Parmigiani Fleurier has chosen a decidedly complicated way to mark its 30th anniversary.
The new Carillon Tourbillon brings together a minute repeater carillon and a tourbillon regulator, then places much of the acoustic mechanism in full view on the dial side. It’s a watch for collectors who appreciate restraint, but don’t want the mechanics hidden away entirely.
At a glance
- Parmigiani Fleurier has introduced the Carillon Tourbillon as a five-piece anniversary edition.
- The watch pairs a four-note carillon minute repeater with a tourbillon and a 12-day manual-winding movement.
- It sits within the brand’s Objets d’Art series and is priced on request.
A chiming watch shaped by restoration
The Carillon Tourbillon takes inspiration from an early 19th-century Perrin Frères pocket watch in the Sandoz Collection, a piece Parmigiani Fleurier restored in 2000.
That connection feels especially fitting for a maison whose identity has always been tied to restoration, traditional finishing and a quieter form of high complication.
The 41.60mm case is made from 18ct white gold and measures 12.60mm thick, with vertical gadroons that recall classical columns.
It’s a familiar Parmigiani design cue, but here it also gives the case a more architectural presence around a very intricate dial.
Four gongs across a morning blue dial
The most striking element is visible immediately through the sapphire crystal.
Four serpentine gongs curve around the dial, turning the minute repeater into both an acoustic and visual display.
The hand-hammered dial is made from white gold and finished in morning blue, giving the exposed chiming architecture a softer backdrop than a conventional openworked display.
The repeater uses four distinct notes, with a low-pitched gong for the hours, a high-pitched gong for the minutes and two further gongs assigned to the quarter-hour sequence.
The hammers are also visible from the front, so the chiming mechanism becomes part of the watch’s theatre without overwhelming the composition.
The PF950 calibre and its 12-day reserve
Inside is the manual-winding PF950 calibre, built from 456 hand-assembled components.
It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour and delivers a 12-day power reserve, which is unusually generous for a watch carrying this level of chiming complexity.
Parmigiani achieves that reserve with three barrels, using two superimposed barrels for the timekeeping gear train and a separate barrel dedicated to the striking mechanism.
An integrated regulating flywheel helps maintain a steady tempo during the chime sequence, keeping the delivery even from start to finish.
Rather than placing every complication on the front, Parmigiani positions the tourbillon regulator and power reserve indicator on the reverse side of the movement.
The decoration is equally deliberate, with hand-executed mezzo vibrato finishing across the movement surfaces.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Parmigiani Fleurier |
|---|---|
| Model | Carillon Tourbillon |
| Reference | PFH996-2010001-300181 |
| Case size | 41.60mm diameter, 12.60mm thick |
| Case material | 18ct white gold |
| Dial | Morning blue hand-hammered white gold |
| Movement | PF950 calibre, manual winding |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph, 3 Hz |
| Power reserve | 12 days |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, minute repeater, tourbillon |
| Water resistance | 10m, 1 bar |
| Strap | Akoya grey hand-stitched double-sided alligator leather |
| Buckle | 18ct white gold pin buckle |
| Production | Limited to 5 pieces worldwide |
| Price | Price on request |
The Carillon Tourbillon is not simply an anniversary watch with added decoration.
It reflects Parmigiani Fleurier’s particular way of treating grand complication, where sound, finishing, restoration heritage and mechanical discretion all share the same stage.
