Parmigiani Fleurier Exhibits Historical Craft For Its 30th Anniversary Exhibition
An ode to the historical timepieces that shaped its founder’s sensibilities, the Parmigiani Fleurier Mechanical Wonders exhibition showcased how the pieces of the past are influencing the brand’s contemporary watchmaking.
Today, Parmigiani Fleurier is something of a paragon of modern, discreet luxury watchmaking. The Toric and Tonda PF collections are prized for their luxe but understated approach, backed by classically minded yet innovative watchmaking. The fine touchpoints like knurled bezels and dial patterns need to be handled up close for their depth to be fully appreciated; world-first complications like the GMT Rattrapante focus on effortless, invisible function.
These sensibilities are rooted in decades ago. Even before Michel Parmigiani founded the brand in 1996, he was a well-established master of horological restoration. The analytical approach, respect for craft, and sensitivity to creator intent that he cultivated over this career are still the guiding principles of the company today. ‘Understanding before restoration, preservation before transformation, and transmission without compromising authenticity,’ it writes.
To mark its 30th anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier presented the Mechanical Wonders exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, from 19-24 September at 21_21 Design Sight gallery. Alongside its contemporary offerings, the exhibition featured remarkable examples of watches, clocks, and automata dating from the early 19th century.
These pieces were restored by Michel and his workshop in Fleurier, Switzerland, and are part of the Maurice Sandoz Collection, preserved by the Fondation Édouard et Maurice Sandoz (FEMS). It is part of the Sandoz Family Foundation—the organisation that financially backed Michel when he founded the brand, and that still owns Parmigiani Fleurier today.
Some of the historical pieces exhibited, representing the pinnacle of craftsmanship and continuing to inspire today’s watchmakers, are highlighted here.
Automaton Frog
Its origin is lost to time, but it may have been made in Switzerland. About six centimetres long, fashioned in enamel decorated with pearls and painted in mimicry of the real-life animal, this automaton sports a key-wound mechanism that synchronises sound and motion. A six-hammer setup generates a croaking sound, while a system of cams, wheels, and an unusual flywheel regulator creates a leg-driven forward motion. But it is not a robotic, synchronised movement—it ebbs and flows in a lifelike rhythm, reflecting the hesitating decision-making of nature.
Ethiopian Gold Caterpillar
Attributed to either an English or Swiss maker, this is another key-wound automaton that imitates life to an uncanny degree. About 7.5cm long, fashioned from gold and punctuated by the likes of enamel and cabochon-ruby eyes, its segmented body is made up of eleven articulated rings. Two hidden wheels in the middle segment drive a forward motion and orchestrate a distinct undulation in the rest of the body. The principles are simple, the engineering is a feat, and the results are mesmerising—and, to some, primally off-putting in the way it invokes the real thing.
Jacquemart Watch And Automaton Scene: Moses Striking The Rock
Measuring a generous 10cm across, the ‘watch’ part of this Swiss pocket watch is not the main focus, with the time confined to a modest white enamel subdial at 9 o’clock, leaving plenty of room for a lavishly painted biblical motif. The mechanics within consist of three separate gear trains and two barrels to govern the various functions: a quarter repeater sounds itself via two gongs, while in the jacquemart tradition, animated figures sound the time. The gold case is itself a work of art, with fluting and engraving decorating its bezel, middle, and back.
Perfume Flask With Watch, Automaton, And Carillon
With a mechanism made in England and goldsmithing in Switzerland, this 19cm-high creation is the height of opulent function. The gold case is a platform for effusive decorative techniques, including champlevé enamel, translucent enamel over barleycorn guilloche, paillons, and half-pearls. Time is told through a white enamel dial; the movement uses a cylinder escapement and sports an engraved balance cock with turquoise endstone. A separate musical movement driven by a fusée-and-chain transmission ends in five hammers striking five stacked bells, while a laterally shifting cylinder produces two different melodies. The music is tied to a scene set in motion—a spinner turns her wheel, and a dog drinks from a fountain from which water appears to flow thanks to a rotating crystal rod.
Tokyo was an especially synergistic location for this exhibition, aligning with the Japanese approach to craftsmanship—particularly where tradition and modernity coincide. It welcomed more than 2,000 visitors over its run, giving them a rare opportunity to see for themselves how Parmigiani Fleurier still draws from the artistic and mechanical expertise of the past, and from its founder’s experience.
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