The Miami Design District was the perfect setting for the official Le Studio Parmigiani opening held Thursday, October 29. With its notable history and venerable-meets-modern ethos, the culture of the neighborhood aligns well with that of the Switzerland-based watch brand, which concurrently officially launched the Tonda 1950 Tourbillon.
The luxury retail space, which is awash in elegant neutral tones accented by Parmigiani Fleurier’s well-known scroll motifs, serves as the first U.S. stand-alone store. And it is in good company, flanked by other famous marques in the luxury watch and jewelry sectors, including TAG Heuer, IWC, Rolex, Bulgari, A. Lange & Sohne, Jaeger-Le Coultre, Harry Winston and more.
The intimate Le Studio Parmigiani—which is a new design for the brand’s boutiques worldwide—includes a showroom at the fore, with conference areas for meetings and private showings beyond. Freestanding and in-wall vitrines perfectly showcase an impressive array of watches replica and a smattering of Parmigiani Fleurier jewelry. The invitation-only event summoned an attractive crowd of local aficionados and celebrities, who treated themselves to a glass of champagne and a glimpse of the watches replica.
Star of Show
The Tonda 1950 Tourbillon, the world’s thinnest automatic flying tourbillon with micro-rotor (3.4mm), required two years of research and development. And from design to production, each stage involved designers, engineers and master watchmakers working together to bring it to fruition. To economize on space, Parmigiani Fleurier created a flying tourbillon whose special feature is a cage mounted on a single support bridge. A ball bearing replaces the mounting function without adding to the thickness of the movement.
Charmingly, the orientation of the tourbillon on this watch is based on 7:08 in reference to Parmigiani Fleurier founder Michel Parmigiani, who was born at this time in the Val-de-Travers in Switzerland. Frankly, I love the artistic asymmetry, not to mention the personal allusion, from this brand known for its aesthetic expression.
The Tonda 1950 Tourbillon is available with five dial options: gray mother-of-pearl, white or black jade, grained white and blue abyss with Côtes de Genève decoration, with or without diamonds. The 40.20mm case is in white or rose gold, complemented by a Hermès-sourced leather strap.