Pascal Narbeburu cuts an imposing figure, even from a distance, and for anyone meeting him for the first time, his handshake makes you keenly aware of it. However, all of that dissipated the moment Narbeburu delivered his overview on the maison’s 2025 novelties with a gentle tone, a relaxed pace, and a calm demeanour. It softened further over the group lunch when food did what it does best: bring people closer together. Narbeburu spoke with disarming charm and charisma, and his steady presence felt comforting rather than intimidating.

Pascal Narbeburu, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Timepiece Director

At one point in life, Narbeburu had been an alpinist, scaling treacherous mountain faces in brutal winters. He had also spent a significant portion of it in the automotive industry. He did not tread the traditional path of watchmaking or any of its associated artisanal crafts. Instead, he leveraged his experience in automotive efficiency to earn a place in the watch industry, where he navigated across various brands before arriving at his current position as Timepiece Director at Van Cleef & Arpels. Interestingly, Narbeburu only owns a handful of watches from the brands he has worked with, and only after he has departed. Therefore, he does not own a Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece. What he has, however, is a head full of ideas about what a Van Cleef & Arpels watch should be — representing a positive vision that doesn’t follow trends and is poetic in every sense possible.

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch

Take this year’s Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate watch, for instance, where the lovers meet and kiss with sweetness at at the guingette or the cafe square twice a day at noon and midnight or on demand And how about the Lady Arpels Heures Florales watch from 2022 that tells the hours through the number of bloomed flowers? These involve truly complicated mechanisms paired with unique artisanal techniques, yet at some point in its history, Van Cleef & Arpels’ legitimacy as a watchmaker was questioned simply for not developing the traditional stable of complications the industry is accustomed to. Not that it does anything to faze Narbeburu in the least. “We always start with a story. From there, we try to develop [our interpretation] in high complications,” Narbeburu pointed out during his visit to Singapore in April.

You mentioned you were in the automotive industry. How does that experience compare to watchmaking? Both seem technical, but they must be quite different.
The key difference is efficiency. In the automotive industry, margins might be 1-2 per cent, while in luxury watchmaking, margins are significantly larger. This allows us to invest in tools, computers and software. Automotive manufacturing is about mass production, while we create a few unique watches annually.

However, the engineering approach and thought process are similar. Whether working on small or large parts, you start with an idea, develop it on a computer, and then move to manufacturing. The philosophy of efficiency remains constant. Even in creating our Poetic watches, we might need 20 to 30 people working precisely, with everyone delivering their part at the right time, even if the development requires, for example, five years. Everyone has to arrive at the finishing line at the right time.

For Van Cleef & Arpels, every watch starts with a story. How do you translate that story into something technical and buildable? How does the process of moving from vision to creation work?
We always start with a story. There’s no novelty and sense for us [to proceed] if there isn’t one. We try to develop new watches with high complications, and we begin with a narrative.

Extraordinary Object 2025 — assembling Saturn on the lapis lazuli disc of the Planétarium automaton

After receiving the initial drawings based on the narrative’s interpretation, the watchmakers, craftspeople, engineers, quality control personnel, and others (from 10 to 15 people) gather for discussions. Everyone must understand the watch’s story and its constraints because it’s housed in a 38mm diameter by 10mm thick case.

With that said, we still strive to push the limits; however, it’s essential that we collaborate with one another from the outset of the project. That’s why we decided to verticalise our manufacture [and savoir-faire] seven years ago. With increasingly complex stories, we needed rapid discussions within minutes.

It must be incredibly challenging to have 20 to 30 people working on one watch for many years. I imagine you’re already developing the next watches?
Exactly. We don’t focus on just one watch in our portfolio. We need five to seven years of development, and we create about 15 new novelties every year. Our portfolio might have between 70 and 100 studies in progress. That group of people aren’t focused on a single development but across multiple projects. It’s almost similar to theatre. Performers go on stage without a script; they improvise, but it requires extensive preparation and meticulous organisation.

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Pont Des Amoureux

Does that mean the team members have to be closely connected with one another and know their capabilities before everyone can come together and create something great?
Yes, the turnover is very low, and people tend to stay for long periods after joining the maison.

As someone who has been at Van Cleef & Arpels and watchmaking for many years, how would you personally define the concept of time?
Time is fascinating, isn’t it? It remains constant, but is relative to different people. Time flies quickly when you’re passionate, but feels slow when things gets boring. For me, time moves fast. I do a lot of things, even during the weekends, to the extent that my wife often tells me to slow down. I do stop to meditate now and again. I move at a brisk pace at work because I have many ideas to work on, but I’ve also learnt to moderate my pace for my team, who sometimes struggle to keep up with my energy.

The watches and creations are so poetic, as if they’re designed to remind owners to slow down and appreciate life’s small moments.
That’s exactly what we aim to offer: to create a special connection when our  clients wear our timepieces. For example, the butterflies of the Lady Arpels Papillon Automate “come alive” and flitter randomly throughout the day; they’re dependent on the wearer’s activities. That’s the connection I’m referring to — moments with the watch that only its owner enjoys.

To build on that, how does the team translate something so tangible that clients can see and touch into something so intangible, like those precious, fleeting moments?
It comes naturally. The story guides us. We believe that every story has meaning, even the simplest ones. We always want to offer positivity in life through our creations.

You mentioned earlier that the Maison doesn’t follow trends. Where do you draw the line between pushing boundaries and maintaining heritage?
We have a long history of craftsmanship, and it’s important for our maison. We want to offer something handmade that gives real meaning to the watch. We might use computer simulations and software at the beginning of a project, but 80 to 90 per cent of the work afterwards involves human hands. I hope through this, clients can feel the soul and passion of our team in each creation.

Van Cleef & Arpels’ watches invite people into their universe; how would you describe that universe?
Van Cleef & Arpels offers a positive vision of life. At the same time, we strive to offer legitimacy in our watchmaking and aim to create timeless watches that can be passed down to future generations.

How do you find beauty in the small moments of life? It takes a very conscious, creative mind to appreciate these fleeting moments, especially when time moves so quickly.
With age, I’ve learnt to appreciate time and what has happened. As you grow older, you can step back and appreciate life’s experiences — both the difficulties and the happiness. At Van Cleef & Arpels, things move quickly, but whenever I slow down for a bit, I’ve plenty of time to appreciate everything. My wife often tells me to calm down, and I try to meditate twice a week for about 20 minutes each time. It’s enough to appreciate the time running in front of me, especially in these moments of difficulties in the world. My favourite expression is “carpe diem” — seize the day.

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our August 2025 issue.