PERFECT BY DESIGN
O. K., let’s be honest here. For many years, until August 30, 2021, Parmigiani Fleurier was a brand that, from a technical and quality perspective, I admired more than most. And yet I felt absolutely no desire to own one of their watches. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
The staggering horological firepower they brought to the table was not lost on me. In no particular order, this included the first industrially produced 30-second tourbillon; an in-house 5Hz chronograph; an in-house 5Hz split-seconds chronograph (yes, this is the base of Richard Mille’s movement for the RM 65-01); a dual time-zone movement with retrograde date; a perpetual calendar with retrograde date; an insane wandering hour orbital display watch with minute repeater; a Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève-winning Hijri perpetual calendar; and, yes, I have not forgotten the Bugatti watch with its vertical movement and display. In terms of quality, the watches were stellar, with everything effectively made in-house by subsidiaries of Parmigiani Fleurier’s parent company, the Sandoz Family Foundation. The cases were from Les Artisans Boîtiers (you would lose your
