Parmigiani Fleurier – TONDA PF Calendar Platinum Edition

 

Parmigiani Fleurier – TONDA PF Calendar Platinum Trilogy Unique Edition 2023

 TIME IS FLYING
IMMERSION INTO
THE HEART OF PURISM

Parmigiani Fleurier is rewriting watchmaking in its two-pronged quest for purism and innovation. In contrast with the mainstream, Parmigiani Fleurier speaks the language of rarity, meaning, form and content, traits shared by all the new models presented at Watches and Wonders 2023. 

Through world premieres, a celebration of platinum and an exceptional trilogy, Parmigiani Fleurier is breaking new ground, yet remains faithful to the founding spirit of the company and its fundamental hallmarks of purity, discretion, and minimalist sophistication, all driven by the desire to innovate in order to make watches lifelong companions. 

Enthusiasts are invited to embark on an initiatory journey, one that began last year and which places the demand for purity at the core of the creative process with one sole objective: horological complications revisited to ensure user friendliness.

Good things come in pairs! Parmigiani Fleurier presents the TONDA PF Minute Rattrapante, a new world premiere embodying functional continuity with the TONDA PF GMT Rattrapante launched in 2022. The TONDA PF Minute Rattrapante is not the brand’s only high-impact new release. Platinum, the rare and precious metal that has gradually become one of Parmigiani Fleurier’s signatures, has notably been chosen for the iconic TONDA PF Micro- Rotor – a glowing tribute to the model that laid the foundations of the new collection – as well as the TONDA PF Tourbillon, which this year features a platinum dial tinged with Milano blue.

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“At Parmigiani Fleurier, we aspire to create superbly elegant timepieces that appeal to purists of tomorrow seeking personal hedonistic pleasure. A savvy cultural elite in watchmaking who appreciates heritage, superior craft and has a strong sense of style and refinement”.
— Guido Terreni, CEO Parmigiani Fleurier

CULTURAL CALENDARS TRILOGY SETS
AN EXCEPTIONAL TRILOGY OF PLATINUM CULTURAL CALENDARS

Parmigiani Fleurier presents three timepieces displaying three different calendars: Gregorian, Islamic and Chinese. This exceptional trilogy, made in platinum, is issued in a strictly limited edition of three box sets, reflects the crossroads of culture, civilisation and history, as well as the fine watchmaking to which the brand gives unique meaning. Three collectors will thus have the pleasure of enjoying a calendar trilogy unique in the world. 

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Human history has always sought to control time, its flow and its predictability, in order to organise and impart a distinctive rhythm to social, religious and agricultural life. The calendar is a universal concept enabling us to identify dates that appear like milestones in the flow of time. All civilisations have created them according to their own sensitivity and perception, based on the path of the Sun, Moon or both. While time is the same for everyone, its reading and measurement are specific to each human society. 

The calendar functions expressed by a timepiece are among the most fascinating. Mirroring civilisations and societies, receptacles of beliefs and inexpressible phenomena such as moving shadows, alternating seasons and the lunar cycle, they remain at the very heart of human activity. This cultural phenomenon has long fascinated the brand and its founder, Michel Parmigiani, for whom "the calendar is an eminently fascinating watchmaking complication, as it really is the mirror of civilisations". 

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Parmigiani Fleurier's calendar watches bear witness to Swiss watchmaking culture (involving the craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics), which appears on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They explore the role of art mechanics in measuring the life of societies and civilisations.

GREGORIAN CALENDAR
TONDA PF
THE RETROGRADE DATE

The beauty of the Retrograde Gregorian Calendar lies in the fact that wearers need to adjust their watch only once a year. While the date automatically adapts to the respective length of 30- and 31-day months, it counts 29 days for the month of February whatever the year. This means that once a year – or rather three out of every four years – at the end of February, the wearer of the TONDA Gregorian Calendar must slip the watch off their wrist and reconnect with its subtle mechanism by setting the date manually. 

It will then keep faultless track of the date for the next 365 days. The retrograde date indication never hinders the reading of the moon phases at 6 o'clock, placing this lyrical complication in the spotlight. To ensure perfect clarity, the day of the week and the month are indicated in separate apertures at 9 and 3 o'clock respectively.

THE PRECISION MOON PHASE:

The moon phase of the TONDA Gregorian Calendar complements the date indications. It is called a "precision moon" because it requires only one correction every 122 years. This remarkable accuracy involves compensating for the discrepancy between a classic lunar cycle (29 days and 12 hours) and the real lunar cycle (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds). 

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The TONDA Gregorian Calendar displays two depictions of the Moon – viewed from the Earth’s Northern and Southern hemispheres – so as to match any wearer's geographical location. The moon subdial and moon lozenges in solid rose gold stand out against an aventurine glass sky that poetically evokes the twinkling of a star-filled galaxy.

THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR, SUCCESSOR TO THE JULIAN CALENDAR:

Until 1582, Christendom used the Julian calendar instituted by Julius Caesar and based on the assumption that the length of the tropical year (the time between two transits of the Sun at the vernal point) is exactly 365.25 days. However, the actual length of the year is 365.24219 days, so that the recurrent events represented the equinoxes and solstices were moved forward by one day every 128 years: around the year 1500 CE, the spring equinox occurred ten days earlier than in ancient times, on 11 March instead of 21 March. In addition, the calculation of the date of Easter, which involves the Moon, had become completely wrong. 

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The Council of Trent therefore commissioned Pope Gregory XIII to redress the situation. With the help of scholars Christopher Clavius and Aloisius Lilius, he first removed ten days, so that the day after Thursday 4 October 1582 would be Friday 15 October. He then decided to eliminate three leap years in four centuries: only the century years divisible by 400 would remain leap years: this meant that 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years, whereas 2000 was. This solution proved satisfactory and the Gregorian calendar, while not immediately adopted by all countries, is now used around the world, although some religions and societies retain their own calendar for ritual reasons.

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The TONDA Gregorian Calendar tells the story of Michel Parmigiani's passion for dates, honoured by Calibre PF339 specially developed by the Manufacture and housing a retrograde Gregorian calendar and a precision moon phase. Together, these two complications compose the TONDA Gregorian Calendar: a timepiece resolutely geared towards astronomy and reproducing the Earth's revolutions around the Sun as well as in relation to the Moon.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection:  TONDA

Model: TONDA PF GREGORIAN CALENDAR Platinum Edition

 REFERENCE PFK999-2020001-200182

CASE
Polished and satin-finished platinum 950 with knurled bezel
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 11.1 mm
Crown: Ø 6 mm, screwed-in
Glass: ARunic anti-reflective sapphire
Case back: sapphire glass
Engraving on case back: serial number – “PARMIGIANI FLEURIER” – “Edition Limitée de 3 pièces”
Water resistance: 100 m
DIAL
Material: Platinum 950
Finishing: sandblasted
Indices: hand-applied 18ct gold rhodium-plated appliques
Moon phase: blue aventurine
HANDS 
Hours and minutes: 18ct gold rhodium-plated skeletonized delta-shaped
Calendar and seconds: rhodium-plated steel
MOVEMENT
AUTOMATIC WINDING MANUFACTURE
MOVEMENT WITH RETROGRADE GREGORIAN
CALENDAR AND PRECISION MOON PHASE
Caliber PF339
Total dimensions Ø 30.6 mm, thickness: 5.5 mm
Decoration:  Côtes de Genève, , beveled edges, Perlage
Oscillating weight:  platinum, skeletonized, polished and sandblasted
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, retrograde gregorian calendar and precision moon
phase
Power reserve 50 hours
Frequency 28’800 Vph (4Hz)
Jewels 32
Nb ofcomponents 359
BRACELET
Polished and satin-finished platinum 950
Closure: 18ct white gold folding clasp

 🔰Limited edition  -  Unique 3 piece

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 PF XIALI CALENDAR COMPLETE CHINESE CALENDAR

The intercalary or leap month appears according to precise rules and is assigned the number of the month that preceded it. The calculations are complex but serve to keep track of the seasons and to set the Chinese New Year at the arrival of spring, which varies between 21 January and 19 February in our calendar. 

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which names the months and numbers the years, the Chinese calendar names the lunar years and numbers the months. The names of the years are repeated on a sexagesimal (60-year) cycle, but the calendar including dates, days and months is calculated on the basis of astronomical observations and naturally varies. It is therefore impossible to make a Chinese perpetual calendar. Parmigiani Fleurier's creation goes as far as possible in offering the most complete form of the Chinese calendar. The numbering system of the time units is based on the combination of a decimal cycle with the ten Heavenly Stems and a duodecimal cycle with the twelve Earthly Branches. 

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The ten Heavenly Stems serve to designate the diagonal directions, the seasons, the elements – water, wood, metal, fire and earth – the planets, as well as colours, flavours and virtues. The twelve Earthly Branches correspond to the signs of the zodiac: each of the twelve Branches is represented by an animal, which designates the years of the sexagesimal cycle and will influence the destiny and character of human beings born in that year.

A WEALTH OF COMPLEX INFORMATION:

All this corresponds to a wealth of complex information, which Parmigiani Fleurier has succeeded in condensing on a dial. Hours and minutes, display of the month and its numbering, an additional month when applicable (displayed every three years), short month (29 days) or long month (30 days), twenty-four solar terms corresponding to twenty-four 15° divisions of the Sun's path along the ecliptic (the Sun's trajectory seen from the Earth), year hand and name, indication of the animal and the elements with alternating colours depending on whether it is Yin or Yang, numbering of the days and moon phases. All the displays are quickly adjustable via the various correctors located on the two sides of the case middle. 

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It conceals an extremely sophisticated mechanism serving to display this information in classic Chinese characters. As the Chinese calendar is not cyclical, the complication is mechanically programmed and covers a twelve-year period by means of a cam system. At the end of these twelve years, the watch must be reset for a new equivalent period. During this period, all information is provided without any need for intervention, as long as the watch does not stop. If the watch does stop, corrections are made simply by correcting the day and month number, with a rapid corrector where necessary to facilitate corrections of long periods.

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The highly complex Chinese calendar is a combination of a solar and a lunar calendar, calculated separately and then synchronised. How is this done? By adding an extra lunar month also called a leap or intercalary month. This 13th month is added approximately every three years to bring the two cycles back in sync. Finally, the Chinese calendar divides the solar year into 24 terms, or breaths, which symbolise the agricultural calendar. 

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection:  TONDA

 

Model: TONDA PF Xiali Calendar COMPLETE CHINESE CALENDAR

 REFERENCE PFK999-2020001-200182

CASE
Polished and satin-finished platinum 950
Dimensions: Ø 42mm, thickness: 12.2 mm, crown: Ø 6 mm
Glass: ARunic anti-reflective sapphire
Case back: sapphire glass
Engraving on case back: serial number – “PARMIGIANI FLEURIER” – “Edition Limitée de 3 pièces”
Water resistance: 100 m
DIAL
Color: Platinum 950
Finishing: sandblasted
Indices: 18ct gold rhodium-plated appliques
Moon phase: blue aventurine
HANDS 
Hours and minutes: 18ct gold rhodium-plated skeleton delta-shaped
Seconds and calendar: rhodium-plated steel
MOVEMENT
COMPLETE CHINESE CALENDAR, MOON PHASE INDICATOR
Caliber PF008
Total dimensions Ø 32.6 mm, thickness: 5.3 mm
Decoration Côtes de Genève, beveled bridges
Oscillating weight 22-ct rose gold
Functions: Complete Chinese calendar and precision moon phase
Power reserve 54 hours
Frequency 28’800 Vph (4Hz)
Jewels 45
Nb ofcomponents 353
BRACELET
Polished and satin-finished platinum 950
Closure: 18ct white gold folding clasp

 🔰Limited edition  -  Unique 3 piece

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 PF HIJRI PERPETUAL CALENDAR ISLAMIC

The origins of this timepiece now appearing in a wristwatch version date back to 2011, with the launch of a table clock inspired by a pocket watch displaying an Arabic calendar that was restored in the Manufacture's workshops. The expertise developed led the brand to develop the Hijri Islamic calendar in wristwatch form, a feat of miniaturisation that won the 2020 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Innovation Prize.

CALCULATION OF ISLAMIC TIME:

In the Islamic world, the calendar is based on lunar cycles. The Islamic or Hijri lunar calendar consists of 12 months of 29 or 30 days – depending on the phase of the moon – and is used to identify Muslim festivals. 

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Known as the Hegira (meaning “flight), the prophet Muhammad’s escape in 622 CE from Mecca to Medina (now in Saudi Arabia) is the starting point for the calculation of Islamic time, representing the moment when the first Muslim community was founded.

ALL CULTURES AND CIVILISATIONS:

Compared to the first version, the TONDA PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar has evolved to reflect the Maison’s new aesthetic codes. The case and knurled bezel are in 950 platinum, the platinum bracelet is seamlessly integrated and the sandblasted platinum dial bears solid gold hour-markers, logo and hands. 

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In terms of content, the movement designed and developed by Parmigiani Fleurier remains identical to that of the model awarded the GPHG prize in 2020. The complete calendar information shows the hours, minutes, date in Arabic numerals, the name and length of the months in Arabic calligraphy, the days of the month and the years. The ninth month is marked in green on the counter at 3 o'clock. It also displays the double moon phase for both Northern and Southern hemispheres.

THE MUSLIM CALENDAR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ISLAMIC ERA:

The Hijri calendar, which is the Islamic calendar, has some connection to nomadic traditions, but its primary basis is religious. The calendar is based on the lunar cycles and was first introduced in 622 CE, when the Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina. This migration, known as the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic era and the start of the Hijri calendar. 

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However, it is also worth noting that the use of a lunar calendar was common among pre-Islamic Arab tribes, including nomadic ones, who used the moon to track the passage of time and the seasons for practical purposes such as knowing when to move their herds.

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The world of horological complications is virtually infinite. One of them is truly universal, rooted in every culture and mirroring civilisations: the calendar function. Parmigiani Fleurier presents the TONDA PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar or Islamic calendar.

“The history of watchmaking is closely intertwined with
the history of human civilization, reflecting the advances in
technology and the changing cultural values of different eras.
Therefore, watchmaking is a form of cultural expression, as
Calendars are the mirror of civilizations. They represent for
Parmigiani a mark of multicultural respect, insofar as we
want to translate the particularities of a society by creating
a watch that integrates all the information allowing us to
understand its organization and its history”.

===================

Model: TONDA PF XIALI Calendar ISLAMIC PERPETUAL CALENDAR Edition 

 REFERENCE PFK999-2020001-200182

CASE
Polished and satin-finished platinum 950
Dimensions: Ø 42mm, thickness: 12.2 mm, crown: Ø 6 mm
Glass: ARunic anti-reflective sapphire
Case back: sapphire glass
Engraving on case back: serial number – “PARMIGIANI FLEURIER” – “Edition Limitée de 3 pièces”
Water resistance: 100 m
DIAL
Color: Platinum 950
Finishing: sandblasted
Indices: 18ct gold rhodium-plated appliques
Moon phase: blue aventurine
HANDS 
Hours and minutes: 18ct gold rhodium-plated skeleton delta-shaped
Seconds and calendar: rhodium-plated steel
MOVEMENT
COMPLETE CHINESE CALENDAR, MOON PHASE INDICATOR
Caliber PF008
Total dimensions Ø 32.6 mm, thickness: 5.3 mm
Decoration Côtes de Genève, beveled bridges
Oscillating weight 22-ct rose gold
Functions: Complete Chinese calendar and precision moon phase
Power reserve 54 hours
Frequency 28’800 Vph (4Hz)
Jewels 45
Nb ofcomponents 353
BRACELET
Polished and satin-finished platinum 950
Closure: 18ct white gold folding clasp

🔰Limited edition  -  Unique 3 piece

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Press release - 2023
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Contact

Tel-  +41 32 862 66 30

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Blancpain – Ladybird Colors and Colors Phase de Lune

Blancpain – WOMEN Ladybird Colors and Colors Phase de Lune Gold Automatic 2023

Style variations on the Ladybird Colors

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This spring spells vibrant touches for Blancpain, as the Manufacture plays with colour combinations to enhance two refined small seconds and moon-phase complications. 

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These indications newly introduced to the Ladybird Colors collection are smoothly integrated into the design of this jewellery line.

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As the sunny season draws near, we all naturally pull out our wardrobe’s finest hues to glow in the sunshine and Blancpain's Ladybird Colors is no exception. Proudly displaying two new small seconds and moon phase complications, it slips into its best finery. 

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The textured mother-of-pearl dial set with 70 diamonds features colourful midnight blue, peacock green, forest green, lilac or turquoise Roman numerals and these variations are picked up on the straps of these red or white gold models.

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The visual balance characterising the new Ladybird Colors models is subtly ruffled by an asymmetrical touch found on all the dial elements. 

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The offset Roman numerals are underscored by an inner ring adorned with delicately tapering gemsetting that continues on the small seconds and moon-phase indicators. Yet another means of asserting the individual nature of these colourful timepieces.

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With its 34.9 mm diameter, the case of the new Ladybird Colors models features pleasing proportions highlighting its 59 diamonds totalling more than 2 carats. 

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Manufacture Blancpain has outdone itself in creating ultra-elegant colourful timepieces in which jewellery brings out the magic of mechanical watchmaking. Ladybird Colors models feature high-end gemsetting in which each parameter is meticulously hand-adjusted to ensure phenomenal radiance. 

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They tick gently to the beat of Calibre 1163 for the small seconds version and Calibre 1163L for the moon-phase iteration. Endowed with a four-day power reserve and a silicon balance spring, they are designed to keep track of daily life with a blend of accuracy, comfort and style. 

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Their painstakingly decorated main components are as technically functional as they are aesthetically pleasing, while their gold oscillating weight matching the case colour features circular openworked patterns harmoniously reflecting the dial design. 

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Whether viewed from the front or back, these new Blancpain timepieces are the epitome of luxury watchmaking.

About the Ladybird collection

The Ladybird collection reflects the pioneering role Blancpain has played in the history of feminine watches. 

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From the first automatic ladies' wristwatch in 1930 to the smallest mechanical movement several decades ago and on to the sophisticated modern-day design, the Ladybird collection embodies Blancpain's passion for the extraordinary.

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The history of Blancpain ladies’ watches is inextricably bound up with the determination of Betty Fiechter, who became the first woman to head a watch Maison at the beginning of the 1930s. Her intelligence and visionary spirit paved the way for the Brand's jewellery watches and forged its international renown.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection:  Ladybird

 Model:  Ladybird Colors Gold

 References:   Colors

 Ref. 3661-1954 / 3661-2954 / 3661A-2954 / 3661B-1954 / 3661B-2954 - Gold

Case
Ultra-slim, diamond-set lugs
A marriage of technical refinement and aesthetic purity,
Blancpain’s ultra-slim watch is set apart by its elegance and the technical accomplishments needed to create it.
18ct White gold / 18ct red gold
💎58 scintillating diamonds daintily set on the bezel and lugs.
Circled by 💎1 row of diamonds
Lugs and buckle set with 💎 diamonds
♦️1 💎row of diamonds, crown set with a rose-cut ruby
Diameter:     34.90 mm 
Thickness:     9.20mm
Water resistance:     3.00 bar
Between horns:     18.00 mm
Sapphire back
Engraved on the - "№ Х/0 Piece"
Dial
Mother-of-pearl dial set with diamonds 💎0.138 carat(s)
Index    Roman numerals.
Movement
Calibre 1163
Reference:   1163
Ultra-slim hand-wound
Balance frequency: 21.600 a/h or 3 hertz
Calibre thickness:  3.25 mm
Calibre diameter:  26.20 mm
Power reserve in hours:  100
Jewels:  30
Titanium free sprung balance with gold regulation screws
Components:   195
Strap
Alligator leather strap
Colors strap
Gold Pin buckle

 

Total carat weight: 2.222 carat(s) 💎 Diamants
Dial: 0.138 carat(s)
Case: 1.994 carat(s)
Crown: 0.080 carat(s)  
Boucle ∙ Clasp : 0.011 carat(s)  

  🔴 Price  30,000 CHF 💰

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: Ladybird

 Model:  Ladybird Colors Phase de Lune Gold

 References:  Colors Phase de Lune

Ref. 3662-1954 / 3662-2954 / 3662A-1954 / 3662A-2954 / 3662B-2954 - Gold

Case
Ultra-slim, diamond-set lugs
A marriage of technical refinement and aesthetic purity,
Blancpain’s ultra-slim watch is set apart by its elegance and the technical accomplishments needed to create it.
18ct White gold / 18ct red gold
💎58 scintillating diamonds daintily set on the bezel and lugs.
Circled by 💎1 row of diamonds
Lugs and buckle set with 💎 diamonds
♦️1 💎row of diamonds, crown set with a rose-cut ruby
Diameter:     34.90 mm 
Thickness:     10.43 mm
Water resistance:     3.00 bar
Between horns:     18.00 mm
Sapphire back
Engraved on the - "№ Х/0 Piece"
Dial
Mother-of-pearl dial set with diamonds 💎0.138 carat(s)
Index    Roman numerals.
Movement
Calibre 1163L
Reference:   1163L
Ultra-slim hand-wound
Balance frequency: 21.600 a/h or 3 hertz
Calibre thickness:  4.58 mm
Calibre diameter:  26.20 mm
Power reserve in hours:  100
Jewels:  30
Titanium free sprung balance with gold regulation screws
Components:   243
Strap
Alligator leather strap
Colors strap
Gold Pin buckle

Total carat weight: 2.222 carat(s) 💎 Diamants

Dial: 0.138 carat(s)
Case: 1.994 carat(s)
Crown: 0.080 carat(s)  
Boucle ∙ Clasp : 0.011 carat(s)  

 🔴 Price  32,000 CHF 💰

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Press release - 2023
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Blancpain S.A.
Le Rocher 12
1348 Le Brassus
Suisse
International PR: Aude Rosati
Tel.  (+41) 21 796 3636
Fax (+41) 21 796 3637
E-mail: pr@blancpain.com
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