Van Cleef & Arpels Celebrates the “Poetry of Time” With Pop-Up at South Coast Plaza

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Van Cleef & Arpels, the legendary fine jewelry maison, is centering its timepieces with an immersive installation at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, now through April 16. The “Poetry of Time” pop-up is located, fittingly, in the shopping center’s Jewel Court, which has been transformed into an enchanted forest featuring some of the brand’s most precious watches.

The dream-like exhibition is inspired by nature and astronomy, two realms that inspire the maison’s design and material choices. Making their debut exclusively for this pop-up, the brand’s Sweet Alhambra watch (in rose gold and carnelian) and the Lady Féerie Or Rose watch are prominently featured in the vault.

The Alhambra collection — Van Cleef & Arpels’ token of luck — features an alternating watch band of warm carnelian and rose gold clover-like shapes, and this installation at South Coast Plaza marks its pre-launch.

Fairies have also figured prominently into the Van Cleef & Arpels aesthetic since the 1940s; the Féerie collection honors the pop-up’s theme of enchantment by featuring a fairy — in a dress made of diamonds and pink sapphires — seated on a mother-of-pearl cloud.

“The Poetry of Time installation reflects the unique creativity and watchmaking expertise of the Maison,” Helen King, President & CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels Americas, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome visitors into our enchanted garden to discover our most precious creations and experience educational workshops with our Swiss craftsmen.”

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Perlée collection features five models with dials set with pavé-set diamonds, guilloché rose gold, and mother-of pearl. And inspired by Carl Von Linné’s 1751 book Philosophia Botanica, the maison has reinterpreted the Swedish botanist’s “floral clock concept,” a hypothetical garden system with flowers strategically opening and closing to indicate the time of day.