SJX
[Purist]
8540
A brief look at the stunning Van Cleef et Arpels with world's smallest Cal. 101 from JLC
Van Cleef et Arpels is the lesser known but no less glamorous jewellery brand in the Richemont stable. In fact it can be considered more exclusive than Cartier which is effectively a mass market luxury brand now.
VC&A has been working quietly on its watch collection in recent years and has created some stunning pieces like the Midnight over Paris astronomical display watch as well as a ladies' watch with a revolving disc that displays th four seasons. The VC&A products are probably the most interesting ladies' wristwatches from a jewellery company of late.
Recently it has unveiled a dazzling high jewellery ladies' wristwatch containing the minsicule JLC cal.101 movement, which is the tiniest mechanical movement ever made, measuring only 14 x 4.8 x 3.4 mm, or the size of the fingernail on one's little finger. In some ways the cal. 101 can be considered a complication in itself, despite only having minute and seconds display, because of the extreme small size of the calibre and components, which means production of parts and assembly is far, far more challenging than normal. Even more astounding is the fact that it was introduced in 1929, a testament to the manufacturing prowess of JLC.
The fact that VC&A is putting this movement in a ladies' jewellery timepiece shows the brand's admirable direction in proper watchmaking and also the fact that ladies', or the men that pay for the watches, are increasingly able to apppreciate such movements; remember the cal. 101 has no complications at all.
According to the editor of TimeWerke, he was pleasantly surprised by this revelation and how pleasantly designed it was as a high-end mechanical jewellery watch. He had actually wanted to offer more details but it seems that the supply of information from the brand's PR company which is based in Singapore was not timely.
We hope to offer more information on VC&A in the future.
- SJX
This message has been edited by SJX on 2008-11-11 20:20:00
A brief look at the stunning Van Cleef et Arpels with world's smallest Cal. 101 from JLC
