Parmigiani Fleurier l’Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse

Borna Bošnjak

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• Parmigiani Fleurier continues the custom of making particular, extremely advanced items for his or her founder’s birthday.
• With a hand-engraved and enamelled entrance cowl that doesn’t inform the time, the Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse lives as much as its title.
• The Renaud & Papi-developed motion chimes the time on request, but in addition tells it by way of a caseback aperture, simply in case.

The day that I can use my birthday as an excuse to obtain a haute horlogerie piece created particularly for the event, I’ll know that I made it. I definitely hope Michel Parmigiani feels the identical, particularly contemplating this specific birthday deal with isn’t his first rodeo. The Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse follows within the footsteps of the Rose Carrée and Rosa Celeste, combining intricate hand-guilloché and engraving with a chiming complication to tribute the grasp watchmaker. This time, although, it has the extra twist of being a thriller dial, which signifies that the wearer has to deal with the sounds of the reverberating gongs to have the ability to inform the time. It’s high-end watchmaking in probably the most romantic sense, although with some sensibility inbuilt too.

Within the absence of a conventional, time-telling dial, Parmigiani Fleurier makes use of a hand-engraved and enamelled cowl in a tender, grey-green or a surprisingly vibrant pink. This one single piece is the handiwork of three skilled craftspeople: Vanessa Lecci for the flinqué enamel, Yann Von Kaenel for the guillochage, and Eddy Jaquet for the central engraving. The work is gorgeous, and repeated on the caseback sans enamel.

The Armoriale isn’t simply secretive from the entrance, because the caseback doesn’t assist you to peer on the motion both, although it nonetheless sports activities a sign you may discover helpful – extra on that shortly. No matter it being hidden, the Renaud & Papi PF355 is executed to a level you’d count on from the complication masters, the prolonged cathedral gongs being its centrepiece. To additional assist with resonance, parts of the case have been hollowed out, whereas a flywheel transfers the facility to the placing mechanism to make sure silent operation and fixed torque.

Keep in mind the indication I talked about on the caseback? Properly, if you end up in a setting the place tripping the minute repeater wouldn’t be applicable, the central medallion is surrounded by a sapphire crystal, and two floating letters – “H” and “M”. In case you hadn’t guessed it, slightly than indicating a collaboration with a Swedish multinational trend retailer, these point out hours and minutes. Being fully sincere, though the lugs may look just a little odd, I may entertain the argument of truly carrying the watch like this could you want at-a-glance time-telling functionality.

And talking of the case, aside from being a resonator for the motion, it’s additionally hand-engraved to signify Doric columns, which is sensible contemplating the affect Historical Greece has on Parmigiani designs generally. It’s not a svelte watch, nonetheless, the white gold case measuring 41.6mm in diameter and 12.65mm thick. Trying on the Parmigiani’s previous high-complication efforts, that is par for the course, however I nonetheless can’t assist be simply barely disillusioned that the Armoriale isn’t sub-40mm, with a thinner case, as it might actually amp up the entire thought of it being “mysterious”.

That mentioned, the Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse is supposed to be a restricted run of simply 5 items, all uniquely customised for his or her consumers. As such, I’ve little question these will keep in folks’s collections for a while.

Parmigiani Fleurier l’Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse pricing and availability

The Parmigiani Fleurier l’Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse is a restricted run of 5 items, with all of them personalised. Worth: on request