Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Hearing is Believing with the Unique Parmigiani Fleurier L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse
A secret watch with minute repeater and classical motifs to honour Michel Parmigiani’s invaluable contribution to the art of watchmaking and his upcoming birthday.
Once upon a time, antique timepiece restorer and master watchmaker Michel Parmigiani was encouraged by the Sandoz family to create a manufacture. Known as Parmigiani Fleurier, the fully independent manufacture produced exquisite high-end watches, over thirty in-house movements and fascinating table clocks equipped with automata. With the arrival of CEO Guido Terreni in 2021, the collection has been radically streamlined, represented by the Tonda and Toric families. However, in honour of Michel Parmigiani’s passion for minute repeaters and the brand’s expertise in métiers d’art, the 25th anniversary of the brand was feted with the stunning La Rose Carée pocket watch and a special edition Rosa Celeste wristwatch to celebrate Michel’s birthday in 2022. In this vein, the brand unveils the Armoriale Mysterious Repeater, a fascinating secret watch with a minute repeater just in time for the maestro’s birthday on the 2nd of December.
The Armorial Mysterious Repeater is a beautiful secret watch with a minute repeater, belonging to PF’s Exceptional Pieces collection. Unlike contemporary repeaters with time indications on the dial, the beauty of this watch is that time is delivered acoustically, harking back to the days when electrical lighting was still on the horizon, and people relied on chiming the hours and minutes on demand. Time can, however, be consulted on the reverse with spherical dots set on a white Guatemalan jade chapter ring indicated by rose gold ‘H’ and ‘M’ hands.
The 18k white gold case has a thickness of 12.65mm and reflects Michel Parmigiani’s passion for classical references. The wide and slightly rounded fluting on the case middle, for example, emulates the profile of Doric columns, while the geometric design on the cover and caseback is inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical sequence of numbers associated with the Golden Ratio that occurs in nature with snail shells, pinecones, sunflower heads, etc. Fitted with straight, angular lugs and polished throughout, the slider for the minute repeater is inserted on the left case flank, and the 6.4mm crown is decorated with Grand Feu enamel to match the cover.
The mechanical wonders are concealed under a gorgeous sage green Grand Feu enamel cover executed by Vanessa Lecci with delicate hand-guilloché entrusted to Yann Von Kaenel and hand-engraved details by Eddy Jacquet.
The extra-long cathedral gongs that wrap almost twice around the movement deliver a rich, deep tone. Each hammer is engineered to strike with millimetric precision, producing distinct chimes for the hours, quarters and minutes. Developed by Renaud Papi, the manual-winding movement has an autonomy of 72 hours and the hollowed-out back and sides of the case amplify the sound. Similar to the movement of the Toric Quaestor Labyrinthe, the power is transferred to the complication via a flywheel, ensuring total mechanical silence and constant energy for the spring when needed.
Only five Armorial Mysterious Repeaters will be produced, each one a unique piece, thanks to the invitation to personalise certain features of the watch. The watch is presented inside a special resonator box crafted from Risoud spruce wood. The price is upon request.
More information at Parmigiani.com.
