The story of Parmigiani Fleurier in Swiss high-end watchmaking is not ordinary. The “simple” watchmaking and restoration workshop has over time evolved into an authentic watchmaking house, capable of creating quite exceptional timepieces.
If you don’t know it yet, we invite you to discover more about Parmigiani Fleurier’s house and its most emblematic watches.
The history of the Parmigiani Fleurier brand
Born in the Neuchâtel region of Switzerland, Michel Parmigiani had an early passion for watchmaking… as well as architecture. After studying at the Val-de-Travers School of Watchmaking and the Technicum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, he specialized in watch restoration and opened his workshop in 1976. Quite a challenge, just as the industry was going through an unprecedented crisis.
Within this workshop named Measurement and Art of Time, Michel Parmigiani breathes new life into valuable old pieces for collectors and museums (including the Patek Philippe museum). His career takes a different turn after a meeting with the Landolt family, owners of the Maurice-Yves Sandoz Collection, one of the most important collections of pocket watches and automata in Switzerland. These enriching exchanges lead to the birth of Parmigiani Fleurier in 1996 and the launch of their first wristwatch, the Toric QP Retrograde.
In 1999, still under the influence of the Sandoz family, the watch brand becomes a true manufacturer with the desire to develop its own high-quality watch calibres. Continuing its development, Parmigiani Fleurier gets closer to Bugatti in 2004, giving birth to an exceptional watch, the Type 370, “a timepiece assembled along a single axis like a car engine”. Its involvement in cultural and sporting events enables the Swiss brand to gain even more international stature.
Highly appreciated by purists, Parmigiani Fleurier watches still suffer from a lack of recognition, some criticizing them for being too classical. The arrival of Guido Terreni in 2021 should allow to “give the brand an aesthetic touch and a sense of luxury in tune with contemporary times”, an evolution marked by the latest variations of the Tonda, more than ever the flagship of Parmigiani Fleurier.
Our opinion on Parmigiani Fleurier
Parmigiani Fleurier watches are regularly honored at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). This is enough to understand that the brand’s timepieces are superb items.
To those who could accuse it of being too classical, the brand has simply showcased its expertise, with refined, timeless models that are inevitably in step with the times. With a price range between 20,000 and 30,000 euros (or even much more), these watches have nothing to envy their rivals from Breguet, Breitling… or even Rolex!
The iconic watches of Parmigiani Fleurier
If one were to recall only one model from Parmigiani Fleurier, it would of course be the Tonda PF. Available in steel or gold, with a black or blue dial, a chronograph or a moon phase, it evolves endlessly, year after year. And whichever version is chosen, it shines with its refinement and level of finish. A model as sleek as the Tonda PF Automatic (priced at around 27,000 CHF) is a true jewel, with its iconic “barley grain guilloché” finish on the dial and its skeletonized Delta-shaped hands.
The other essential family at Parmigiani is called Toric, and it too stands out for its particularly elegant traditional aesthetic. Precious materials and the most sophisticated complications are on the menu of this collection, as with the superb Toric Hemispheres Retrograde with its rose gold case, its two time zones, and its famous knurled bezel.
Nearly 30 years after its creation, this first watch envisioned by Michel Parmigiani in 1996, has decidedly not lost any of its charm.
Where to buy Parmigiani Fleurier watches?
In France, you will need to visit Arije in Paris, or Maier in Lyon, to hope to discover the superb watches of Parmigiani Fleurier. The brand has indeed opted for a very exclusive distribution network, with rigorously selected retailers known to lovers of fine watchmaking.
Latest news from the brand
Everything to know about Parmigiani Fleurier: reviews and most beautiful watches - The story of Parmigiani Fleurier in Swiss high-end watchmaking is not ordinary. The “simple” watchmaking and restoration workshop has over time evolved into an authentic watchmaking house, capable of creating quite exceptional timepieces. If you don’t know it yet, we invite you to discover more about Parmigiani Fleurier’s house and its most emblematic watches. The… Continue reading Everything to know about Parmigiani Fleurier: reviews and most beautiful watches