Van Cleef & Arpels added two elegant new men’s timepieces to their Pierre Arpels collection this year: the Pierre Arpels Platinum and the Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs. The former is a basic time-only model and the latter features double jumping hours with retrograde minutes (in the video above).
Pierre Arpels Platinum
The minimalist Pierre Arpels Platinum model comes with a manually wound time-only movement, presented in a fully polished 42 mm diameter x 5.79 mm case, with round edges and a single spherical-shaped lug connected to the strap to each end (a signature of the collection). The dial is black lacquer (also available in white) and features a piqué motif and polished baton hour and minute hands with applied Roman numerals and indexes. The crown is set with a diamond.
Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleur
The haute horology Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs features a subtle look that disguises the complicated caliber that beats inside. Developed in partnership with Agenhor (Atelier Genevois d’Horlogerie), this exclusive automatic movement has double jumping hours and retrograde minutes functions, in a case just 7.97 mm thick.
While the movement is quite complicated, reading the time is not. The current hour is displayed in the circular aperture at the top of the dial (reference time), and the numeral shown in the lower circular aperture is (the second time zone). The semi-circle scale on the left side of the dial is the retrograde minute display. Every 60-minutes the minute hand makes a full arc of the graduated scale.
Once reaching the top of the arc, the minute hand immediately returns to its starting position, and at the same moment both hour displays jump to the next hour. To accomplish this feat, the engineers at Agenhor developed a single sector that synchronizes the two-hour discs and retrograde minute display.
The white lacquer dial is adorned with a piqué motif and the words “Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs.” Even though this is an automatic, thanks to the platinum micro-rotor that takes up very little space, the view of the movement is virtually unobstructed. According to Van Cleef & Arpels, “By oscillating in two directions, it can supply energy continuously. The movement, which is visible through a sapphire crystal, is adorned with a snailed pattern on the bridges, the Van Cleef & Arpels hallmark, and a blue lacquered design on the micro-rotor that echoes the piqué motif on the dial.”
Final Thoughts
The Pierre Arpels collection is distinguished by elegance and simplicity, and now, with the introduction of the Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs, “complicated” can be added to that list.
The 42 mm Pierre Arpels Platinum retail price is $30,800 and the white gold Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs is $37,200. Both come with a black alligator strap with either a platinum or white gold buckle, respectively. The Pierre Arpels collection also comes in a number of other variations, including a new Pierre Arpels Platinum 38 mm model that retails for $27,200.
