The Story Behind Parmigiani Fleurier, A Purveyor of True Luxury

A vanguard of timepieces par excellence, Parmigiani Fleurier is notable for its signatures, the hand-knurled bezel and the Grain d’Orge (barley grain) decorative motif.

The date-less Tonda PF Micro-Rotor is an unbridled display of Parmigiani Fleurier’s famous hand-knurled bezel and Grain d’Orge motif.

In particular, the hand-guilloché finish often manifested on the dial or the rotor, and executed in a variety of colours, not only showcases the brand’s savoir-faire but also sensibility. It is this extraordinary aptitude to transmit creative virtues and artisanal crafts into tangible creations that has Parmigiani Fleurier regarded as a bona fide luxury watch brand at the top of its game.

A Prolific Antique Watch Restorer Turned Visionary Brand Pioneer

Since its founding in 1996, Parmigiani Fleurier has become a leading voice in shaping taste and pioneering innovation. All of its timepieces are the result of a balanced and multifaceted approach, drawn from brand founder Michel Parmigiani’s visceral passion in antique timepieces while embracing modern technologies, opulent materials and contemporary design principles. The Maison takes cues from the realms of science, art and architecture.

Founder Michel Parmigiani’s watchmaking ethos are shaped by his love of vintage timepieces.

Michel is a skilled watchmaker and a graduate of the Val-de-Travers School of Watchmaking and the Technicum in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He established his own atelier, the Mesure et Art du Temps, devoted to restoring antique timpieces in 1976. While immersed in the trade, he began picking up interest in designing and crafting his own complex timekeeping creations. “Restoration gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my watchmaking dreams,” he recalls.

The gravity of giving a new lease on life to historically important and archival timepieces from the Patek Philippe Museum and the Château des Monts was not lost on him. It buoyed his reputation as a talented watchmaker and in-demand restorer, which helped open the door to elevate the pursuit of his craft to greater heights, culminating in the inauguration of the House of Parmigiani Fleurier at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne on May 29, 1996, with the support of the Sandoz Family Foundation.

It marked the start of a swift ascent to the pinnacle of watchmaking. Under his own supervision, the TORIC QP Retrograde made its debut in the same year. The alternating gadroons and detailed knurling ingrained on the timepiece would eventually become one of the brand’s aesthetic signatures. Later on, the rectangular Kalpa Hebdomadaire based on the golden ratio would also influence all of the brand’s subsequent creations.

The seminal moment came in 1999 when Parmigiani Fleurier embarked on a vigorous journey to become a genuine manufacture, which began with the acquisition of Les Artisans Boîtiers SA.

A Holistic Approach Towards Luxury and Excellence

Since its inception, the Parmigiani Fleurier Watchmaking Centre has been the locus for all watchmaking activities dedicated to the brand, in addition to making some of their expertise available to external parties. It is here that five companies, which have been strengthened over the years, work in concert with a singular goal in mind: to create superlative timepieces that Parmigiani Fleurier is synonymous with today. They are guided by a set of tenets, spanning innovation, quality and tradition, where meticulous control is extended to every phase of production.

The openworked dial of the TONDA PF Skeleton serves a reminder of the exquisite workmanship behind every Parmigiani Fleurier timepiece.

Les Artisans Boîtiers SA was integrated into the Centre as early as May 2000 to meld the know-how of master craftsmen with state-of-the-art production technology. The judicious move has enabled the brand to fabricate and even devise a medley of watch cases by tapping into cutting-edge design software and machinery, before they are meticulously finished by hand.

Atokalpa, the company specialised in the production of traditional gears, linked up with the Centre in December 2000, bringing with it the expertise to produce all the components of a gear train. Since 2006, it has attained the capability to produce all the elements needed to assemble an oscillator, including the balance spring and pallet fork. Thanks to an in-house machine-building department, innovation is a continuous process and more ground-breaking development is forthcoming.

On top of that, a specialist and pioneer in production innovation, high-precision micromechanics company Elwin was integrated in January 2001. Renowned for its know-how in constructing digitally controlled bar-turning machines and developing software, Elwin has successfully developed DH7, a new lathe specifically designed for the watchmaking industry to lead further improvement in watchmaking production methods.

The trio was followed by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. Created in 2003, it functions as the Centre’s engineering dynamo and produces high-quality manual and automatic mechanical movements, as well as additional modules, with an eye on research and development. The innovative calibres also benefit from Parmigiani Fleurier’s unwavering commitment to craftsmanship, where they are lavished with exceptional finishing by hand.

The hand-guilloché dial demonstrates Parmigiani Fleurier’s signature Grain d’Orge motif.

The art of watchmaking takes on extra significance at Parmigiani Fleurier. In December 2005, Quadrance et Habillage was established to ensure each timepiece is a work of art, where artisans oversee the production of each dial, transforming it from a raw state to an objet d’art through engraving, colouring and other hand-finishing techniques as envisaged by the master dial maker to stir the emotions of would-be collectors. The subsidiary possesses unrivalled expertise in guilloché épargnage, electroplating, transfers and engraving.

Today, over 50 traditional trades are practised at the Parmigiani Fleurier Watchmaking Centre, where designers, engineers, artisans and watchmakers come tirelessly to catalyse a panoply of novelties exuding the highest level in technical and aesthetic savoir-faire. Parmigiani Fleurier played a pivotal role in the formation of the Fleurier Quality Foundation, which is responsible for the first qualitative and independent watchmaking certification for watches made entirely in Switzerland.

From Artistic Notions to Iconic Novelties

At Parmigiani Fleurier, timepieces have evolved with time as epitomised by the TONDA PF, unveiled in 2021 to commemorate the brand’s 25th anniversary. The sophisticated collection features refined designs in a variety of complications, motifs and shapes to exceed the expectations of horological purists.

The TONDA PF GMT Rattrapante combines the world’s first split GMT function with a svelte design.

“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 expounds.

The TONDA PF collection is a reimagination of sartorial splendour, in a world where garment is replaced by precious metals and where watchmakers take the place of tailors. The essence of the timepiece lies in its texture, form and detail, with a focus on silhouette, fluidity, proportions and taste. Indexes of each timepiece are set across two levels of the dial, with the Grain d’Orge guilloché dial pattern serving as an elegant backdrop to the elliptic PF logo. From timeless pared-down two-handers, to annual calendars, to GMT Rattrapante, the TONDA PF collection is made for every occasion.

The TONDA PF SPORT breathes new life into the sports luxury watch genre.

At the intersection of haute horlogerie and sports luxury, the TONDA PF SPORT redefines watchmaking excellence with timepieces that are equally robust, precise and refined. Sporting hand-knurled bezels, the collection offered in high-beat chronographs and double-barrel automatics impresses with stainless steel or rose gold cases paired with hand-stitched Cordura-treated rubber straps to seamlessly combine the great outdoors with fine living.

The TORIC Petite Seconde is inspired by the Doric column and the geometry of the torus.

They are joined by the TORIC collection, made only in the noblest of materials. The collection harks back to vintage timepieces, featuring manual-winding movements, cases, dials, indexes and hands, all crafted from precious metals like gold and platinum, underpinned by design fluidity. The sensual rounded case is complemented with a textured matte dial achieved via traditional graining and hand-brushing techniques, seamlessly blending minimalism and flair.

CEO Guido Terreni (left) and founder Michel Parmigiani are the driving force behind the brand.

“In crafting the new TORIC collection, we drew upon the rich horological culture and expertise of Parmigiani Fleurier to redefine the essence of the men’s dress watch. This collection embodies a spirit of freedom and sophistication that reflects the evolution of the modern man’s wardrobe,” CEO Guido Terreni remarks.

A Rich Archive of Award-Winning Masterpieces

To mark its 20th anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier unveiled its first-ever integrated chronograph, the TONDA Chronor Anniversaire.

On multiple occasions, Parmigiani Fleurier has found acclaim at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). The TONDA Chronor Anniversaire unveiled for the brand’s 20th anniversary won the Chronograph prize at the 2017 edition. The cutting-edge capable of remarkable precision was recognised for its superb thinness without compromising on the high-beat frequency. It was designed, produced and assembled in-house.

The TORIC Hémisphères Rétrograde is equipped with the functionality of two time zones, each accurate to the nearest minute.

At the same edition, the TORIC Hémisphères Rétrograde also came top in the Travel Time Watch category. The avant-garde timepiece combines timeless elegance with contemporary travel utility, building upon an outstanding mechanism that allows for the adjustment of two time zones, even for places with time differences of half an hour or a quarter of an hour. It was this unique feature that set the timepiece apart from conventional GMT watches.

The Hijri Perpetual Calendar was a world’s first, based on technology Parmigiani Fleurier developed for an exclusive table clock.

With a history of producing Gregorian and Chinese calendar-based perpetual calendar timepieces, the debut of the Hijri Perpetual Calendar garnered Parmigiani Fleurier a coveted prize at the 2020 edition of the GPHG. An ode to an enduring culture, the complex timepiece was painstakingly designed and assembled to account for numerous permutations over the course of a period, where every detail is thoughtfully considered, right down to the Arabic calligraphy adorning the dial and the aventurine sky of the moon phase indicator.

The TONDA PF Automatic 36mm of a timepiece of austere sobriety and discreet opulence.

Most recently, the TONDA PF Automatic 36mm was declared the victor for the Ladies’ Watch prize at the 2022 edition. The timepiece exhibits an exquisite knurled bezel, a Grain d’Orge hand-guilloché dial and invisibly set baguette diamond hour markers, setting the standard for elegant design. The harmonious synthesis of craftsmanship and technical advancement of the timepiece transcended traditional assumptions.

“Our aim was to break free from traditional constraints, creating a watch that embodies a nuanced, serene, and versatile elegance, meticulously crafted to resonate with the refined essence of today’s discerning individual,” Terreni says.