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Parmigiani Fleurier is one of the few luxury watchmakers that has already established itself as a modern day powerhouse with less than thirty years of brand history. Despite only being inaugurated in 1996, founder Michel Parmigiani had begun working on his own timepieces as early as 1976 at his watchmaking workshop, Mesure et Art du Temps. It wasn’t until the mid-'90s, the Sandoz Family Foundation took an interest in Parmigiani’s works, invested in the Maison, and became the biggest shareholder. There’s a non-conformist approach and appeal to a Parmigiani Fleurier watch – it’s understated, refined, and timeless. Its headquarters is located in the town of Fleurier in Switzerland's Val-de-Travers and resides in a historical maison de maître that aligns with Parmigiani's penchant and passion for preservation. As Hypebeast arrives at the luxury watchmaker’s home base, we begin to understand how the Maison has established itself in the modern world of Haute Horlogerie.

Follow along to see what goes on behind the scenes at the luxury watchmaker.

Val-de-Travers, Switzerland. https://parmigiani.com/

In a conversation with founder Michel Parmigiani, we learned that it was his curious nature that brought him into the world of horology. Having trained with an eye for detail since young, Parmigiani correlates the nature of watchmaking to botanics and architecture – veritably, at one point in his life, he hesitated whether to pursue watchmaking or to become an architect. Citing his fascination for the world, Parmigiani brought up the Romanesco broccoli as an example. He likens the vegetable’s fractal construction to the nature of watchmaking – when observing a timepiece, you start by noticing the bigger elements like the case, dial, and hands. As you delve deeper into the heart of the piece — the movement — you’ll start paying closer attention to all the small components inside it, and so on. “It's all about harmony and proportionality,” he says.

“It’s not about pushing the design to the limit, but actually creating something that's durable.”

“Having an in-house restoration workshop at the Maison is a manifestation of Michel Parmigiani’s undeterred passion and care for his craft.”

About 40 minutes drive away from Fleurier are Quadrance & Habillage and Les Artisans Boîters (LAB) – the two artisanal manufactures responsible for producing all of Parmigiani Fleurier’s dials and cases. Nestled in the historical watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the two manufactures not only share the same premise but also a tight-knit working relationship. We navigated the site in simulation of a timepiece’s journey – from the various stages of the dial to case, and assembly. The journey begins at Quadrance & Habillage, and starts with the welded dial plates that are fresh out of the CNC machines. These are then taken away to undergo surface treatments, followed by chemical dyeing processes that bestow colors on the dial. The lab for the coloring is well equipped and extensive, which is what allowed Parmigiani Fleurier ample creativity in its dial creations. After this, the tint is then sealed with a protective layer of Zapon lacquer, before being taken to the dial-makers to have its indices hand-set or pad-printed.

Moving onto LAB, every case is designed and simulated on the 3D CAD software before being transferred over to the large CNC machines, where it is cut and shaped. With the bulk of the case construction being computer-assisted, the rest is then handled by skilled craftsmen to proceed with quality control. These parts are cleaned and hand-polished to ensure no micro-dusts or blemishes are present before the cases are transported to the decoration and assembly lines. Essentially, every staff member at the manufacture is skilled in all aspects of the production, and everyone is trained to work fluidly across the site. As the site manager tells Hypebeast in a hypothetical scenario, if one staff was to focus solely on a single task, i.e. polishing, they’d complete 500 pieces during one shift on an average basis. In the eyes of an outsider, the tour itself feels as if we were conquesting through a tangled labyrinth. As we see-sawed between floors and toured across various rooms, our first-hand experience in a timepiece’s journey at the manufacture verifies just how tight-knit the two manufactures are.

By : Zoe Leung

Michel Parmigiani has spent many moons of his career working in watch restoration. Today, the importance of horological conservation and repair still carries through in the brand. Not just figuratively, the Maison’s physical restoration workshop is situated inside a historical three-storeyed house that’s just across the street from the headquarters’ building. Despite its name, no Parmigiani Fleurier watches are ever sent here for repair, as the in-house workshop exclusively works on historical pieces, clocks, and pocket watches. An average day at the restoration workshop may not seem all that different from Michel Parmigiani’s time. The workshop manager tells us that every restoration request is considered an individual project. For each of these projects, there’s a designated file that documents everything centering on the restoration project, from research, and technical specifications, to recording every single stage of its process. The restoration workshop at Parmigiani Fleurier isn’t just a clinic for mending and revitalizing antique timekeepers, it also serves as an embodiment of the Maison’s roots by honoring what’s important for their clients on a sentimental level. Having an in-house restoration workshop at the Maison is a manifestation of Michel Parmigiani’s undeterred passion and care for his craft.

Ever since the establishment of Parmigiani Fleurier, the Sandoz Family Foundation has been backing the Maison in developing its own watchmaking center. Now, Parmigiani Fleurier’s vertically integrated production comprises five specialist manufactures: Vaucher, for movements; Atokalpa, for balance wheels; Elwin, for hardware and micro-components; Quadrance & Habillage for dials; and Artisans Boîtiers SA for the cases. Hypebeast’s visit centered on the three factories closer in proximity, which are Quadrance & Habillage and Artisans Boîtiers SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds, as well as the Fleurier-based Vaucher, which is just a few minutes' drive from the Maison. Today, Vaucher not only produces all of Parmigiani Fleurier’s movements, but it’s also one of few manufactures that also produce watch calibers for numerous venerable brands. From the likes of Hermés, Richard Mille, and many more, Vaucher’s repertoire of clientele goes to show just the level of work it’s capable of. CNC machines are imperative in the world of modern watchmaking. As it’s controlled and monitored by a numerical computer, the cutting and shaping process for even the tiniest components now leaves no room for human error. Hypebeast had the chance to witness the milling process of a Parmigiani Fleurier base plate. Oil and alcohol are used as coolants during the milling process, which is continuously sprayed while the machine gradually crafts out the base plate’s architecture. When it comes to movement design, we learned from Vaucher’s in-house R&D team that it’s not about “pushing the design to the limit,” but actually “creating something that's durable.” This is especially true in their process of developing the PF361 caliber, which as the movement engineers tell us, was “one of the longest projects they’ve worked on.” The caliber was primarily conceived for Parmigiani Fleurier's 20th birthday timepiece – the Tonda Chronor Anniversaire. Classic movements usually require one to two years to finalize, but in the case of the very special PF361, its implemented split-second chronograph function also added to the difficulty of the project and took the team three years to complete.

From the exterior to the inner workings, every Parmigiani Fleurier wristwatch displays an incredible level of artistic and technical craftsmanship – but that’s not all. At the top of the Maison’s repertoire are exceptional horological masterworks that exude the uppermost levels of artisanal workmanship. One of the best and more recent examples is the La Rose Carrée – a truly one-of-a-kind pocket watch dedicated to Parmigiani Fleurier’s 25th anniversary. La Rose Carrée is not only a testament to the Maison’s mastery in restoration, but it also serves to unite various forms of advanced and historical craftsmanship. The timepiece houses an original movement from the late 19th century, created by legendary watchmaker Louis-Elisée Piguet. Encased in white gold, the double hunter pocket watch features an intricate design. Drawing from Michel Parmigiani’s fascination with nature, the Golden Ratio, and Fibonacci’s sequence, the case exterior consisted of spirals and squared rose motifs. It's then finished with tantalizing Grand Feu enamel, complete with a rose-encoded square chain.

Inside the Maison of Parmigiani Fleurier

“It's all about harmony and proportionality.” - Michel Parmigiani

“Every staff member at the manufacture is skilled in all aspects of the production.”

During the visit, Hypebeast had the chance to meet with Vanessa Lecci, the master enameller who was one of the last to put the finishing touches on the La Rose Carrée. Her enameling atelier is tucked in the town of Perseux, which is around a 30-minute drive from the Parmigiani Fleurier maison de maître. We asked Lecci what kind of impact La Rose Carrée left on her, she said, “The impact was immediate, as it was a challenge of trust.” Despite her initial excitement for the challenge, it didn’t take long before this emotion was turned into unwavering focus. Making even a single mistake was not an option for one-off pieces, let alone an exceptional project like the La Rose Carrée. On top of all that, Lecci was also battling against time. “It was mid-November, but the piece had to be ready by December 2 for Michel's birthday,” she noted. Lecci remembered the time as exactly 6:30 p.m. when the last layer of enamel was completed. As soon as the piece was out of the oven, she immediately made haste to the Maison. After Michel Parmigiani had examined and approved of the piece, Lecci immediately had a meltdown. “I cried,” she said with relief, “the tension just disappeared.” Regarding this particular collaboration, the Maison’s CEO, Guido Terreni tells Hypebeast just how significant Lecci meant to the project. “We can't live without her. Whenever we do a high-end piece, we have to call her,” said Terreni, adding that he has personally learned a lot from Lecci. “I’ll always treasure this moment in which I understand what the technique was all about.” Just as Parmigiani Fleurier values Lecci’s craft, the enamel artisan also noted how special her working relationship with both Michel Parmigiani and Guido Terreni is. “It’s rare to have a client and collaborator who understands the process of enameling.” she says.

“La Rose Carrée is not only a testament to the Maison’s mastery in restoration, but it also serves to unite various forms of advanced and historical craftsmanship.”

While our time with Parmigiani Fleurier may be chaperoned, the experience felt much more intimate and authentic than anticipated. As Guido Terreni mentioned in a previous Hypebeast interview, in which he described his first encounter with Michel Parmigiani as “more like meeting [his] grandfather,” we can’t help but agree just how much the Parmigiani Fleurier founder feels like a grandfather figure for the Maison. He’s humble, genteel, and worldly, but most importantly, he still possesses a child-like innocence and curiosity toward the world. It’s also this curiosity and detail-oriented fascination that collided his path with watchmaking and thus, the creation of Parmigiani Fleurier.

When it comes to movement design, we learned from Vaucher’s in-house R&D team that it’s not about “pushing the design to the limit,” but actually “creating something that's durable.” This is especially true in their process of developing the PF361 caliber, which as the movement engineers tell us, was “one of the longest projects they’ve worked on.” The caliber was primarily conceived for Parmigiani Fleurier's 20th birthday timepiece – the Tonda Chronor Anniversaire. Classic movements usually require one to two years to finalize, but in the case of the very special PF361, its implemented split-second chronograph function also added to the difficulty of the project and took the team three years to complete.