Introducing The Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Planétarium

The Van Cleef and Arpels Midnight Planetarium was first released back in 2014 and quickly became one of the most impressive horological pieces to be produced by the typically jewelry-focused maison (not to mention Matt Damon wore one while winning an Oscar in 2016). This year, Van Cleef & Arpels has released a smaller version for women – the Lady Arpels Planétarium. This 38mm watch in white gold with diamond-set bezel features a stunning dial made out of concentric rings made of Aventurine, a star-like stone not often seen. The watch uses other precious materials such as pink mother-of-pearl for Mercury, green enamel for Venus, turquoise for Earth, and a diamond for the Moon. The caseback displays a key for the planets as well as two apertures displaying the day, month, and year. Furthermore, there is a diamond-set (using the serti neige) crescent-moon-shaped PVD-coated oscillating weight for the rotor with a turquoise center. 

The Planétarium is not only a beautiful watch, it is also a highly complicated watch. However, this watch should come as no surprise to those who follow Van Cleef who annually release an interesting complicated watch each year (remember the Ronde des Papillons?). The Arpels Planétarium displays the different phases of each planet as they rotate around the sun at their actual speeds, with Mercury orbiting the dial in 88 days, Venus in 224 days, Earth in 365 days, and the Moon rotating in 29.5 days. The original movement for the Midnight Planetarium was designed by Christiaan van der Klaauw, leading Astrological watchmaker, and it took two-and-a-half years to develop the module which was then implemented into a movement produced by Richemont's in-house Stern manufacture. The Lady Arpels Planetarium naturally features a smaller movement since the watch itself is smaller, with a modified version of the van der Klaauw module added.

While I'm not one for fanciful complications (I'm a practical gal), I find this watch both interesting and aesthetically impressive. This watch isn't a run-of-the-mill complication, it's a difficult and complex complication both to understand and to produce. Add on top of that a beautiful case and creative use of unusual precious and semi-precious stones and you have a watch that only Van Cleef could produce. Bottom line? If you've got six-figures to spend and you're looking for the perfect marriage of horology and jewelry, this watch is it. 

Brand: Van Cleef & Arpels
Model: Lady Arpels Planetarium
Diameter: 38mm
Case Material: White gold with diamonds
Dial Color: Aventurine
Indexes: Arabic numerals
Lume: None
Strap/Bracelet: Blue alligator strap or a white gold bracelet 

Caliber: NA
Complications: Astronomical watch displaying planetary orbits, day, month, and year
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Winding: Automatic 

Price: $245,000 on a strap, $330,000 on a diamond-set bracelet
Availability: TBD
Limited Edition: Limited production, but not strictly limited to a pre-set number

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