations, pieces of art, and a dreamlike perspective on the passage of time.” The past, after all, is alive in these fantastical gadgets. — Bloomberg
- This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
The post Van Cleef’s RM44m mechanical masterpieces appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.
