Michael Parmigiani made a name for himself restoring antique clocks and watches before beginning his eponymous brand in 1996, and since then, has created numerous remarkable and beautiful timepieces.
Parmigiani’s latest, the Toric Capitole Rose Gold Brown, is an amalgamation of disparate influences, but features an incredible dial, movement and several complications that make for a truly beautiful piece of art that manages not to feel contrived. With a rose gold dial whose concentric engravings are inspired by the Fibonacci sequence and a sector time display inspired by a pocket watch made by Perrin Frères in Neuchâtel in the 19th century (seen below), the Toric Capitole would be aesthetically pleasing enough if it had a conventional dial.
Alas, the watch goes a step or two beyond horological conventionality and incorporates an incredibly complex system to tell the time: the PF321 caliber movement features a module dedicated to the sector time display that is directly meshed with the hour wheel, and incorporates a rotary system of three planetary gears with four arms, each of which has a numeral that indicates the hour. The minute track is displayed on the upper half of the dial in a semi-circle. Taken together, these two halves of the time-telling system employed by the Toric Capitole make for a remarkable and unconventional display.
The watch also features a minute repeater with cathedral gongs, a system that incorporates two sets of gongs positioned around the case. The presence of two sets of gongs amplifies the sound when compared to that of a single set, and the watch’s rose gold case has also been designed with the express purpose of improving the acoustic qualities of the repeater.
As the price of the Toric Capitole is a cool $390,000, we’re highlighting it here less as a potential Christmas purchase and more for its beauty and ingenuity. However, if you have a spare $400k burning a hole in your pocket, don’t let us stop you from picking one of these up.
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