Parmigiani’s visit to Singapore came at an opportune time. Not only was it just a few weeks after the Type 390 was announced, but it was also a fortnight after the brand’s big win at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) — watchmaking’s equivalent of the Oscars. There, the brand scooped up two prizes. The Tonda Chronor Anniversaire won Best Chronograph, while the Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde won Best Travel Watch.

The Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde is a travel watch with two time zones The 67-year-old Swiss national expressed surprise at the victory. “I was quite surprised because it was the first time we participated in the Grand Prix. I felt that what the brand presented was not in the trend of contemporary watches. On the other hand, this could be why we won two prizes.” Asked why, despite being around for 20 years, it took so long for the brand to take part in the competition, Parmigiani replies: “I’ve been invited to participate many times, but I’ve always declined. But this time, they insisted, and somehow I relented!” Surprise was not the only emotion Parmigiani felt. He was also grateful for the accolade, saying: “It’s an acknowledgement of the style, design and philosophy of the brand, representing 40 years of my watchmaking experience. It’s also a recognition of the teamwork of the company, all the members that contributed to it.”
While complicated timepieces such as the Tonda Chronor and Bugatti series continue to be a mainstay of the manufacture, Parmigiani explains that simpler watches, such as those with time-only or timeand-date functions, are also an important part of the brand’s portfolio. “First of all, I would like to point out that making ‘simple’ watches is not that easy,” Parmigiani says with a laugh. “Having a range of ‘simple’ watches [allows enthusiasts] to enter into the brand, this club of watch owners. Maybe they don’t have the means to own a high-complication watch now, but later they might. At the same time, they can benefit from the knowledge and expertise that’s put into the high-complication pieces.” The past two to three years have not been kind to the high end of the Swiss watchmaking spectrum. But latest figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry show signs of recovery. The worst might be over, but Parmigiani fears that the problem is systemic and endemic. “It’s complicated. If you talk about the big groups listed on the stock exchange, they have to provide numbers every quarter. This puts a lot of pressure to show good figures. They have to produce large quantities and come up with new models all the time — whereas haute horlogerie should be something rare. If you give each watch you produce the care necessary for it to be classified as haute horlogerie, you can’t produce that much. “We are a good example. We don’t have so many watches, because it takes time to produce. We follow the Qualité Fleurier benchmark, and if other brands followed the same benchmark, they wouldn’t be able to produce so many watches. With less supply in the market, there wouldn’t be the problems we encounter today — overproduction, stock everywhere. It’s hard to absorb all this stock when the market is down.”

One of the reasons for Type 390’s rarity and high sticker price is the complexity of its make That being said, what can we expect from the SIHH 2018, which will take place on Jan 15? “One of the focuses will be the Type 390. We will use the SIHH as a platform to launch it on a broader base. But there will also be some surprises,” Parmigiani says. We can hardly wait. Timothy Chiang is a design junkie through and through, believing that everything from a doorknob to the entire building needs to display thoughtful design. He lives for meeting design luminaries