To the Moon and Back is Van Cleef & Arpels' contribution to the Only Watch charity fund-raiser in Monaco on 22 September 2011 in Monaco
View from the back
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO BUY A WATCH, WHY NOT MAKE SURE IT IS THE ONE AND ONLY ON THIS PLANET, IN THE WORLD AND IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE?
YOU WILL BE OWNER OF THIS VAN CLEEF & ARPELS SPECIAL WATCH. THE SOLE OWNER. THE ONE AND ONLY OWNER OF THIS UNIQUE, ONE AND ONLY WATCH.
MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE 'ONLY WATCH', THE MONACO CHARITY TO AID MUSCULAR DYSTROPHIES UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS SERENE HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO. THIS SINGULAR WATCH WILL BE AUCTIONED IN THE PRINCE'S PRESENCE (AND DOUBTLESS ALSO IN THE PRESENCE OF PRINCESS CHARLENE) ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2011 DURING MONACO YACHT SHOW, THE WORLD'S LEADING LUXURY YACHT FAIR SO YOU WILL BE MEETING MANY OF YOUR FELLOW MULTI-MILLIONAIRES.
BOOK YOUR FLIGHT NOW AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOUR HOTEL ALTHOUGH YOU CAN ACTUALLY STAY IN FRANCE LIKE NICE SINCE MONACO IS ONLY 25 MINUTES DRIVE AWAY.
This flight of fantasy is now a reality
Only Watch is an auction held every two years under the High Patronage of
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. This is the third year Van Cleef & Arpels
is taking part in the auction organised by the Monegasque Association
against Muscular Dystrophies in aid of research into this disease. The funds
will be distributed to 15 scientific partners financing 90 researchers and
clinicians in five different countries.
The auction will be held by Antiquorum at
4 p.m. on 22 September 2011 at the Monaco Yacht Show, the world’s leading
luxury yacht fair.
Van Cleef & Arpels has created a unique Poetic Complication™ watch especially
for this auction. These rare and exceptional timepieces embody the Maison’s
philosophy: each one is designed first to tell a story, to inspire a dream. And then
technique steps in to craft the poetry of time.
After their High Jewellery, the theme of Les Voyages Extraordinaires by Jules Verne
is the inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels’ timepieces. With From the Earth to the
Moon, which he wrote in 1865, the visionary French novelist anticipated space
travel which only became a reality in the 1950s.
Van Cleef & Arpels has created an imaginary sky dotted with stars and planets
made of a marquetry of fine gems and champlevé enamel (champlevé is an ancient
technique in which the surface of a metal object is hollowed out to form compartments
which are filled with different coloured enamel). The rocket and moon are hand
engraved on to the dial.
For this creation, the Maison has used a retrograde movement—a marvel of high
precision watchmaking enabling two hands to travel 120° arcs of a circle on the
dial and then immediately return to their starting point. On the right-hand side of
the dial the space rocket imagined by Jules Verne travels towards the Moon from
top to bottom, indicating the minutes from zero to sixty; on the left-hand side a
star shows the hours from zero to twelve, from bottom to top.
The stars and planets are repeated on the bezel, with the motifs engraved and
adorned with translucid enamel. The case is made of white gold and the strap is of
black alligator leather.
The From the Earth to the Moon watch is a brilliant demonstration of
Van Cleef & Arpels’ extraordinary creativity and expertise. It also provides
a message of hope: for years people dreamed of conquering space and walking on
the Moon, and they eventually realised their dream …
Now you can realise your dream of wearing an unique watch.
THE END
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