The Carpe Koï Timepiece by Van Cleef & Arpels

By Paul Joseph

French luxury watch brand Van Cleef & Arpels has created a stunning watch bracelet inspired by the Japanese fish symbol.

Launched at last month’s SIHH watch fair in Switzerland, the Carpe Koï timepiece is set with 8,000 coloured stones and features a fish-like body and face, with the watchface housed inside its mouth.

The watch’s body is adorned with yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets set on yellow gold, as well as blue volutes of Paraíba-like tourmalines and white diamonds.

A precision quartz movement helps the watch keep track of the hours and minutes, while the bracelet can be unfastened by pressing on the carp’s tail, releasing the body.

According to its creators, a total of 3,450 hours were put into the making of the Carpe Koï timepiece.

Van Cleef & Arpels was founded by Charles Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef in 1896.

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By Paul Joseph