Thursday, December 29, 2022

Parmigiani Fleurier – Les Roses Carrees – Collection Grand Feu Rosa Celeste Edition

 

Parmigiani Fleurier Les Roses Carrées – Collection Grand Feu Rosa Celeste Repeater White Gold Edition Unique Piece 2022

PERPETUATING MECHANICAL ART

In 2021, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its creation, Parmigiani Fleurier launched one of the most ambitious and demanding projects in its history: an exceptional pocket watch called La Rose Carrée. Based on a Louis-Elysée Piguet calibre with grand sonnerie, entirely restored in the Parmigiani Fleurier workshops, this unique pocket watch continues the legacy of watchmaking art that is precious to the history of the House.

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La Rose Carrée has now evolved into Les Roses Carrées, a series composed of 5 unique minute-repeater pieces at the top of the Parmigiani Fleurier range, set against a backdrop of absolute exclusivity.

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It is today, December 2, 2022, on the occasion of the birthday of its founder Michel Parmigiani, that the brand reveals the first creation in this collection: La Rosa Celeste, an extraordinary creation that pays tribute to the age-old artisanal tradition of Grand Feu enamel and to the favorite color of the brand's founder.

The Rosa Celeste is an example of excellent craftsmanship and fine watchmaking. Its 42 mm white gold case is hand-engraved with the "La Rose Carrée" motif and has a hunter’s caseback. The latter and its chiseled dial are covered with grand feu enamel in blue.

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Between the petals of this horological flower, Parmigiani Fleurier has concealed a manually wound minute repeater calibre with cathedral gongs. Its skeletonization and bevelling bring together the best of Parmigiani Fleurier's watchmaking expertise and craftsmanship in a unique and poetic piece.

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This motif was engraved on the case middle and covers by hand, without the slightest margin forerror on the vast, convex surfaces. The covers were then finished in a deep blue Grand Feu enamel. Infinite detail, energy and passion were devoted to the creation of the flagship piece — so much so that La Rose Carrée has evolved into Les Roses Carrées, a collection at the top of the Parmigiani Fleurier range. The variations on this theme are thus situated in the highest spheres of artistic craftsmanship and watchmaking complication, against a backdrop of absolute exclusivity.

 Lineage of roses

La Rosa Celeste carries all the hallmarks of La Rose Carrée pocket watch. With the Rosa Celeste, these details have been taken to a higher level of wearability and simplicity, making this piece just as unique as the original model. This model also heralds a series entirely dedicated to the celebration of handmade watchmaking craftsmanship, according to Parmigiani Fleurier. “Les Roses Carrées” will be the name and the thread that ties these pieces together.

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In this execution, the watch case is mounted on a blue, hand-sewn alligator leather strap, the reverse side of which is also in alligator leather. With a diameter of 42 mm, the case is cut from white gold blocks. The bezel, lugs and caseband are hand-engraved with the La Rose Carrée motif. These notches are engraved with a chisel into the hard surfaces of the metal, one inside the other in an algorithmic progression. This work requires extreme precision, an impressive investment of time, and a steady hand that is ensured by years of experience.

Softness of the surfaces

A hinge located at 2 o'clock on the reverse side of this unique piece articulates its hunter's back. Its outer face bears a large square fractal rose, also hand-engraved and covered with multiple layers of colored enamel. On its other side, this unique piece features a dial of solid white gold, with a surface engraved by hand. Countless small carvings are made with immaculate regularity throughout the breadth and depth of the dial. Once the surface has been prepared, the enameler takes over and applies the same shade as on the hunter's caseback, striving for an identical level of nuance and a play of light made possible by the depth of the work done by the artisanal engraver.

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In both cases, dial and cover, the technique used is Grand Feu enamel. Each gold element is first covered with enamel from crushed glass, ground finer in each layer, pigmented with metallic oxides and shaded with the color of the base metal. The firing process is carried out at a high temperature, 800 degrees Celsius, and must be mastered and repeated for each of the six layers applied. Each firing melts and glazes the enamel but also runs the risk of re-firing the lower, already glazed layers. The precision of the temperatures, times, materials, and pigments plays a crucial role here.

Giving voice

To the movement’s extreme aesthetic refinement, Parmigiani Fleurier has added horological substance on a comparable level. The noblest, most historic complication, the one most directly in line with Michel Parmigiani's watchmaking practice as a restorer, was chosen to enliven Rosa Celeste: the minute repeater. But striking the hours, quarters and minutes on demand was not enough for this rare timekeeping rose.

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The gongs on which the sound is produced are cathedral gongs. Their exceptional length, spanning one and a half trips around the movement, brings a deeper, richer sound, a more sustained vibration and a more palpable intensity. In order to allow this potential to be fully expressed, the case has been carefully designed to optimize the sound of the movement.

Singing lessons

The movement is suspended in the case and the heel of the gongs is physically connected to the case by a double screwing. The caseback and case middle have been redesigned to create resonance pockets and to lighten the white gold mass. These two aspects contribute to increasing the acoustic quality of the ringing and its range. A final quality criterion is that the ringing sequence automatically skips dead time. Thus, at 3:19, the three chimes for the hour are immediately followed by a double chime for the quarter-hour and again, without silence, by up to four chimes for the minute.

Click, to see the large size. BIG FOTO  This device, which is unusual in the world of minute repeaters, is an indispensable characteristic for Parmigiani Fleurier. The maison’s legendary criteria for ergonomics and directly perceptible quality are also reflected in a running time extended to 72 hours, i.e. three full days, another rarity for this complication.

Lighter than a petal

The movement, although hidden by a solid dial on one side and by its hunter’s caseback on the other, has nevertheless been the object of an artistic and extensive skeletonization. Usually made visible by the disappearance of the dial, it is here reserved for the owner and his or her closest confidants, a private and exclusive pleasure that speaks to the very unique nature of La Rosa Celeste. The shape given to the bridges, the cut-out of their profile, and the size and extent of their openwork are artistic signatures, markers of aesthetic identity and indicators of the care given to execution and details. Parmigiani Fleurier has taken this approach to the extreme. 

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The skeletonization of the PF355 calibre is reminiscent of that of the PF361 calibre, known as the Chronor, which was launched in 2016 inside a model that was at the time the pinnacle of the Parmigiani Fleurier collection. With its curves and counter-curves, harmonious inflections, the depth of the chamfers and its 114 inward and outward angles, Rosa Celeste is the product of unparalleled achievement. The bevelling, polishing and surface treatments are all done by hand. Thus, beauty, rarity and substance unite as stem, petal, and fragrance in this rose for the wrist.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

 Model: Les Roses Carrées Grand Feu Rosa Celeste Gold

Reference: PFH991-2010002-300181

Pièce unique 1/1

Case
    Material: 18k white gold
    Finishing: polished and hand-engraved with “La Rose Carrée” pattern
    Diameter: 42 mm
    Thickness: 13.39 mm
    Crown: Ø 6.4 mm topped with cabochon-cut natural sapphire
    Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire
    Caseback: sapphire crystal
    Hunter caseback: 18k white gold, hand-engraved with “La Rose Carée” pattern, “Grand feu” enamel, interior engraving, “Rosa Mystica”, “PF” seal and Michel Parmigiani’s signature.
    Caseback engraving serial number, “Parmigiani Fleurier,” Swiss Made, and « Pièce unique »
    Water resistance: 10 m
Dial and hands
    Finishings: hand-engraved with chiseled pattern
    Color: blue “Grand feu” enamel
    Indices: hand-applied, 18k gold, rhodium-plated appliques
    Hours and minutes: 18k gold, rhodium-plated, skeletonized, delta-shaped hands
Movement
    PF355 Manual winding with Minute Repeater on Cathedral gongs, continuous Chiming sequence
    Diameter: 30 mm
    Thickness: 6.55 mm
    Frequency: 21,600 Vph (3 Hz)
    Number of jewels: 35
    Number of components: 392
    Power reserve of 72 hours

    Finishings: Côtes de Genève, openworked bridges, hand-beveling and circular graining 
Functions/Indications
    Hour, minutes, minute repeater
Strap and buckle
    Blue alligator leather strap, double-sided, hand-stitched
    Buckle: 18k white gold pin buckle with hand-engraved “La Rose Carée” pattern

Limitation
Limited Edition  to Unique only 1 pieces

🔴 Price : incl. VAT 600.000 CHF 💰

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Press release - 2022
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Contact
Tel-  +41 32 862 66 30
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www.facebook.com - Parmigiani Fleurier
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www.Parmigiani.ch

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

BLANCPAIN – Fifty Fathoms BATHYSCAPHE Valentine's Day 2023

BLANCPAINFifty Fathoms BATHYSCAPHE White  Valentine's Day 2023
 

Although Blancpain has been celebrating Valentine's Day for more than two decades, the Manufacture had never yet honoured it with a Fifty Fathoms model. It is now doing exactly that with the 2023 release of a limited-edition Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe emblazoned with the emblems of love: the colour red and the heart symbol.

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Photographer - Carolyn V Instagram @sixteenmilesout 

Love and Fifty Fathoms go hand in hand at Blancpain. This collection of diver’s watches was born of the Brand's passion for the underwater world, which it has cherished since the early 1950s. It therefore makes total sense to dedicate a Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe model to Valentine's Day. The timepiece that the Manufacture is unveiling today to celebrate 14 February is for all lovers who, like Blancpain's executives when diving, lose track of time when they are enthralled.

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With its satin-brushed steel case measuring 38 mm in diameter and water-resistant to 30 bar (approximately 300 m), the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe "Valentine’s Day 2023" is made to brave waves of strong feelings. Its unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic inlay and Liquidmetal™ hour-markers is an indispensable asset for immersing oneself in the depths of love. 

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The luminous, immaculate white bezel matches the dial graced with 3, 6, 9 and 12 numerals and a minutes track in soft pink. This delicate colour also rims the luminescent heart positioned like a signature at the tip of the seconds hand. The universal symbol of love also sets the finishing-touch to in-house Calibre 1150, which is nestled behind a sapphire crystal case back, revealing its robust architecture and refined decoration.

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Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe "Valentine's Day 2023"
is thus characterised by a blend of impetuosity and gentleness. These apparent opposites expressed on both the front and back of the 99 timepieces composing the limited series represent the very essence of love.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: Fifty Fathoms


Model:   BATHYSCAPHE Valentine's Day 2023

 References:   5100A-1127-W52A

Case
Stainless steel satin-brushed
Unidirectional satin-brushed steel bezel, white ceramic insert Liquidmetal™ hour-markers
Diameter:  38.00 mm
Thickness: 10.80 mm
Water-resistant: 30 ATM/300m/1000ft
Between horns:  19.00 mm
Back: Sapphire crystal
Antimagnetic properties
Dial
White dial, Date and seconds
Liquidmetal® hour-markers
3, 6, 9 and 12 indexes and a minutes track in soft pink
Luminescent heart at the tip of the second's hand
Functions                
Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date 
Movement
Calibre 1150
Self-winding 
Ultra-slim
Calibre diameter: 26.20.mm
Calibre thickness: 3.25 mm
 

Power reserve in hours: 100 hours
Jewels: 28
2 mainspring barrels

Glucydur free sprung balance with gold regulation screws
Secured movement
Components: 210

Strap
White canvas strap
Steel pin buckle  engraved with the BLANCPAIN logo.


* Blancpain reserves the right to modify this model and its technical characteristics.

Limited edition of 99 pieces
 

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Press release - 2022
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Blancpain S.A.
Le Rocher 12
1348 Le Brassus
Suisse
International PR: Lucie Notar
Tel.  (+41) 21 796 3619
Fax (+41) 21 796 3637
E-mail: pr@blancpain.com
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