{"product_id":"van-cleef-arpels-pierre-arpels-la-collection-or-acier-petit-modele-1985-full-set","title":"Van Cleef \u0026 Arpels \"Pierre Arpels\" La Collection - Gold \u0026 Steel - Small - 1985 (full set)","description":"\u003ch4 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe one you end up buying in duplicate.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Pierre Arpels watch, known as the \"PA 49\", is entirely contained within a single line. A perfectly round case, a bezel encircled with 18-carat yellow gold and steel, Roman numeral hour markers, and nothing else. The design has barely changed since 1949, which speaks volumes about its timeless accuracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn this 24 mm format, the dial is reduced to the essential: the Maison's signature, the \"Paris\" mention, a slender second hand. No date, no window, nothing to disrupt the white. What makes this watch special are its attachments: delicate articulated gold and steel bars connect the case to the strap without visible lugs or soldering, so the watch simply appears to rest on the leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eOne last detail, unique to this model: a small medal with the Van Cleef \u0026amp; Arpels monogram is suspended from the buckle's tang. It is only visible when fastening the watch to one's wrist. This is exactly the kind of attention one expects from a jeweler.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to wear it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e24 millimeters is the size of watches you keep for twenty years. It slips under a sleeve, matches a delicate bracelet, is easily forgotten... and the steel combined with gold allows it to coexist with whatever you already wear, whether yellow gold, white gold, silver or steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFrançoise currently offers the same model in 30 mm: same attachments, same bezel, simply a matter of width. Worn side by side, the two watches form an obvious pair, and few models lend themselves so well to being shared.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy did Françoise choose it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBecause at Van Cleef \u0026amp; Arpels, there is a way of making watches that is unlike anyone else's. The Maison is first and foremost a jeweler, and yet its most famous watch is the most stripped-down in its catalog. Françoise finds much elegance in this restraint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eShe particularly likes this small model, even more rigorous than the larger one: without a date or window, only the design remains. It's an everyday watch from one of the great Maisons of Place Vendôme, and that's a statement not often heard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe history of the Van Cleef \u0026amp; Arpels Maison began with the marriage of Estelle Arpels, daughter of a precious stone dealer, and Alfred Van Cleef, from a lineage of Belgian and Dutch artisans specializing in stone cutting. Charles, Louis, and Julien Arpels, Estelle's brothers, quickly joined their brother-in-law. The signature was registered in 1906, the year the first boutique opened at 22 Place Vendôme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe PA model was designed in 1949 by Pierre Arpels, for himself. He had no intention of commercializing it: the watch was first reproduced for a select few, before entering the Maison's collections in 1971 under the name \"PA 49\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt has never left. Available in multiple dials, materials, and sizes, it is still in the catalog today, faithful to the original design. It is one of the rare watch models that can be said to have never needed redesigning.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Van Cleef \u0026 Arpels","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54791126745411,"sku":"W0428","price":1600.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/9570\/0732\/files\/Rectangle25.png?v=1788543035","url":"https:\/\/www.francoise.paris\/en\/products\/van-cleef-arpels-pierre-arpels-la-collection-or-acier-petit-modele-1985-full-set","provider":"Françoise Paris","version":"1.0","type":"link"}