MUSIC THEORY
George Balanchine’s Jewels is a full-length story ballet that was first performed in April 1967. Its three acts—emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds—were inspired by the three countries that Balanchine had called home: France, the US and Russia. Fast forward to today, and Van Cleef & Arpels has unveiled three one-of-a-kind watches that pay tribute to the late choreographer. This trio of stunning timepieces has been added to the house’s iconic Poetic Complications collection and has taken more than ten years to create.
Each watch is based on one of the acts and comes set with either emeralds, rubies or diamonds. They also play music by Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky or Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, respectively.
A birchwood and walnut marquetry music box uses an electronic amplifier to enrich the sound of the watch’s four gongs, while a visual animation comes to life when the music starts to play. Each watch’s dial depicts a pair of decadent opera curtains, which open to reveal ballerinas dressed in tutus.