Transforma Rivage Chronograph
The photograph, bending under the weight of his camera, his eyes blinded by the flashes, sometimes reaches a level of exhaustion almost hallucinatory. To be honest, the first time I saw this Tranforma Rivage Chronograph, I thought it was a mistake. In the flow of dressy neo-classic watches of PF, this watch looks like a UHO, as if Mercedes-Benz produced a G Class . At first, one could think that a specialist of aerospace/professional/adventure watches, like Sinn or Fortis, had lost their way in the Vallee de Fleurier rather than in the Guangzhou valley.
Then, when one looks at the details, it is obviously Fleurier's quality: it is beautiful, it is very well finished, but most of all, it does not lapse into the technical pedantic arrogance. Joy, happiness.
Regarding the caliber, it is far from a 7750 with a dubious pedigree: the watch is powered by the PF334, 50h power reserve, 28800v/h (but with a display "divided" by 2, (down to 1/4th of a second instead of 1/8th), 68 jewels, with an overall Fleurier quality. In fact, the chronograph is 43mm across with a large aperture. The external case is made of titanium, while the internal case is made of woven carbon fiber (because of this Transform-ability, the watch is waterproof up to 30m only, versatility opposed to water resistance, it is a matter of choice !)
Yes: the internal case. Because the watch is "convertible", it can be fitted in the titanium wrist frame as well as in a steel pocket watch case. The chronograph's secondary dials are also made of carbon fiber while the main dial is made of graphite, to stay within the realm of carbon. The light effects are magnificent and highlight the stylized map of the globe. While you got the explanation for "Transforma", you are still missing the one for "Rivage": it is a limited edition watch (100 copies), an homage to the Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm, whose new boat is made of carbon fiber.
Let's hope that this success will be the inspiration for a new line at PF, as much as this aerospace/adventure style is despised by the great brands, wrongly so.











Toric Ovale
At SIHH 2010, there was this magnificent piece from Vardon & Stedman brothers, an oval shaped pocket watch!
It was exceptional because it featured telescopic hands that retract following the railway’s curvature, a display that is a feat dating more than 200 years and was never reissued in the same way.
When I saw this watch, I tried to find any modernized version on the net. Nothing! It is one of these moments when you wish you were a watchmaker! Two years later, Parmigiani proposes a veritable tribute to this pocket watch, the Toric Ovale; PF creates a watch that does more than mimicking the original design, it reproduces the complication altogether!
It is also one of the most thoroughly shaped watches, as it features an oval shape down to the tip of its hands.
The hands retract at 3 and 9 o’clock and extend at 12 and 6 o’clock. For the large hand lovers, it is rapture: not only are they large, they grow even larger!

Based on its Vaucher/PF110 caliber (8 days Power reserve, set at 21600v/h), the Toric Ovale encloses the PF114 shape movement, (8 days Power reserve as well), which features a chiseled floral ornament.
The display complication that pulls or pushes on the hands in order to alter their length is relatively thick, which is noticeable on the Power Reserve and Date apertures’ bezels, respectively sitting at 12 and 6 o’clock.
To stay in the realm of the dream, one could imagine, in the future, a "Grande seconde" that would follow the same elliptical curve.

Of course, in watchmaking, technique is nothing if not served by a flawless design. The watch is an absolute aesthetic achievement; a single criticism though, the aperture that shows the movement on the back of the case is vaguely potato-shaped, when one could have expected it to be fully oval … To achieve an oval watch is always a challenge, because supermarket watches sometimes sullied this shape, a little kitsch… In this case, the watch is beautiful, as it takes after the Bauhaus, the Art Deco (a fundamental influence at PF). The lugs designed by the brand from Fleurier never fit better than on shaped cases, akin to the Bugatti Super Sport (the watch); they perfectly suit the offbeat case design.
As you can see on the wrist shot, it is rather a Dandy’s watch; the lugs are tapered at the level of the spring bars, to follow the case’s curvature. With regards to the dial and the hands, it is a real surprise: the indexes are a reminder of the famous Panerai’s «sandwich dial», and provide a quite adaptable sporty look to the watch.
With the «Grand feu » enameling finish, one obviously stays in the realm of chic. Akin to the indexes, the extendable hands are blue, the color of oven treated titanium, a highly complex technique mastered by few.
Now that this technique is acquired, I want to see some future Parmigiani featuring blued titanium dial…
The oval is pervasive on the watch, from the hand’s tip to the lugs, as well as through the numbers, the watch benefits from a hard-liner geometry. One could almost regret that the oval balance has not yet been invented!










Dragon Clock
Chinese market my love. China is obviously the new Sinorado of the Helvetian watchmaking.
And this year is The year of the Dragon.
The Dragon is a fabulous creature, more than in any other mythology, in that it borrows from the camel, the tiger, the eagle and the demon, as well as other creatures.
The "Dragon" clock by Parmigiani is based on the "Le chat et la souris" mechanism. "Le chat et la souris" was extremely sober, as it borrowed a lot to Art deco with an asserted minimalism.
If the profusion of precious material could make the clock look heavy, but the dynamism of the clock remains, the dragon's posture is energetic and it looks absolutely ferocious.
It runs behind the pearl of knowledge with as much energy as the cat ran after the mouse.
The dragon's body is made of gold and silver. The scales are made of jade, 585 pieces fitted depending on their color in order to produce a shaded effect. The eyes are made of ruby, the tongue is carved in cornelian and the claws are made of white gold. The pearl of knowledge is set with diamonds, sapphires and rubies.
Of course, the dragon stays with all the traditional Chinese mythology codes, as it is also the case for the characters, displayed on the base made of rock crystal. Following the tradition, each of these characters represent 2 hours in base six. The pearl of knowledge jumps 6 times per hour, while the dragon does the same once over the same period; Of course, it takes enormous amounts of power to move this mass of precious materials.
If the theme borrows a lot from Chinese mythology, it is also the case for the making.
Like the Dragon, which is a mosaic of animals, the clock is a mosaic of artwork.












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Rather than an exclusive presentation, I chose to dwell upon the finest pieces of PF, because the most surprising feature of the brand from Fleurier is variety.
While many brands specialize in a single product, PF does the exact opposite, from the neo-classic watch, to the style of independent watchmakers, from the sports watch with Grande Complication to the clock worthy of the Guinness book.
Parmigiani is not entangled in an heritage, this young brand has still everything to play for, and that’s its strength.