In 2024, Catherine Rénier was appointed President and CEO of the Parisian jeweller and watchmaker, Van Cleef & Arpels. She comes in already a veteran of the brand; she first joined the company in 2003 and worked there in various globetrotting capacities over the next 15 or so years. This is also not her first stint as CEO; in 2018, she moved to the Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre and headed it for six years.
There is a lot of overlap between the two companies—both are in the business of fine craftsmanship and precious objects—but, in many ways, they could not be more different. Jaeger-LeCoultre is just about as traditional a Swiss watchmaker as it gets; its manufacture is secreted away in the Vallée de Joux, an hour’s drive from Geneva past breathtaking lakeside views and through winding mountain roads, and precision and performance are its foremost guiding principles. Van Cleef & Arpels, however, was born and raised in the fashionable vibrancy that is the lifeblood of Paris, and is a brand that built itself on romance, flair and whimsical artistry.
In terms of guiding these companies, though, there are some important similarities. “Both maisons have a very similar ground in their love for heritage, deep respect for their past, and a very humble creativity—but also [a protectiveness] of craftsmanship,” Rénier explains. A lot of the work she did for Jaeger-LeCoultre was about nurturing and preserving its crafts and traditions, and ensuring that this work is shared and visible to the public. “This is definitely also Van Cleef & Arpels’ mission—protecting craftsmanship in watchmaking and jewellery. It’s an extremely important development for the sustainable future of the maison.” She cites the brand’s enamelling department as a particularly important example. Enamelling is an ages-old, traditional technique that Van Cleef & Arpels frequently uses, and in addition to its own in-house workshops, it now has its own school to train new artisans. “It’s these important decisions and investments that are very meaningful and significant to me,” Rénier says.
“I’m very delighted to see how the maison has, despite its development and expansion, such a similar approach to its inspiration,” she says on returning after six years. “It’s been very true to its origins—to its development of rare handcrafts, and to its very creative expressions within jewellery and watchmaking. I feel very much like coming home, to a maison that I know very well, and that has kept very close to its identity.”
View more of Van Cleef & Arpel’s Treasure Island collection, inspired by the iconic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Core to this identity is Van Cleef & Arpels’ uniquely fanciful subject matter. “It’s a strong and full universe of inspiration, and very consistent through the years. That’s definitely a strength,” Rénier says. Nature, faeries, butterflies and romance are frequent topics for the brand’s watchmaking and jewellery collections. Its newest high jewellery collection, Treasure Island, even features pirates. “But there is a common ground of expressions, always a lightness in the approach—they are very elegant, very subtle, sometimes humorous figures. This is because the maison’s expression in this universe of figures and the magical world is very well-identified. Owning this universe, knowing who we are, is a strength.”
The brand’s other great strength is its commitment to craftsmanship. “We always try for more. Our pieces are amazing in the front, but also at the back. And this is a very important element, where we go above and beyond what is necessary in making the perfect finish, the perfect polish, (even in) hidden places,” Rénier says. She adds that though the maison is rooted in classical methodology, innovation is a constant drive and challenge. One example is the Mystery Set, a gemsetting technique developed and patented by the maison in 1933, and has long been a brand signature. “We continue to bring new ways of using the Mystery Set in our creations—new techniques, new colours, new stones. This approach to craftsmanship, respecting the past, transmitting it, but also always taking it a step further, is very much deeply rooted in our ways.
“I definitely see ‘love in the air’ with our creations,” Rénier continues. “I want that the maison continues to enchant. It is important for us that our creativity, and the emotion we want to bring with our creations, is seen and appreciated. It’s a very busy world, so we need to always get further in creativity and to surprise, stretching our universe and our innovation in craftsmanship in order to get the attention of the public. This is what we will continue to do.”
