On a beautiful spring day earlier this year, I was taking a stroll through a forested area when suddenly I saw a water basin in the distance with a beautiful dragonfly flitting over the water and lily pads floating. Most extraordinarily, there were the two birds sitting on the edge of the basin, courting each other in a mesmerizing dance.

Actually, that’s not true because the most extraordinary thing was the fact that the “forest” was the Van Cleef & Arpels booth at the 2022 Watches and Wonders in Geneva, and the basin, dragonfly, lily pads, and even birds were part of one of the most extraordinary clocks I have ever seen.

Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine aux Oiseaux

Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine aux Oiseaux

When you write about timepieces, particularly the more complex and technical subjects, you sometimes ask yourself how to describe something. I feel this way about the Fontaine aux Oiseaux, as Van Cleef & Arpels calls this creation, not because of its technical complexity but more thanks to the experience of viewing it. Everything you see on this clock is precious, not only in terms of the materials used but also the craftmanship. It took a team with a wide variety of experts in 20 fields more than 25,500 hours to create this objet d’art.

The wooden basin is covered with the finest Urushi lacquer, perfectly applied, with the top covered in eggshell marquetry, which is known in Japan as Rankaku. Each of the tiny specs is positioned by hand and covered with up to eight layers of lacquer. Given the generous size of the basin – 411.3 x 441.5 mm – this is all the more exceptional.

Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine aux Oiseaux

To create the water, Van Cleef & Arpels used 50 segments of rock crystal and chalcedony upon which lily pads made of gold and enamel and two waterlilies “float.” A dragonfly comes to life in white gold, mother-of-pearl, diamonds, sapphires, and plique-à-jour enamel. The birds dazzle with feathers made of gold and set with a wide variety of colored gemstones.

This alone would already be an imposing scene, but Van Cleef & Arpels takes it further by turning this clock into an automaton.

Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine aux Oiseaux movement

Breathtaking scenery

Upon activation, the water starts to ripple as if touched by the wind. The birds engage in an intricate mating ritual, moving closer together in such an organic way that it feels as if each has a character of its own. The dragonfly zips across the water as the waterlily opens to reveal an inner life set with precious stones. It even makes music: bellows and beechwood create natural sounds. The whole scene lasts about a minute, but it is so mesmerizing that it is like being a small kid again and going to a theme park for the first time.

At the base of the basin, a feather set with gemstones marks the hours on a retrograde scale, though the whole object is so captivating that it is very easy to forget time. The clock has a power reserve of eight days, while the automaton can be played five times consecutively before it needs rewinding. Needless to say, the Fontaine aux Oiseaux is a unique piece item with an astronomical price tag to match.

Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine aux Oiseaux

For more information, please visit www.vancleefarpels.com/us/en/watches/extraordinary-objects/fontaine-aux-oiseaux-automaton.

Quick Facts Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine aux Oiseaux
Basin: 411.3 x 441.5 mm, wood with Urushi lacquer and eggshell marquetry, natural scene with water, dragonfly, lilies and two birds made of gold, enamel, and various gemstones (185.25 ct) including colored sapphires, emeralds, tsavorite garnets, mandarin garnets, amethysts, diamonds, lapis lazuli, turquoise, chalcedony, and rock crystal
Movement: manual wind with eight-day power reserve, 18,000 vph / 2.5 Hz frequency
Functions: retrograde hour and minute; automaton
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: CHF 5-10 million (exact price on request)

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