Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Parmigiani Fleurier Carillon Tourbillon Anniversaire
Celebrating the brand’s 30th anniversary with style and substance.
In recent years, Parmigiani Fleurier has increasingly focused on restrained, architecturally refined watchmaking, whether through the minimalist elegance of the Tonda PF collection or highly artisanal creations such as the Armoriale and the Maison’s objets d’art. Still, Parmigiani Fleurier’s modern identity is nothing without remembering its foundation, rooted in Michel Parmigiani’s lifelong work as a restorer of historical clocks, automata and chiming watches. For the brand’s 30th anniversary, his heritage and experience take centre stage with the new Carillon Tourbillon, an exceptional minute repeater limited to five pieces.
Inspired by an early 19th-century Perrin Frères pocket watch from the Sandoz Collection restored by Parmigiani Fleurier in 2000, the Carillon Tourbillon brings historical engineering into a very contemporary wristwatch, shaped around sound, transparency and mechanical choreography.
The 41.6mm case is crafted from polished 18k white gold and features the fluted gadroon midcase first introduced on the Armoriale. These vertical grooves, inspired by classical columns so often referenced by Michel Parmigiani, are not purely decorative. In a chiming watch, the case participates in resonance, helping project and control the sound. The activation slider is located on the left, and the large crown, featuring a blue sapphire insert, occupies its conventional position at 3 o’clock. The proportions remain elegant, with a thickness of 12.6mm, and a large box-shaped sapphire crystal dominates the upper part.
What immediately draws the eye is the serpentine gongs around the dial beneath the sapphire crystal. Inspired by the restored Perrin Frères pocket watch, these gongs, made by Jämes Aubert Le Brassus SA, immediately reveal their acoustic nature.
The dial is restrained, executed in hand-hammered 18k white gold with the brand’s new Morning Blue finish, as seen with the recent Toric 30th Anniversary models. The minimalist display with white-gold hands maintains clarity and leaves space for the exposed hammers and surrounding gongs. Absence of hour indices further accentuates the watch’s true purpose (who needs them when you can play the tune?), and both the flying tourbillon and the power reserve indicator are positioned on the back, an intentional decision, reinforcing the brand’s philosophy of restrained virtuosity. Turning the watch over reveals the calibre PF950 in full, and if you thought the earlier mention of mechanical choreography was a bit too much, this view will change your opinion.
The manufacture hand-wound movement consists of 456 components and combines a flying tourbillon with a four-gong minute repeater producing distinct notes: one for the hours, one for the minutes and two, each playing its own note, for the quarters. The calibre operates at 21,600 vibrations/hour and offers a remarkable minimum power reserve of 10 days, thanks to a double-barrel design that separates the energy dedicated to timekeeping and striking.
The repeater mechanism is fully visible from the back, exposing the regulating flywheel, hammers and the movement of the striking works during activation. Finishing is naturally executed to haute horlogerie standards, with hand-bevelled edges, hand-grained surfaces and extensive mezzo vibrato decoration, the engraved pattern introduced on the Armoriale and now gracing the movement bridges, executed by the Genevan Atelier Blandenier.
The Parmigiani Fleurier Carillon Tourbillon is worn on an Akoya Grey hand-stitched alligator leather strap, closed with a white gold pin buckle. Production is limited to five pieces as part of the Maison’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Price is available upon request. More information at parmigiani.com.
