Parmigiani Fleurier Unveil Ovale Collection With Pantograph Complication

By Adrienne Faurote June 13, 2013

Luxury watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier has unveiled a new oval-shaped collection inspired by a restoration piece. The manufacture looked to the oval watch with telescopic hands created by the English jewelers Vardon and Stedman for their new collection, which came into Parmigiani Fleurier’s restoration workshops in 1997.

According to the manufacture, this historic timepiece caught the imagination of the brand’s watchmakers, because of both its unique elliptical form and its remarkable complication. Two telescopic hands follow the contours of the case, extending and shortening with the ellipse, a complication known as the pantograph. Parmigiani Fleurier’s new oval line features this same complication in its new Ovale Pantograph and Ovale Tourbillon. Here’s your look at the new timepieces from the Ovale Collection:

Ovale Pantograph
This timepiece features hands based on the pantograph which use the principle of multiplying a length by a given factor to obtain movement on a larger or smaller scale. In concrete 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. In other words, the measurement of this central cam provides the information required to move the hands and adjust it as it pursues its course around the dial. This trajectory and its elongation have been meticulously calculated so that the hands trace a perfect, harmonious ellipse. It comes as no surprise that this watch was subject to the same design logic that informed the research behind the Bugatti Super Sport.

The movement at the heart of the Ovale Pantographe is based on the calibre PF110, the oldest created by Parmigiani Fleurier (originally designed for the Hebdomadaire line). With the addition of the retractable hand module, the new moment, known as the PF111, combines a pantograph on a manual movement 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 – another subtle alternation of curves and straight lines – giving the piece a relief effect. The pantograph hands are made form blued titanium, a shade obtained by heating to over 550 degrees Celsius. The indices and numerals are in blued steel, the product of a PVD treatment.

Ovale Tourbillon
This timepiece combines an ellipse with the famous round cage and its hypnotic oscillation. At its heart is a PF501 movement, one of the few 30-second tourbillons on the market, which rotates twice every minute for increased accuracy. The Ovale Tourbillon is available in rose gold with either a black mother of pearl dial or a white gold dial featuring silvered Côtes de Genève decoration. Only sixty pieces total will be produced of this limited edition; 30 of each the rose gold and white gold versions.