Parmigiani Fleurier Tecnica Crystallisation

I wanted to show you a very special unique piece (or “piece unique” as the French may prefer to call it) that was recently unveiled by high-end and very talented watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier (commonly known as Parmigiani). Of course those of you who saw Parmigiani at SIHH 2010 in Geneva already know of this watch. It is the Tecnica Crystallisation watch. While I’m not exactly sure what the inspiration for this watch – “mineral crystallisation” – is all about, I do know that this is a pretty incredible watch. Aside from its obvious visual appeal, the watch has some neat elements – a skeletonized dial, a tourbillon, and a minute repeater with “cathedral” chimes (which I would like to hear!). I am hoping to get some more background information on this watch and I will let you know if/when I do.

The Most Luxurious Watches in the World

Watches have always been one of the most prominent signs of a person's wealth and status. While their primary function is to tell time, most watches nowadays come with other features, especially digital ones. All luxury watches are of the traditional kind (with second and hour hands), as digital watches by nature are not supposed to be pampered up.

On the lower end of the price scale, yet the high end of the interesting scale, is a timepiece by Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof. The watch features a fair sized, palladium bee with emerald eyes, a pearl mouth, and yellow diamonds covering the body. For this latest creation, the price is only $150,000, easily affordable by the wealthy.

The Double Tourbillion, by Breguet, has an almost purely platinum case, and being that platinum is one of the rarest metals, the price is appropriately high. There is also a hand engraved image of the solar system, and the fact that a tourbillion is present only makes the watch more prestigious. The price is a respectable $329,000.

Girard-Perregaux is credited with making the Opera One, a state of the art platinum watch with a clear backing, so one can see all the gears and technological parts inside. Every hour on the hour, a tune (as opposed to a beep) is played to signify the transition. The Opera One is five thousand dollars short of half a million ($495,000).

The Grande Complication, by Blancpain, may have gotten its name because purchasers have a hard time figuring out how to pay for it, as it costs $785,000. The price is appropriate, though, as not only does the watch have a tourbillion, minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph, automatic winding mechanism, and crocodile wristband, but it takes almost a full year for a watch maker to put the nearly eight hundred pieces together.

There is nothing exceptionally distinguishing about the Tecnica Skeleton Chronograph by Parmigiani Fleurier, although the few people who have the funds to purchase it adore the fine platinum case and on the hour cathedral tune. At $850,000, you might put the money to better use buying a mansion.

The Classical Billionaire Tourbillion, manufactured by Corum, is almost exclusively purchased by billionaires, as its price is set at $998,000. Part of the reason it is so expensive is because only ten are in production, not to mention the eight hundred and fifty jewels that encrust it.

As if watch intricacy could not get any better, here comes along the Big Bang Chronograph, by Hublot, in conjunction with Bunter SA. While the cost is a solid million dollars, it is justified, as the watch is covered entirely in diamonds. An astonishing feature of the watch is its invisibility setting, which makes the material indistinguishable and leaves only the diamonds to be seen.

Only seven Tour de Illes were made by Vacheron Constantin, as it takes literally thousands of hours to construct, and includes a silver gold dial, pink gold buckle, and alligator band. Additional, complex features include sunset time and a second time zone. You can get all of this for the astronomical price of one and a half million dollars, which is the lifetime earnings of many middle class workers.

Luxury watch makers are still trying to come up with ways to make even more expensive watches, although how they can surpass their former achievements is a mystery.