ReviewThe Parmigiani Kalpagraphe Chronomètre—Made For Universal Proportions
Parmigiani Fleurier had proclaimed last year as the ‘Year of the Kalpa’ to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kalpa collection. We review the Parmigiani Kalpagraphe Chronomètre—the first tonneau-shaped integrated chronograph to be entirely manufactured in-house
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The Parmigiani Kalpa collection is the fruit of the quest for universal proportions that was undertaken by the brand’s founder Michel Parmigiani. The origin story of the iconic tonneau-shaped Kalpa, as shared by Michel, reveals that these timepieces were designed this way with the goal to create a product that was comfortable and ergonomic for all wrists, given how much their anatomy varies, as well as that of the wearers. “I wanted to create a piece whose dimensions were as universal as possible. I was also keen that the watch should be felt comfortably when the opposite hand was placed on the wrist,” states Michel.
The Kalpa Adventure
Several rounds of thorough empirical experimentation transpired to pave the way for the brand to come up with the ideal dimensions as well as the angle for orienting the lugs and a ratio of harmonious proportions. Keeping the curve of the wrist in mind, Michel began to sketch the Kalpa in profile, and, for several weeks, worked only on the profile. This was followed by the surface of the watch with its tonneau shape. No straight lines and no sharp angles, just like the wrist, defined the design philosophy. Thus, in 1998, the Kalpa was born—a watch in perfect balance with the optimal weighted average of the human wrist—promoting complete consonance between the movement and the case.
Twenty years after its creation, the Kalpa collection underwent a revival last year with a new generation of Kalpas boasting 100-percent manufacture-made complications and featuring tonneau-shaped movements perfectly moulded to their cases. Built with renewed vigour, the Kalpa Hebdomadaire, Kalpa Qualité Fleurier, Kalpa Chronor and Kalpagraphe Chronomètre honoured the history of the Kalpa with breakthrough movements and au courant demeanours.
Kalpagraphe Chronomètre—The Epitome Of Haute Horlogerie
A showstopper at the 2018 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Parmigiani Fleurier’s first in-house automatic chronograph is a delightfully constructed novelty and an artistic masterpiece, but there’s more than what meets the eye. The PF362 automatic integrated chronograph COSC-certified movement works at a frequency of 36,000vph, which is rare for such a complication. The movement has been shaped to fit exactly inside the 40.9mm tonneau rose gold case, which resonates well with the dogma that Michel held in high importance of establishing complete harmony between the concealed and the visible.
Exuding refined masculinity, the face of this timepiece makes a bold statement with a blue centre, treated with PVD, with an opaline finish, a radial guilloché-worked flange punctuated with luminescent Delta-shaped hands and hand-applied faceted indices. The neatly balanced dial packs in several displays such as two snailed sub-dials enclosed within a fine gold edging, an angled tachymeter scale, a semi-instantaneous date window and a small seconds sub-dial with its own hand. Equipped with a 65-hour power reserve, this Parmigiani chronograph, replete with a black alligator leather strap with an 18-karat rose gold folding buckle, is water resistant up to 30m. Developed and manufactured in-house over a period of six years, the Kalpagraphe Chronomètre is a juxtaposition of visual grandeur and technical dexterity that offers the ultimate luxury with exclusivity.
