In what has become a Parmigiani tradition, a unique piece is unveiled each year to mark the founder’s birthday. For Michel Parmigiani’s 75th, the master restorer turned independent watchmaker is honoured with a remarkable creation: the La Ravenale Minute Repeater.

The La Ravenale is more than a one-off; it is singular. Its movement is a century-old ebauche, carefully restored and refinished to an exceptional standard. The dial and case back feature a geometric design brought to life with traditional métiers d’art, including hand engraving and gemstone marquetry.

Thorough handcrafts

Parmigiani Fleurier’s birthday watches have long revealed the brand’s strong sense of design. Each piece combines simplicity with grandeur, echoing the great masters of the past and commanding admiration for years to come. This sensibility is perhaps rooted in the founder’s early experience as an antique watch restorer.

The La Ravenale continues this tradition. Its case-back features a geometric pattern that combines classical and modern styles, but what really draws attention is the way it is made. Instead of enamel, the design is created with marquetry. Unlike traditional marquetry, which uses wood or leather, this watch uses gemstones. Light and dark blue opal and pale green jade give a calm effect, like sky and water.

A striking motif with exceptional execution

The motif is inspired by the Ravenala, also known as Madagascar’s Traveller’s Palm, arranged in perfect symmetry, which gives the watch its name. This geometric theme is echoed on the dial through intricate hand engraving. From a distance, the pattern might appear similar to guilloché, but it is far more elaborate – each tiny star is engraved by hand at the Atelier Blandenier.

100-year movement revived

It is not just the execution of the case and dial that impresses; the movement within is equally, if not more, compelling. While the brand has its own chiming movements, for this piece it turned to a vintage mechanism made a century earlier.

Parmigiani Fleurier restored a genuine antique minute repeater ebauche by Ed. Koehn from the 1920s. Although Koehn is not a household name, the movement’s features speak to its quality. The balance, for example, is split bimetallic, a sophisticated thermo-compensating system that was rare at the time and found only in the best watches.

A dialogue between watchmakers from a century ago and today

With parts no longer available, the brand carefully restored the movement, reusing original components, including pressing the jewels back with friction. In addition, the movement is fully engraved, extending the decorative approach seen from case to dial.

Traditional pegwood with polishing compound is used to refine the bevel after an initial pass with a handheld rotary polishing wheel

Once decorated, the movement is housed in a 51.8 mm white gold case. The bezel is hand engraved, and the watch is paired with a finely made chain featuring hexagonal patterns that echo the case-back palm motif, as well as oval links reflecting the shape of the brand’s logo. The chain, handmade by Laurent Jolliet in the traditional manner, reportedly requires over 100 hours to complete. This attention to detail and preservation of tradition makes the La Ravenale a fitting tribute to the founder’s 75th birthday.

Tech Specs: Parmigiani Fleuerer La Ravenale
Movement: Ed. Koehn No. 78708; manual winding
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and minute repeater
Case: 51.8 mm x 13.1 mm; 18k white gold; dust resistant
Strap: 18k white gold chain
Limited edition: Unique piece