Parmigiani Fleurier - Ovale Pantographe

The new oval line and the mastery of the pantograph complication represent the main characteristics of the new Parmigiani Fleurier Ovale Pantographe.

Parmigiani Fleurier is not only a manufacturer of Haute Horlogerie creative pieces. In fact, Parmigiani is recognised as one of the world’s most important centres of restoration expertise. And often the objects d’art restored within the Parmigiani workshops become a precious source of inspiration.

This is what happened for the new Ovale collection which has its origins in a restoration piece, an oval watch with telescopic hands – created by the English jewellers, Vardon and Stedman – which came into the restoration workshops of the Fleurier-based brand in 1997. Its two telescopic hands follow the contours of the case, extending and shortening with the ellipse, skimming the numerals as if to showcase the time. 

The new oval line and the mastery of the pantograph complication represent the main characteristics of the new Ovale Pantographe.

The restored Vardon and Stedman oval watch with telescopic hands

The hands use the principle of multiplying a length by a given factor to obtain movement on a larger or smaller scale. In mechanical terms, a cam at the centre of the movement determines a certain length which is then replicated X number of times across the entire hand.  The trajectory has been meticulously calculated so that the hands trace a perfect ellipse. Accurate simulations also ensures that the minute hand is never retracted as far as the hour hand, otherwise you might confuse the two hands and, for example, 12:15 could be read as 3 o'clock.

The blued hands are made of titanium and cut by the latest generation laser cutting techniques, which use water and nitrogen and guarantee accuracy to the nearest 2 to 4 µm. Riveting the titanium segments also required excellent hearing and sensitivity of touch to understand when to end the operation to make sure that the titanium segments can slide completely freely over each other without the slightest play.  The indices and numerals are in blued steel, the product of a PVD treatment.

The design of the oval collection balances curves and straight lines to obtain harmony and elegance.

The movement - known as the PF111 - is based on the PF110, originally designed by Parmigiani Fleurier for the Hebdomadaire line, and combines the retractable hand module with a power reserve of 8 days.

The Ovale Pantographe is available with a rose gold or white gold case, but all models have the same dial decorated with a barley grain motif.