Fleurier, December 2nd, 2021 – As the grand finale of its 25th anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier releases a truly peerless and quintessential timepiece. La Rose Carrée is a one-off, 64 mm, white gold, double hunter pocket watch featuring the most advanced craftsmanship and historical heritage. Inside lies an original movement made by legendary watchmaker Louis-Elisée Piguet somewhere between 1898 and 1904, at the peak of his creativity and craft. This rare object of the past showcases a grande sonnerie and minute repeater, and has been fully restored while preserving its authenticity. A Rose Carrée or “squared rose” pattern engraving spans the entirety of this legacy movement, as well as the newly designed case, which is coated in translucent grand feu enamel, creating complex shades of blue. La Rose Carrée is a testament to the genius of the watchmakers of yesteryear and to the talented artisans of today. A confluence of the past and present, it is literally a unique work of watchmaking, art, and craft.
The story of La Rose Carrée is a tale which resembles those told through the ages. One of happenstance, adoption, transformation, rebirth, and above all, beauty. In the late 1990's, Michel Parmigiani acquired a grande sonnerie and minute repeater movement, created around the end of the 19th century by famous grand complications watchmaker Louis-Elisée Piguet. For over 20 years, this calibre remained in a drawer, awaiting restoration, a new life and therefore, to be reborn.
In 2021, Parmigiani Fleurier's newly appointed CEO Guido Terreni decided the brand's upcoming 25th anniversary deserved a special undertaking, and thus initiated a project together with the maison’s founder and one of the world’s most celebrated master restorers, Michel Parmigiani. The project was to be a signature timepiece that embodies the entirety of Parmigiani Fleurier's craft, Michel Parmigiani's culture, Guido Terreni's vision and the best of what the talented craftspeople surrounding them have to offer.
In less than twelve months, La Rose Carrée came to life, a feat in and of itself. At the hands of a team led by Michel Parmigiani and Guido Terreni, powered by the will to transcend this exceptional piece of world heritage, the grande sonnerie movement was elevated to a new dimension. It was brought back to its original glory, and more, thanks to the best-in-class experience and skill at Parmigiani Fleurier's restoration workshop. Then it was encased in a highly decorated white gold case measuring 64 mm in diameter. With movement and case, form and function, in unison, La Rose Carrée is a pocket watch that is by nature and by design, entirely unique.
Rejuvenation Calibre Louis-Elisée Piguet number 5802 is outstanding in nature, being one of the rare movements of this style that was made by the famed watchmaker around the end of the 19th century. “We were trusted with a movement that's exceptional by its complications, by the number of components and by its quality,” says Francis Rossignol, who works with Michel Parmigiani at the restoration workshop. “Our aim is to embellish it, to enhance its aspects, but our job is to always remain in the background.”
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