Parmigiani Fleurier Montreux Jazz Festival

Emmanuel H · 2009-07-09T12:57:40Z

Emmanuel H shares exclusive photos and insights from Parmigiani Fleurier's 'Collection Atelier' at the Montreux Jazz Festival, featuring rare tourbillons and limited editions.

Emmanuel H

WPS member · Independents forum

38 replies9870 views0 photos

Emmanuel H recounts his exceptional experience at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Parmigiani Fleurier, offering an intimate look at their 'Collection Atelier' pieces. His post captures the excitement of interacting with CEO Jean-Marc Jacot and exploring rare, limited-edition watches, providing readers with a vivid, behind-the-scenes glimpse into Parmigiani's craftsmanship and event presence.

38 collectors discussing this on the WatchProSite forumJoin the Conversation →

During the Friday evening, we have been offered to have lunch on Saturday with Jean-Marc Jacot, the Sandoz Family Foundation delegate for watchmaking activities and CEO of Parmigiani. Such an offer cannot be refused ! Finally, we spent more than 5 hours together, speaking with passion about watches, the Festival, stories involving Parmigiani around the world, and a lot of other interesting topics. A very pleasant man who perfectly knows his business : no risk to get bored for a single minute !

We've had the unexpected visit of Catia, a woman in charge of the French and Swiss markets and also responsible for the new Collection Atelier. This collection is made of limited editions of exclusive pieces and will be shown during special events at some of their AD 's throughout the world. Jean-Marc Jacot asked her to let me have a look at "The Box"….

A very exciting moment as I have been authorized to take pictures and "play" with these watches in a relaxed atmosphere !

Saturday evening, we attented the concert of Steely Dan where we met Catia again. I told her how happy I had been to see "her" watches and she offered me to see them one more time on Sunday morning before leaving. A friendly proposal from a charming woman : how could one refuse this ?

Enough talk, I have a lot of pictures to post. I hope you'll enjoy them : the quality is not always excellent as the conditions were far from ideal – and I'm not a professional photographer as you may have noticed

- but they will give you a good idea of what I saw in Montreux.

Thanks for reading,

Emmanuel

Jean-Marc Jacot and me. On my wrist, the Kalpa Braveheart (collection Atelier).

Catia, me and the Tourbillon Arlequin from the same collection.

The box, full of surprises...

Key Points from the Discussion

The Kalpa Tonda 42 Hemispheres limited edition features an extraordinary 'semi-skeleton' or open dial, which significantly transforms the watch's aesthetic from its classical counterpart.
The Kalpa XL Tourbillon Arlequin showcases incredible craftsmanship with its invisible setting of 92 diamonds and 45 blue sapphires on a platinum case, featuring a 30-second tourbillon and 7-day power reserve.
The precise setting of baguette diamonds on cases with different profiles, such as the Braveheart, requires exact dimensions for each diamond to avoid unsightly gaps and maintain light refraction properties.
The Montreux Jazz Festival also saw the release of two limited edition Kalpa Grande and XL models, specifically designed for the 2009 festival, with blue for men and rose for women.
The Tondagraph is admired for its finish and beauty, while the Manta Kalpagraph is noted for its intriguing design.
Many collectors express a strong desire to see Parmigiani watches in person, particularly the unique and open-dial designs, due to the brand's reputation for exceptional craftsmanship.

The Discussion

Emmanuel H

Jul 9, 2009

The Kalpa XL Tourbillon Arlequin. An amazing craftmanship is required to do this dial's invisible setting : 92 diamonds, 45 blue sapphires. Platinum case, 30 seconds tourbillon and 7 day power reserve. The Kalpagraph Savane The two chronograph counters on this havana dial are entirely hand-painted. Many layers are painstakingly applied during hours and hours. This watch has a strap made from ostrich leather. The case is in rose gold but there is also a set version with diamonds. The Kalpagraph M

Emmanuel H

Jul 9, 2009

The watches in this second part are not from the Collection Atelier. The Kalpa Grande and XL Montreux Jazz Festival. Two limited editions made for this 2009 Festival : blue for men, rose for women. The next one is a new 2009 model that I really appreciate : the Tondagraph 43 Tourbillon. Look at the tourbillon bridge and its conical shape. Its finishing requires more than 15 hours of manual work, 40 hours for the whole cage.

amanico

Jul 9, 2009

Next time you have a meeting with Catia, please call me before! Well, tell us more about this magic box, my friend, pleaaase! Best, Nicolas

amanico

Jul 9, 2009

Wow, this Tondagraph is an amazing watch. I spent some time to admire it at Geneva, and was puzzled by its finish and its beauty. The Manta Kalpagraph is intriguing, too. You were definitely lucy to discover all these beauties, my friend. Best, and thanks for the share. Nicolas

Emmanuel H

Jul 9, 2009

In this last part, I'll show you my two favorites pieces. The two come from the Collection Atelier. First one is a model derived from mine, the Kalpa Tonda 42 Hemispheres . The limited edition has an extraordinary skeleton (I would say "semi-skeleton") dial which heavily modifies the general aspect of the watch. Mine is more classical but I find the technical look of the other one really interesting. I've had extreme difficulties to give them the watch back !!! This skeleton version also exists

Emmanuel H

Jul 9, 2009

Wait for part 3 in a few seconds... Emmanuel

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Independents forum with 38 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →

Key Points from the Discussion

Continue the conversation

More from this Forum