Rago Auctions

Michel Parmigiani (pictured) was born in Switzerland and, as a young man, developed an interest in both watchmaking and architecture. He studied at the Val-de-Travers School of watchmaking as well as the Technicum in La Chaux-de-Fonds and emerged with expertise in restoration, which would become his specialty. Parmigiani opened his watchmaking and restoration shop, Mesure et Art du Temps, in 1976 during the quartz crisis. He found success by restorating antique timepieces for collectors and museums and designing unique pieces on commission for his clients.

In 1980, Parmigiani was hired by the owners of the Maurice-Yves Sandoz Collection to restore and maintain their collection of pocket watches and automatons. This connection proved invaluable, as the Sandoz Family Foundation, impressed by his expertise and craftsmanship, supported him in launching his own watchmaking maison in 1996, which he called Parmigiani Fleurier (the brand is based in picturesque Fleurier, Switzerland). Inspired by science, art, and architecture, the maison controls the entire production process of each timepiece and every single component is produced in-house to ensure only the highest quality results. They produce fewer than 3,000 pieces a year, each taking several hundred hours to construct using only precious metals and precious or semi-precious stones.

Though young in comparison to other major watchmaking brands, Parmigiani’s commitment to quality and aesthetic excellence has secured the maison’s place among the most desirable and respected timepieces in the world today.