Van Cleef & Arpels unveils the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate: a poetic pas de deux on the wrist

For more than a decade, Van Cleef & Arpels has enchanted collectors with its Pont des Amoureux watch, first introduced in 2010. Set against the romantic backdrop of a Parisian bridge, the dial depicted two lovers inching closer with each passing hour until they met for a kiss at noon and midnight. A triumph of horological poetry, the piece became an emblem of the Maison’s signature narrative style — where time is told not only in hours and minutes, but in emotion and imagination.

Now, the story continues with the debut of the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, a new chapter in this tale of eternal rendezvous. This time, the couple’s tryst unfolds in the lively spirit of a guinguette, the open-air dance cafés that flourished on the outskirts of Paris in the 19th century. With its joyful atmosphere and carefree charm, the guinguette becomes the stage for a new ballet of time and love.

Powered by an automaton movement developed over four years of research, the watch once again brings the figures together in a tender kiss at noon and midnight — a gesture that can also be summoned at will with a press of the case button. The dial is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, crafted in grisaille enamel, a demanding technique requiring up to a dozen kiln firings per dial to achieve its subtle depth and delicate luminosity.

With the Bal des Amoureux, Van Cleef & Arpels reaffirms its role as watchmaking’s greatest storyteller — weaving Parisian romance, artistry, and technical wonder into a timepiece that is as much a love letter as it is a watch.