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“A gold movement inside a steel case is like a precious item, jealously guarded in a safe. The impenetrable inner riches of a person are a well-hidden treasure. A rare beauty only found by those who know where to look.” – Michel Parmigiani
Packed in a polished steel tonneau shaped with the dimension 44.7 x 37.2 mm and a thickness of 11.2 mm, this magnificent timepiece, Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire Anniversaire, is full of surprises.
Under the anti-reflective treated sapphire crystal rests a black gold dial with 18-ct rose gold roman numerals and indexes applied on the sunray guilloché zone. In the centre is used an opaline with Azur counter and delta-shaped with luminescent coating hour and minute’s hands.
Just under the 12 o’clock roman index is placed the 8 days power reserve indication. At 6 o’clock is placed the small seconds with a gold second’s hand and the unusually shaped date window that fits perfectly with the entire look.
But the most beautiful part of this watch is not the case or the dial. The hidden treasure of this watch is the extraordinary finished PF110 caliber.
The PF110 gold movement is made of 227 components with 28 jewels, a 3Hz beating heart (21,600vph) with Swan-neck regulator and a whopping 8 days power reserve with 2 series-coupled barrels. The 29.3 x 23.6 mm and 2.9 mm thickness is highly decorated: the plates and bridges are bevelled and the bridges are hand engraved.
“The creation of these exceptional movements posed a great challenge. The fact that gold is the most malleable and ductile of materials had a huge impact on the tools used to shape it. Working with gold involved recalibrating the machines and checking each cutting parameter. The decoration crowning this piece was the fruit of countless hours’ work by the craftsmen. Each bridge was engraved with a pattern in acanthus leaves, forming a stunning network of meticulous strokes.” – Parmigiani Website
The screw fixed case-back has a crystal opening to enjoy the beauty of the movement. This watch case has a water resistance of 30m and is issued in a 10 pieces limited series.
A nice touch is the black alligator strap created especially for Parmigiani by Hermès.
For more information please visit the Parmigiani Website or one of the Retailers.
I would like to thank Parmigiani Fleurier for the images and information.