This $36,000 Parmigiani Fleurier Watch Is Its Own Work of Art

If you’re going to drop as much on a luxury men’s watch as you would on a luxury sedan, it needs to be worth it. With Parmigiani Fleurier’s limited edition (only 12were made!) Tonda 1950 Marcello Lo Giudice timepiece, you get more than than just a watch — you get a piece of wearable art.

Inspired by friend and Italian painter Marcello Lo Giudice and his work with abrasions and abstract landscapes, Parmigiani Fleurier’s founder and CEO, Michel Parmigiani, wanted to honor the visual arts and horology with a full-scale collaboration. Parmigiani said in a release, “Marcello Lo Giudice’s artwork makes me think of how a glass prism separates white light into its full spectrum of colors, refracting them at a specific angle. His paintings are marvelous, compelling, and I’m very proud of our collaboration.”

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And he should be. Each of the unique dials was achieved by employing a laser on a raw plate to build up volume where there was previously just a flat surface. Next, a professional miniaturist painter carefully applied color pigments, replicating a different portion of Lo Giudice’s painting “Eden Universe, Eden Ocean,” meaning each one is completely, 100 percent unique in all the world. This process mimics the artist’s own method of building up texture and volume on his canvases before he begins administering paint and color.

The watch itself features hands in a sage leaf shape that adorn the dial paintings without distracting from them, a rose-gold case engraved with an individual number, a PF702 automatic movement, a 39mm case, water resistance up to 30 meters, a sapphire case-back, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and a beautiful alligator leather strap from Hermès.

Is it worth the $36,000 this beauty will set you back? Probably not. But you can always dream.

For a few watch options that fall into the decidedly “affordable” category, check out our picks for best watches under $500 and, if you consider yourself a Mr. Money Bags, we’ve also got our favorite watches under $1,000.