A one-off creation, La Ravenale Minute Repeater has been released by Parmigiani Fleurier, to celebrate the 75th birthday of founder Michel Parmigiani. The watch is a unique combination of a century old Ed. Koehn minute repeater ebauche dating from the 1920s and a hand decorated dial and gemstone marquetry case-back. This is the way that Parmigiani Fleurier continues its long-standing practice of releasing extraordinary timepieces on the occasion of the founder’s birthday.
The 51.8mm white gold case incorporates a case-back decorated by a technique of gemstone marquetry instead of traditional enamelling. A light blue opal and a dark blue opal and pale green jade are arranged into a geometric pattern inspired by the Ravenala (Traveller’s Palm) of Madagascar. Due to the use of semi-precious stones, this arrangement provides a visually harmonious representation of a sky and sea in a symmetrical composition.
Each star forming the hand-engraved dial is a separate engraving and therefore the overall result is a pattern much more detailed than standard guilloche, although it may look similar when viewed from a distance. It is the application of traditional métiers d’art techniques to a contemporary design which makes the hand-engraved dial so interesting.
In order to restore an authentic Ed. Koehn minute repeater ebauche from the 1920s instead of building a modern manufacture movement, Parmigiani Fleurier used a highly complicated movement featuring a split bimetallic balance and a sophisticated thermo-compensating system which was extremely rare in watchmaking during the 1920s but can be found in the most high-quality timepieces. As all the original components were preserved (with some even having their original pressure jewels pressed back with friction because they could not find any suitable replacements), the entire restoration project involved a significant amount of research and effort.
The hand engraving of the movement also follows the same aesthetic approach as the case and dial. In addition to the traditional pegwood method, the bevels of the movement are polished with a polishing compound after the first pass with a handheld rotary polishing wheel. The end result is a conversation between the craftsmen of the past and those of today.
Laurent Jolliet spent over 100 hours completing the hand-made white gold chain in the traditional manner. The hexagonal pattern of the chain echoes the palm motif of the case-back, while the oval-shaped links evoke the shape of Parmigiani’s logo. The bezel on the 13.1mm thick case is completed with a hand-engraved finish.
With the La Ravenale, Parmigiani Fleurier expresses its concept for founder’s birthday watches: combining the essence of simple elegance with grandiose quality, via the highest level of craftsmanship that stems from Michel Parmigiani’s background as an antique watch restorer. www.parmigiani.com
