Back to L’ecole with Van Cleef and Arpels

Watch making is a skill that not enough people know about anymore. Fewer people are willing to learn this highly technical skill than ever before but Van Cleef and Arpels have reopened its Paris school and introduced classes that teach watch making. Due to high demand, the company opened up the school and created a wide range of classes that teach the smallest and most intricate skills to broader tasks.

The company hopes to demystify the watch making process and make it far simpler to understand. The Fondation de la Haute Horologerie will take apart a complete watch movement and reassemble it letting students take a deeper look into the inner workings of the watch. L Ecole was opened two years ago by company president Marie Vallanet-Delhom and promised members of the public a chance to look into the history and process of the company and other watchmakers.

After two years of working and evolving after opening, the school now offers more classes than ever taught by historians, craftsman, jewelers, gemologists, and master watch makers. The Ecole moved and is now housed at the Place Vendome and offers more classes and workshops than ever before.

This school has seen over 2000 students of different nationalities and also makes international visits each year to expand the reach of the school. In 2013 alone, the school spent two weeks in Tokyo teaching over 600 students about the school and about watch making. This type of school is somewhat innovative as most schools focus on public education, history, and other practical skills that are not so specialized. This school however offers a vast range of skills, a chance to see into the history of the practice, and a chance to learn skills that have been previously kept away from lay people.

This type of specialty school offers students the chance to truly become patrons of the arts in a way and to learn a bit more about a skill that was previously next to impossible to understand. Though most people are not going to be able to pack up and go to Paris to learn about watch making, there is now a school that does offer the opportunity for those that are ready and willing to learn this truly fascinating and intricate skill.

The company Van Cleef & Arpels has long been a company that produces excellent quality pieces that stand the test of time and that are stunning no matter what decade you look at them. These pieces are feats of engineering on the most intricate level and are a great opportunity for anyone to see and even learn about. The school offers the highest level of understanding for this often misunderstood craft and is well worth the travel and the time spent.

The school is currently taking students and offers a wide range of opportunity for students to learn a skill that is at once fascinating and useful. Students that leave this school leave with not only an understanding of watch making, but also an understanding of the intricacies of business and the history of jewelry making. This school is truly innovative and will continue to grow and evolve over the years.