In 1935, Renée Puissant, the artistic director of Van Cleef & Arpels, envisioned transforming an ordinary padlock into one of the house’s jewelry watches.
The result was the Cadenas, French for padlock, a bold design that stood in stark contrast to the dainty watches made for women of the time. It featured a tilted rectangular case (14 millimeters by 26 millimeters) that was held by two snakelike chains and a shackle that closed on top of the wrist. The timepiece quickly became one of the house’s most recognizable creations.
Since then, the Cadenas has been in continuous production. And to mark its 90th anniversary, a new combination of gems is scheduled to be presented at Watches & Wonders Geneva, enhanced by pavé diamonds on the shackle and case, accented by baguette-cut sapphires.
“The padlock watch, as its name suggests, is inspired by an everyday object — a padlock — and reflects an artistic approach characteristic of modernism, where artists like Duchamp elevated ordinary objects to the status of art,” said Alexandrine Maviel-Sonet, the patrimony and exhibitions director at Van Cleef & Arpels. She was referring to Marcel Duchamp, the French artist whose representation of a urinal, “Fountain,” upended modern art in 1917.
Ms. Maviel-Sonet noted that Ms. Puissant’s fascination with art and her ability to incorporate its influences changed the jeweler. From 1926 to 1942, she said, Ms. Puissant amassed a number of patents and introduced classic designs such as the Minaudière, a variation on the classic jewelry case; the Ludo bracelet, a cuff with a belt buckle-style closure and labeled with Louis Arpels’ nickname; and the Mystery Setting, a gem-setting technique that had no visible metal prongs.
Rainer Bernard, the head of research and development at Van Cleef & Arpels, attributed the success of the Cadenas watch to its dual identities. “It’s a piece of jewelry with a functional twist,” he said, noting the slightly tilted watch face, designed to face the wearer rather than the public, effectively turned the piece into what the industry calls a secret watch, even though there was no concealment mechanism.
Women of style in the 1930s, including the actress and socialite Paulette Goddard and the Duchess of Windsor, frequently wore the Cadenas, bolstering its desirability, which remains strong, according to Jemima Chamberlain-Adams, the deputy director and a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Geneva.
“Every time Cadenas comes to auction, it does really well,” she said, “especially the rarer pieces from the 1940s, and all the more so if there is provenance.” A notable example was the platinum and diamond Cadenas that belonged to the duchess, which Sotheby’s sold in May 2011 in Geneva for 362,000 Swiss francs (around $411,000 today), far surpassing its high sale estimate of 63,000 francs.
Over the years, several variations of the Cadenas have been introduced, including versions with two leather cords, a single leather strap and a single metallic bracelet. However, the original design’s proportions and essence have remained unchanged, Mr. Bernard said.
“We have tried to modernize it, but every time we tried, we always got back to the original proportions,” he explained, adding that the only recent updates have been an increased dial size, for improved readability, and a rounder clasp with a simpler closing mechanism. “Otherwise, it’s still fresh, it’s still modern. People look at it and ask what it is, as it is not immediately clear that it is a watch, so it remains powerful and intriguing.”
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