Parmigiani’s Design Ethos Preserves Michel Parmigiani’s ...

As Parmigiani reaches its 30th, the watch company presents a series that glorifies the neo-classic style and celebrates its founder for his oeuvre in watch and clock restoration.

There are a handful of watchmakers whose names will surely come up when classic watchmaking architecture is referenced. Michel Parmigiani certainly numbers among that short list. When he established Parmigiani Fleurier in 1996, he had already gained renown for his expertise in fine watch and clock restoration. In the 30 years since he built his namesake brand, it has become a reference for neoclassicists in the industry. At Watches & Wonders Geneva, the brand introduced a range of elegant timepieces, each highlighting elements of Michel Parmigiani’s design philosophy. These five details present across Parmigiani’s 30th Anniversary collection are borne out of his love for historical watchmaking and rare handcraft, and a part of the brand’s identity.

The knurled bezel and caseback

Parmigiani’s three collections all stem from the Toric, its O.G. series. Its design has remained mostly intact, and decorative techniques such as knurling (on the bezel and the case back) continue to be used today across its watches. The brand has worked with the same atelier since its founding to produce these parts. The knurled pattern is achieved by pressing a steel mould to the bezel by hand repeatedly to create each groove, with as little variations in pressure to ensure an even knurling. (Precision is at the level of micrometres of difference in height.) The technique pays tribute to classic Greek architecture, which is also where the Toric collection’s name originates.

Movements in gold

Gold has been used in horology since before the 16th century, particularly for chamber clocks used at home by aristocrats and the elite. It was used to encase portable clocks and later, pocket watches. Miniaturised watch movements were handmade, intricate, and expensive; watchmakers produced gold plates and bridges for movements to appeal to the wealthy. These were often decorated with gemstones and hand-engraving. Today, few watchmakers still work with gold movements; Parmigiani is one of the few that do, mostly in special releases or limited editions. In fact, one of its most precise movements, the PF361-SLIM, is a high-frequency, split-seconds chronograph with skeletonised rose gold baseplate and bridges, allowing wearers to enjoy the visual spectacle of its moving parts.

What Parmigiani has introduced to this tradition is the use of engine-turned decorative work in the PF780-AN, the manually-wound calibre for the Toric Petite Seconde. Rose-engine turning, better known as guilloché-à-main, is typically used on the dial or case, but rarely seen on a movement. The hobnail pattern is a classic motif used in high watchmaking and applying it on the movement creates the appearance of silicon wafers (or Belgian waffles, for that matter). The result is not only aesthetically stunning, but adds to the movement’s appearance as a high-tech engine of precise timekeeping.

Monochromatic bliss

Colour is a facet of Parmigiani Fleurier’s design language that emphasises subtlety and harmony. The Toric Quantieme Perpetuel is an excellent example of this important balance between legibility and space, as well as monochromatic beauty. The watchmaker sees timepieces as objects of beauty, and references nature in the use of colour. Tonal variations are achieved through artistic techniques like hand-hammering gold and engine-turning, as well as subtle variations in colour. The lighter tone of the calendar’s counters, for example, on sunray-finished discs, is just visible against the warmer dial colour. Parmigiani’s re-design of the calendar’s display also frees up more space on the dial to admire the beauty of its hand-hammered dial. It is notably minimalist in form and maximalist in aesthetic.

The rose-gold base plate and bridges of the PF733-AN look almost like extensions of the case, and the twin barrels and regulating organs of the watch stand out against this sea of warm gold tones. It’s rather remarkable to observe how the generous use of different geometric elements on the case back maintains a harmonious style without clashing against each component.

Uncomplicated dials

Michel Parmigiani grew up in the mid-century era, which meant he was exposed to some of the most contemporary designs in his youth. Among the watches he has restored, many of his favourites are from the modern era of design; these include mysterious movements and the minute repeater. His design language is certainly influenced by the early and mid-century modern style of doing more with less. A great example of this is the Tonda PF Tourbillon in platinum with deep blue dial: on a sea of sandblasted deep blue lies a single aperture opening that shows the tourbillon on the dial, with skeletonised hands to reduce visual distraction.

The Tonda PF 30th Anniversary is another excellent example of this style, with a modern sandblasted, minimalist display that contrasts against the polished sides of its bracelet. It’s reminiscent of braceleted sports watches from a century ago, but with an upgrade. These watches partially fit the mystery category of watchmaking, as each hides a function of the watch. The GMT Rattrapante is the second complication presented by Parmigiani after the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. It features an invisible, mysterious, on-demand display of a second time zone hour hand, which lines up with the regular hour hand until triggered.

The latest in the series is the Chronograph Mystérieux, an on-display chronograph with 12-hour and 60-minute totalisers that are displayed like regular time with rose gold hands. The display is triggered when the pusher is activated, with the running seconds hand doubling to indicate elapsed chronograph seconds. For anyone who has wished for a larger display for their chronographs, the Chronographe Mystérieux is the answer. And a close look at the different finishes employed for the Tonda PF demonstrates just how complex a simple “time-only” watch can be, and how elegant it can look with the right decorative techniques.

Perfect form

The use of purist geometric forms with the Tonda PF and Toric models emphasise its aesthetic. From the front, the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante resembles a piece of wrist jewellery, while the Toric with its drum-like case design is inspired by the ends of the Greek column. Both are based on precise angles and curvatures in every watch and need no further elaboration to enrich their design. Led by design, this highlights how Michel Parmigiani has injected elements of historical watchmaking in the brand’s design language, while remaining contemporary in style.

These five key elements are only the core of Parmigiani’s design ethos.

Parmigiani’s Design Ethos Preserves Michel Parmigiani’s Legacy In Timepiece Restoration For The Future

The knurled bezel and caseback

Movements in gold

Monochromatic bliss

Uncomplicated dials

Perfect form