<p>We round up what are the must-sees at the Van Cleef &amp; Arpels "Poetry of Time" exhibition at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.</p>

<p><span>From 12th to 20th February 2022, <a href="https://www.lofficielmalaysia.com/jewellery-watches/erik-madigan-heck-reimagines-the-alhambra-collection-by-van-cleef-and-arpels"><strong>Van Cleef &amp; Arpels</strong></a> will bring its &lsquo;Poetry of Time&rsquo; event to the Marina Bay Sands Expo Hall B​. </span></p>
<p><span>We take a look at four major themes that have shaped the world of Van Cleef &amp; Arpels since 1906, referencing pieces that will be on display at the exhibition &mdash; read on to discover the creations, and to find out how to visit the exhibition.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Love stories, modern and mythical</p>

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  <p><span>Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels were said to have shared one of those legendary romances &ndash; the sort that has inspired sonnets and plays throughout time. It&rsquo;s little wonder that so much of the Maison&rsquo;s has been informed by love stories: Take </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">the Aïda &amp; Radamès secret watch, for example. Inspired by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Aida </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">&ndash; a famous opera that has been sung over a thousand times since its premiere in 1871 &ndash; this fascinating piece of high jewellery belies the legend of the tragic romance between an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian commander.</span></p>
  <p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">The watch is wrought of diamonds, mirror-polished gold and a deluge of blue sapphires, turquoise and lapis lazuli &ndash; echoing the warm sands of Egypt, and the famed Nile. The watch&rsquo;s crowning jewel, a 5.93 ct Madagascan sapphire, hides a sliding dial adorned with fine stone marquetry &ndash; a subtle nod to the lovers&rsquo; secret romance.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Enchanting fairies, ethereal ballerinas</p>

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      <p><span>Louis Arpels &ndash; one of the House&rsquo;s original co-founders &ndash; </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">was famed for his love of ballet. He would often bring his nephew and future scion Claude to performances at the Paris Opera. Later, Claude would continue his uncle&rsquo;s legacy by collaborating with George Balanchine to create Jewels, a three-act ballet that premiered at the New York State Theatre in 1967.</span></p>
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            <p><span>Fairies, likewise, hold the same sort of ethereal fascination for Van Cleef &amp; Arpels &ndash; as seen in the diaphanous Lady Féerie watch. But delicate muses do not preclude extraordinary technological additions: In 2021, the Lady Féerie watch won the Ladies&rsquo; Complication Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d&rsquo;Horlogerie de Genève, a ceremony that many have called the &ldquo;Oscars of watchmaking.&rdquo; The diamond-studded fairy uses her wand to indicate the minutes, thanks to a retrograde movement developed exclusively for the brand, while a window of mother-of-pearl indicates the passing hours. </span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Messages from the stars</p>

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      <p><span>In 2019, the Maison introduced the Lady Arpels Zodiaque Lumineux watches, the feminine counterpart to an existing collection &ndash; inspired by the 12 signs of the Western zodiac &ndash; for men. Like the original collection for men, the Lady Arpels Zodiaque Lumineux watches utilise a special light-on- demand module that allows electrical energy to be generated mechanically: At the press of a button, the translucent enamel beads on the watch face illuminate, lighting up the corresponding constellation. </span></p>
      <p><span>These symbolic figures are adorned with precious stones and enamel, using shades that correspond to each sign&rsquo;s element: Water signs, like Pisces, are glided with blue sapphires and translucent blue enamel beads, while fire signs like Aries are given stones like yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets. </span></p>
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      <p><span>It&rsquo;s not just the beauty of nature that Van Cleef &amp; Arpels is enthralled by &ndash; it is the constant state of metamorphoses of both flora and fauna that they admire, and aim to encapsulate. See the wondrously complex Dahlia secr&egrave;te watch, where dozens of corollas in yellow gold and diamonds wrap ensconce a central diamond; the high jewellery watch required over 1,000 hours of work to complete. A system of subtle articulations give movement to each individual petal when touched, giving the watch the illusion of being a live, quivering flower.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Visit this <a href="https://poetry-of-time.register.vancleefarpels-event.com/">link</a> to book your visit to</em> The Poetry of Time.</p>

Van Cleef & Arpels' brings exclusive exhibition to Singapore

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