Dubbed an “object d’art” by Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier (you can find the full interview with its CEO here), L’Armoriale promises prestige and refinement to admirers of Swiss haute horlogerie.
Made as a one-of-a-kind piece for the birthday of Michel Parmigiani, founder of the eponymous brand, it promises to combine the artistry and preciousness of the hands of the maison’s craftsmen with the historicity of the caliber with which it is equipped.
The beating heart of the Parmigiani Fleurier l’Amoriale: a basic caliber for a large complicated movement
Yep, to bring its spheres and marvelous complications to life, this prestigious timepiece is equipped with a late 19th-century movement, reworked by the Master Restorer and Watchmaker exactly in 1985. The base caliber is signed Golay Fils et Stahl with serial number 19052, dated 1890.
For those unfamiliar with this ancient and historic Swiss watchmaking house, it was founded in 1837 in Geneva by Louis-Adolphe Golay and later co-managed with the help of the Leresche family. Being based in Geneva, a city that was already an epicenter of watchmaking at the time, fostered the company’s development.
La Golay-Leresche, which later became Golay Fils et Stahl, quickly became known for the quality and elegance of its timepieces, which were made using innovative methods and decorated with a refined style.
One of the hallmarks of La Golay-Leresche was its attention to detail and high-quality craftsmanship. The watches produced were intended for a discerning clientele, including European elites, and it was not uncommon for the brand’s creations to be adorned with precious stones and luxury materials, such as gold and enamel.
The company specialized particularly in pocket watches, which at the time were the quintessential symbol of prestige and refinement. Hence, the inspiration for the creation of such a watch signed Parmigiani Fleurier, which would bring back in vogue, the construction technique of the time.
Michel Parmigiani, with his skillful hands, added an element to enrich its sophistication by developing a perpetual calendar with moon phases, making it at his PMAT (Parmigiani Fleurier Mesure et Art du Temps) workshops.
This perpetual calendar, called quantième perpétuel, consists of a sophisticated horological complication that indicates the day, date, month and year in a four-year cycle and has been excellently integrated into the movement.
L’Armoriale’s sumptuous movement beats at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour and also features a minute repeater, which allows the hours, quarter hours and minutes to be chimed on demand, as well as a chronograph with a central second.
Heraldry as inspiration for the design of the Parmigiani Fleurier l’Armoriale
The concept of heraldry is central to the aesthetics of Parmigiani Fleurier L’Armoriale. Heraldic decorations historically were used to represent noble families and their coats of arms. Parmigiani Fleurier has reinterpreted this symbolism, not only to express a sense of exclusivity and prestige, but also to establish a connection between past and present, between traditional art and modern techniques.
On the case back it is possible to see how the concentric geometric motif with a Renaissance flavor is strongly inspired by the famous Sala dei Giganti in Palazzo Te in Mantua, as well as the city of origin of the Parmigiani family.
The grand-fire cloisonné enameling technique is one of the oldest and most complex in the decorative arts, and Parmigiani Fleurier masters it with extraordinary precision, thanks in part to the superb skills of Vanessa Lecci. The vibrant and enduring colors achieved through this process resist time and wear, ensuring that L’Armoriale retains its beauty for decades.
This alternation of colors, reinforces the meaning of refined details and enchants with its beauty and opulence making this watch, a bridge between fine Swiss watchmaking and Italian Renaissance art.
The fruit of Eddy Jaquet’s flair are the hypnotic workings that embellish L’Armoriale’s 18-karat white gold case middle; chiseled palmettes with satin-finished grooves that intersect with polished oval shapes instantly capture the viewer’s attention. Also incredible is the dial worked in the Florentine style by the same craftsman.
No less noteworthy is the chain, also in 18-karat white gold, expertly crafted by Laurent Jolliet, one of the last masters of link work in Switzerland.
“Making chains requires patience, meticulousness and regularity. A difference of a tenth of a millimeter can be enough to prevent the assembly of a chain.” So begins Jolliet about the skill and dedication he employs in his work.
Final Thoughts
In short, L’Armoriale is not only a precious and well-crafted objet d’art, but it is meant to be a manifesto for Parmigiani Fleurier, apt to show the inspiration of the maison from which it started and the direction in which the focus for its future creations is pointed, excellently combining the “savoir-faire” of master craftsmen with the ultra-secular technique of Swiss watchmaking.
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