There are encounters between art and craftsmanship that go beyond the object itself. The collaboration between Italian artist Alex Righetto and Van Bergen 1795 is one such meeting, connecting contemporary figurative art with the history and traditions of fine watchmaking.

Scheduled for presentation in Monaco in July 2027, the collection takes its name from Mona Lisa’s Daughter, one of Righetto’s most significant artistic projects.

Based on the Heero, the first timepiece created by Van Bergen 1795, the collection comprises three Pièces Uniques and fifteen numbered editions. Selected pieces will be entirely handcrafted and hand-painted by Alex Righetto, incorporating his original artwork into the watchmaking process.

Each timepiece carries the artist’s signature engraved on its case, establishing a direct connection between the artwork and the finished object.

The story begins even before the watch is revealed.

Each Pièce Unique is presented in an oak sea chest modelled on a trunk dating back to the time of Heero Andries van Bergen, the eighteenth-century shipbuilder whose son Andries cast the bell of Midwolda in 1795.

For many years, the original trunk stood in the attic of Bob Juchter van Bergen Quast, seventh generation of the Van Bergen family and President of the maison.

The new chest follows the spirit of the original construction. Its rope beckets are twisted in the blue, ivory and gold of the traditional torse, while the cords are braided in Florence on a warping machine based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci.

The result is an object that brings together maritime heritage, historical craftsmanship and the artistic traditions of two different eras.

Open the chest, and nothing yet announces a watch. Only a bell.

The words Vivos voco. Mortuos plango.  “I call the living. I mourn the dead” refer to the historic bell cast by Andries van Bergen in 1795 for the church of Midwolda.

The inscription expresses the timeless role of bells: calling people together, marking significant moments and accompanying the passage from life to death.

Its presence in this project is more than a historical reference. It creates a connection between the origins of the Van Bergen family, the passage of time and the central themes of Mona Lisa’s Daughter.

The painting itself explores the fragile relationship between life, loss and memory. In this collaboration, those themes enter a different medium, where the measurement of time becomes both a technical discipline and a reflection on human existence.

For Alex Righetto, this collaboration represents a new context for his artistic work. His imagery, developed through painting and an ongoing exploration of figurative art, finds a place within an object traditionally associated with precision engineering and mechanical craftsmanship.

For Van Bergen 1795, the project brings a contemporary artistic interpretation into the history of its first timepiece, the Heero.

The collection will be presented in Monaco in July 2027.

Three unique creations and fifteen numbered editions. Different expressions of a collaboration in which painting, watchmaking and historical craftsmanship meet around a shared subject: time.