PARMIGIANI: Brand Profile ,History and Products

Founded in 1976, the Manufacture Parmigiani Fleurier currently represents a peerless centre of competence backed by a complete and entirely independent industrial facility.

An eloquent token of stability and independence, the trust shown by the Sandoz Family Foundation in lending its support to Parmigiani Fleurier right from its earliest days represents an estimably precious guarantee of harmonious and sustainable brand development. From 1999 onwards, new acquisitions in the fields of watch exteriors (case manufacturing),micro-mechanical engineering and precision profile-turning have regularly enriched the vastpool of watchmaking resources with a broad range of technical know-how,THERE BY contributing to the creation of one of Switzerland’s rarest, most comprehensive and effective Manufactures of Haute Horlogerie.

Since 2005, after five years of research and development, the Manufacture fully masters production of the highly strategic components that are vital to mechanical movements: the regulating organ composed of the balance and balance spring, as well as the lever escapement.Haute Horlogerie is a traditional and yet constantly evolving domain. This rich diversity of production contributes to enhancing a watchmaking heritage established and recognised in the Val-de-Travers for several centuries.

Parmigiani Fleurier’s profound attachment to the development of the entire range of watchmaking professions represents the key reason behind its participation in the Fleurier Quality Foundation certification, as a founding member active from the earliest phases of this ambitious project. Inaugurated in September 2004, this new set of aesthetic and technical criteria designed to certify finished watches offers an enhanced definition of Swiss top-quality watchmaking.

Resolutely geared towards the future, the Parmigiani Fleurier Manufacture is expanding in step with new technological challenges representing major milestones along its creative path, determined to ensure the enduring continuity of excellence.Parmigiani is a brand dedicated to creating horological masterpieces that excel in both beauty and technology. A master watchmaker and world-renowned restorer of antique timepieces, Michel Parmigiani has set some of the highest standards in watchmaking for himself and his team of experts—standards that define the brand and set it apart from others.

Relatively young in the world of watchmaking, Parmigiani established his company in 1975 as an independent restoration business. Within just a few years, his reputation for excellence and his penchant for perfection made him one of the most sought-after watchmakers. Some of the world’s finest brands turned to Parmigiani to create private-label watches for them. In 1995, Michel Parmigiani was awarded the Prix GAIA for his activities and research in the horological field. It was in 1996 that Parmigiani unveiled the first collection of timepieces to bear his name. The Parmigiani Fleurier line consisted of ladies’and men’s watches, as well as several clocks, a few unique timepieces and a Grande Complication, which underscored his dedication to the fine Swiss watchmaking heritage. Parmigiani’s collection was very well received by connoisseurs around the world for its technical expertise, advanced craftsmanship and sublime elegance. Each year since the inception of the brand, Parmigiani has unveiled striking new watches ranging from chronometers to complicated watches such as the minute repeater and tourbillon. Still, he remains steadfast in his commitment to perfection. Every watch is handmade in his workshops in Fleurier and—ensuring exclusivity—only a few thousand timepieces are created annually.

In the classically elegant Toric collection of round timepieces defined by the engraved godroons of its bezel, Parmigiani has added several impressive new models. Top among them are the Toric Perpetual Calendar Retrograde and the Repeater GMT. The Toric Perpetual Calendar Retrograde, previously in the collection, has been completely redesigned and now houses the first perpetual calendar movement manufactured entirely by Parmigiani. Using as a base the automatic mechanical Caliber 331, which was launched in 2001, the new movement incorporates additions that enable moonphase indication accurate to within 57 seconds in each lunar cycle. The discrepancy is thus reduced to only one day every 120 years. The Toric Minute Repeater GMT chimes the hours, quarters and minutes on two gongs. It also features a second time-zone indicator and the date. The watch features an original second-time and calendar adjustment two-push- piece system developed by Parmigiani that is easy to use.

Parmigiani has also added models to the very harmoniously curved Form collection. The Forma Hebdomadaire, created to spark a contemporary flair within the Parmigiani line, features an extended, reshaped, larger curved case with longer case-to bracelet attachments.

The dial, inspired by Fibonacci’s Golden Rule of numbers in nature, features a subsecond’s dial that also incorporates the date aperture. This watch is crafted only in steel. The Forma Grande and Piccola collections essentially consist of the two sizes of Forma cases ensconced with varying degrees of diamonds. In their completely adorned versions, the Forma Piccola has 486 diamonds on the case, and the Forma Grande features 563 diamonds weighing nearly four carats.

FOUNDER:MICHEL PARMIGIANI
Born in Couvet (Switzerland) in 1950, Michel Parmigiani grew up in a valley of the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Val-de-Travers, a secluded region where the natural surroundings are conducive to contemplation.From his earliest childhood, Michel Parmigiani came in close contact with craftsmen whose skilled hands guided their creativity. Fascinated by this field, he quickly chose to take watchmaking training, and then devoted himself to the restoration of renowned creations by creating his own company, just over thirty years ago.

Michel Parmigiani thus enjoyed the privilege of witnessing four hundred and fifty years of watchmaking history and developed an awareness of perpetuating, through his contemporary timepieces, the exceptional level of quality observed at the heart of such restored works.Ten years ago, thanks to the trust shown in him by the Sandoz Family Foundation, the Parmigiani Fleurier brand was born of their shared vision for watchmaking of great value. It has now become a reality, a style imbued with elegance, which daily reveals more and more of its wealth of ingenuity.

Official website: www.parmigiani.ch