Not just another Swiss watch: A Kalpagraph (Michel Parmigiani)

10 october 2007

Article published by: ShanghaiDaily.com October 10, 2007

Michel Parmigiani is considered asliving legend in today's watch-making industry. His workshop in the scenic Val-de-Travers in Switzerland is one of only three facilities in the world that is able to produce any part of a timepiece, from movements to dials, and hands to wheels.

As chairman and CEO of the Parmigiani Fleurier SA company, he personally directs each watch-making project at every stage from design to production. In addition to the 5,000 models of the exclusive Parmigiani Fleurier collection produced every year, the workshop of 400 craftsmen also helps to restore antique watches and clocks for collectors worldwide and manufactures models reserved for leading watch brands such as Hermes and Piaget.

On his second trip to Shanghai, the watch maker master was proud to introduce Parmigiani Fleurier's first in-house chronograph, Kalpagraph, to the city's watch lovers.

Elegant and sporty, the new collection is distinct from the house's previous collections that are usually in a classic design. It took about four years for Parmigiani to launch the new chronograph. "Kalpa" is a Sanskrit word meaning eon, or a long period of time.

"Unlike fashion, to develop a new model of watch takes time, and a quality one lasts forever," he explains, in French.

The company has also chosen an unusual sport, hot-air ballooning, to promote the new model around the world.

"Compared with many other famous watch brands that have had their presence in the Chinese market for a long time, Parmigiani is quite a new and contemporary brand," he says. "What is of the most importance at the moment is to make more people learn about the brand. We want to make the promotion unique, different from the others, so as to attract attention."

According to him, the new collection and hot-air ballooning share many values, noting that the sport and the watch represent a passionate and adventurous lifestyle.

"There are many brands that focus on marketing rather than the watch itself," he adds. "We do the contrary. We made the watch first and then tried to find a right way to market it."

He also compares business development with ballooning as "you know where it starts but you will never know where it will land."

"We don't know where we will land, but we try everything to be successful," he says. "Our aim is to make the best of the best watches of the top of the top quality."

Entering the Chinese market in December 2005, Parmigiani watches are sold at four places in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning Province. The ladies' models start from US$6,000 while the men's start from US$10,000. The average price for Parmigiani watches is around US$30,000.

The company is planning to launch its hot-air ballooning promotion at the Great Wall during next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

The 56-year-old established his company as an independent restoration business back in 1975, when Swiss watch making was experiencing a particularly difficult phase. And, swimming against the tide, he chose to embark upon the watch-making adventure, with support from his family.

With a solid background of training in Swiss watch-making schools, Parmigiani started to devote his efforts to the restoration of historic timepieces and to the creation of movements or complete timepieces for some of the world's finest watch brands. Famous museums, such as the Paris Museum of the Decorative Arts, entrusted their masterpieces to him.

Major private collections, including those owned by the Sandoz Family Foundation, were restored by Parmigiani. Later in 1996, the foundation decided to finance the master to launch his own brand.

"That was the most unforgettable moment in my life when I was told that I would have the opportunity to unveil timepieces bearing my name," the father of three recalls. "My hometown was once famous for its exceptional development of the precision micro-mechanical industry in the 17th century, and I'm so proud to be able to bring it back after 200 years."

To Parmigiani, watches mean "an entire world."

"I have long been fascinated by this world," he says. "A watch integrates lots of technologies, creations as well as emotions. As one of the very few accessories for men, you look, touch and smell your watch every day.

"If a watch could speak, it would definitely tell many interesting stories," he continues. "It is intimacy, and is a part of a person."

Article published by: ShanghaiDaily.com October 10, 2007