Exceptional Pieces

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Exceptional pieces allow us to glorify the art of watchmaking and its mechanical complications on a larger, more observable scale. The external aesthetics must be equivalent in workmanship and craftsmanship to the complexity of the internal movement.

– Michel Parmigiani

Recreating exceptional moments

To Michel Parmigiani, highly complicated table clocks and other horological masterworks — such as the Oriental Flower, the Cat and Mouse, and the Dragon and the Pearl of Wisdom — are a means to express some of the highest levels of watchmaking expertise. These artisanal pieces also offer a canvas to showcase historical crafts and trades such as enameling, engraving, and rare stone jewelry to vibrant modern life.

La Rose Carrée, Parmigiani’s Paragon

La Rose Carrée is the pinnacle of Parmigiani Fleurier’s 25th anniversary year (2021), bringing together an elite team of craftspeople of uncommon passion and skill to create a truly one-of-a-kind timepiece. Restorer, designer, case maker, beveller, engraver, dial maker, chain maker and master enameller all bring their unique crafts to bear in a confluence of expertise that was known in the olden days as “les mains d’or,” or “the golden hands.” Guided by Michel Parmigiani’s vision, the creators of La Rose Carrée — some working inside the manufacture, others based in the restoration workshop — all adhere to the highest work ethic and dedication to the mathematical concepts of beauty that guide the brand’s creation, as per the principles of the Fibonacci sequence.

Based on a rare, complicated pocket watch caliber unearthed by Michel Parmigiani from his own extensive archives, La Rose Carrée is nevertheless thoroughly modern in its decorative execution, following the directive of CEO Guido Terreni, who urged this network of artisans to honor tradition while embracing modernity.

Les Roses Carrées “Collection Grand Feu”

La Rose Carrée has now evolved into Les Roses Carrées “Collection Grand Feu,” an elite assembly of five unique minute-repeater watches at the top of the Parmigiani Fleurier range, representing the highest echelon of watchmaking craftsmanship and complication, set against a background of absolute exclusivity.

Between the petals of these horological flowers, Parmigiani Fleurier embeds the noblest complication: a manually wound minute repeater caliber with a cathedral gong. Its skeletonization and beveling bring together the best of Parmigiani Fleurier’s watchmaking expertise and craftsmanship for a unique and poetic timepiece.

Hippologia, the height of artistic craftsmanship

This unique piece emerges from the combined talents of designer, watchmaker, automaton inventor, and crystal maker. Inspired by the Latin phrase “tempus fugit,” for “time flies,” Hippologia, with its representation of a mare and her foal, embodies the concept of taming time, rather than subduing it, in order to better appreciate the time we have.

The Hijri calendar watch, a world first

Parmigiani Fleurier is the first Swiss haute horlogerie Maison to have created a continuous mechanical Hegirian calendar. This exclusive timepiece, meticulously developed over several months of research and craftsmanship, tracks time according to a 30-year periodic lunar cycle. It alternates between 19 common years and 11 leap years, representing a remarkable achievement in the art of watchmaking.

The Dragon and the Pearl of Wisdom: Bringing a creation myth to life

For the Chinese year of the Water Dragon, 2012, the maison unveiled the Dragon and the Pearl of Wisdom, paying a horological tribute to the legendary Chinese myth of the carp that becomes a dragon. The use of precisely set jade scales on the body of the imperial dragon, and the white gold sphere, set in precious stones, as the pearl of wisdom in the dragon’s claws, are examples of the gem-setting, goldsmithing, and clockmaking expertise in this unique table clock.

The Fibonacci Pocket Watch, inspired by the golden ratio

The Fibonacci Pocket Watch celebrates artistic excellence and technical performance while highlighting the natural harmony of nature. Its aesthetics and mechanism pay homage to craftsmanship and the art of The Gaïa Sun Clock, a fusion of excellent craftsmanship.

In 2015, Parmigiani Fleurier and French crystal expert Lalique partnered to create the Gaïa Sun Clock. Inspired by Rene Lalique’s original Le Jour et Nuit clock from 1926, this extraordinary piece features a mother-of-pearl marquetry dial in Parmigiani’s signature style, an in-house movement, and a Lalique crystal casing with beautifully relief engraved figures — a true marriage of Haute Horlogerie with jewelry and crystal craftsmanship.

The Gaïa Sun Clock, a fusion of excellent craftsmanship

In 2015, Parmigiani Fleurier and Lalique joined forces to create the Gaïa Sun Clock. With its Lalique crystal casing and Parmigiani Fleurier’s signature watch dial craftsmanship, topped off with a movement created in-house, it reflects the fusion of haute horlogerie with expert jewelry and crystal craftsmanship. It also echoes the many creations that illustrate the theme of Day and Night in René Lalique’s jewelry work.

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