Earlier this year WatchPro unveiled its Watches of the Year 2012 – the 10 winning timepieces and 90 highly commended watches that we felt boasted commercial appeal, innovation and had wowed consumers and retailers alike over the past 12 months.
Highly commended for WatchPro Showstopping Watch of the Year 2012 was the Van Cleef & Arpels Bals du Siècle.
In a tribute to the legendary balls of 20th century St Petersburg, Paris, Venice and New York, Van Cleef & Arpels created a dazzling collection of timepieces. The Bal du Siècle watch is part of this family and references the scenes of a splendid Venetian masquerade ball.
The collection was created as a follow-up to a fine jewellery collection of a similar name and each watch is hand crafted, fitted with an automatic 24-hour movement adapted by Van Cleef & Arpels and has a 60-hour power reserve.
The Bal du Siècle timepiece has a pink gold 38mm case, a bezel set with diamonds and a mother-of-pearl marquetry. Gold sculpted characters move around the dial to create drama, while the alligator strap adds the final finesse with its diamond buckle.
