Three decades ago, the celebrated restorer and watchmaker Michel Parmigiani, with the backing of the Sandoz Family Foundation, founded Parmigiani Fleurier. In the years since, it has grown into an empire of sorts, encompassing a variety of factories including movement maker Vaucher, casemaker Les Artisans Boîtiers, dial specialist Quadrance et Habillage and a network of ateliers capable of producing every major component of a watch under the same umbrella. Along the way, the manufacture has produced an extraordinarily diverse range of creations, from elegant dress watches and unusual complications to experimental concepts, complicated pocket watches and even clocks.

Michel Parmigiani, the living legend and founder of Parmigiani Fleurier

For its 30^th anniversary, it has unveiled the Carillon Tourbillon, a 5-piece limited edition wristwatch that combines a carillon minute repeater and a one-minute tourbillon in a movement with a staggering 12-day power reserve. Minute repeaters are difficult to make, as it has been said many times, and even harder to make distinctive but the Carillon Tourbillon is unmissable. Surrounding the otherwise minimalist, distinctly modern Parmigiani dial are undulating serpentine gongs drawn from another era in watchmaking.

Parmigiani Fleurier Carillon Tourbillon 30th Anniversary

The inspiration came from a 19th century quarter repeater signed Perrin Frères of Neuchâtel, one of the treasures of the Sandoz Collection that crossed Michel Parmigiani’s workbench in 2000. The timepiece combines a wandering hours display, where the current hour traverses a 60-minute sector before handing off to the next numeral, with a quarter repeater with exposed strike works against a blued back plate. Its most striking feature, however, is a pair of serpentine gongs decorated with alternating blue and white stripes, giving them the appearance of snakes. The brand has revisited this pocket watch on several occasions. The last was perhaps the Toric Capitole “Waves” of 2019, which was also a minute repeater with serpentine gongs.

The 19th-century quarter repeater signed Perrin Frères of Neuchâtel

But while the latter was a cathedral minute repeater, the new watch is a carillon. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different approaches to a chiming mechanism. A cathedral repeater is characterised by two elongated gongs, which wrap around the movement nearly twice to increase resonance and sustain. A carillon, in contrast, uses three or more gongs and hammers, which allows a greater variety of notes and chord combinations than the conventional two-gong repeater. In this case, the Carillon Tourbillon is equipped with four hammers and four serpentine gongs. Rather than striking the quarters with the familiar two-note high-low sequence of a traditional minute repeater, it is designed to play a short four-note melody at every quarter.

The hammers, in black-polished hardened steel, are stacked in pairs

The hardened steel gongs fashioned into serpentine forms

The Carillon Tourbillon is in white gold and measures 41.6mm in diameter and 12.6mm thick. Its fluted case band is a familiar Parmigiani signature, but what immediately draws the eye is the absence of a conventional bezel. In its place is a tall box sapphire crystal that rises directly from the case band, leaving the serpentine gongs fully exposed.

The white gold case with a high box sapphire crystal

The dial is in solid white gold and features the hand-hammered finish introduced on Parmigiani Fleurier’s recent anniversary pieces. Finished in Morning Blue, it is an image of calm that belies the considerable amount of mechanical activity taking place beneath it.

Hand-hammering the white gold dial

The Calibre PF950 has an ideal and relatively uncommon construction for a chiming watch. In most minute repeaters, the strike works are hidden beneath the dial where the quarter and minute snails can be conveniently fixed to the cannon pinion shank, while the hammers and gongs are displayed on the movement side. The arrangement is practical, but it means the most animated part of the mechanism is hidden from view during operation. Here, the arrangement has been inverted, which reveals both the sound-producing and time-reading sides of the repeater. The striking can be observed on the dial and the sound generated by gongs can be directed towards the wearer while the play of the racks and snails can in turn be observed on the back.

Calibre PF950

The strike works are a classic example of Swiss fine watchmaking. They are very traditional but because it is a carillon, the quarter rack differs from that of a conventional repeater. Rather than alternating between two hammer pallets to produce the familiar low-high quarter strike, it must coordinate four hammers arranged in two pairs and thus incorporates an additional level of teeth.

The movement was designed for the tourbillon to be viewed from the front of the watch, which means very little of the carriage can be seen from the back. What is visible, however, is beautifully executed. The tourbillon bridge is rounded and polished by hand, as is that of the barrel. The bridges everywhere else are decorated with a freehand-engraved “mezzo vibrato” motif, which is meant to be an abstract rendering of sound.

The bridges are decorated with a freehand-engraved “mezzo vibrato” motif, which is meant to be an abstract rendering of sound

The movement has a remarkably generous 12-day power reserve from a pair of stacked barrels. Given everything else contained within the watch, the fact that it measures just 41.6mm x 12.6 mm thick is impressive. As usual, there is a separate barrel dedicated to the repeater. While the snails are constantly driven by the motion works of the watch, it is the repeater barrel that drives the racks back to their resting position when chiming is activated via the slide in the case band. The strike train ends in a virtually silent governor, which controls the rate at which the repeater barrel unwinds and thus the tempo of the chimes themselves.

Many of those details are enough to justify the existence of the watch. Yet what lingers is the unexpected sight of those serpentine gongs framing a dial that is otherwise calm and restrained. Idiosyncrasies of form, of concept or combination are all very well but they rarely ever result in something this naturally beautiful.

Parmigiani Fleurier Carillon Tourbillon 30th Anniversary

Tech Specs: Parmigiani Fleurier Carillon Tourbillon 30th Anniversary

Movement Hand-wound Caliber PF950; 12-day power reserve; 3Hz or 21,600vph
Functions Hours, minutes, tourbillon, power reserve indicator and minute repeater on four gongs
Case 41.6mm x 12.6mm; 18k white gold; sapphire crystal; water-resistant to 10m
Dial Hand-hammered dial with tourbillon aperture and visible serpentine gongs
Strap Taupe alligator leather strap with matching white gold pin buckle
Availability Limited edition of five pieces; available now at Parmigiani Fleurier boutiques and authorised retailers
Price CHF 490,000 excluding taxes