BeSPOKE 07

Parmigiani,
a true life in time
By lApo quAgli (tExt And photoS)
94
It is a true privilege to be invited by Parmigiani to
have a look at their products and visit the Montreux
Jazz Festival. My journey through the soul of this
brand begins with a dip in Lake Neuchatel. The
water is freezing, even more than I expected. A couple
of strokes are all it takes to clear my mind of the
city, offices and concrete. I definitely made the right
decision in staying in a hotel like the Palafitte. you
come into your room and leave your world behind.
you can dive directly out of your living room and
this cold shower will take you into the Parmigiani
world. I already know that I’m falling in love again.
It’s always this way with Parmigiani. The evening
I leave for the factory the rounded forms of Switzerland
make time a pleasant travelling companion.
There’s something about Michel Parmigiani’s
work which reflects the calms and spontaneity of
the country. The light and precision of the buildings
meld with the gentle hills at the foot of austere
mountains. The Manifattura di Parmigiani is a place
to live in while you’re working, not a factory. There
is nothing in the building which is not clear, lightfilled
and full of windows. A stroll between the work
benches gives you a feeling that you can perceive
the personalities of the people working there and
the noise of work in progress sounds like mechanical
melodies composed to make movements precise.
The founder of the company seems to have
wanted to retrace the steps of his training and life of
success in the company’s sectors. The heart of Parmigiani
is the restoration workshop where he takes
much of the inspiration for the future from pieces
from the past. Like the pantograph hands which
change length according to the irregular oval diam-
THE ROOMS OF THE PALAFITTE
ALLOW yOU TO LEAVE
yOUR LIFE BEHIND.
PRECISION INSTRUMENTS
FOR RESTORING PERIOD
MOVEMENTS.
A TABLE CLOCK WITH
THE ISLAMIC PERPETUAL
CALENDAR.
miChEl pARmigiAni
CHATTING EASILy
WITH ALL OF HIS GUESTS.
95