Ovale Mister A. Limited Edition
Ovale Mister A. Limited Edition
The addition of an exceptional piece to the Ovale Collection once again illustrates Parmigiani Fleurier's creative force and its contemporary vision of Time. The manufacture enlisted the talents of artist André, who rose to the challenge of his first watchmaking collaboration. Limited to 10 pieces, this edition represents an original, avant-garde timepiece which meets Haute Horlogerie demands.
Born in Sweden, André Saraiva moved to Paris at the age of 10, where graffiti became his preferred mode of expression. His character, Mister A, quickly became a symbol of his ascendancy in the colourful street art world of the nineties. Although street art is undergoing a major revival, much of the focus is on the words, with a shift away from the illustrations and images that made it universal. Mister A is putting the spotlight back on the images, and is now an internationally-renowned artist whose reputation continues to grow as he travels the world. Thanks to his inimitable style and the fresh, offbeat lines of his trademark character, André is emerging from an art scene long considered marginal.
Preferring to work at night, away from curious eyes, graffiti artists usually express themselves on the large surfaces available to them in the urban playground that is the city. For this watchmaking partnership, André's main challenge was to condense his identity and express himself in the restricted space offered by a watch dial. Staying faithful to his pure, iconoclastic style, he shares his vision of the world using vividly coloured symbols that ensure clear readability.
Standing out beautifully from the ecru dial at 12 o'clock, a laughing Mister A regards us with a mischievous gleam. A product of the artist's imagination, he is, as André explains, "created in the image of our world, and the walls he now inhabits". Accompanied by two coloured symbols reminiscent of the Eye of Horus portrayed in Ancient Egypt, André's world is a limitless, contemporary place synonymous with freedom.
Eschewing the quintessential codes of Haute Horlogerie, this original dial provides a perfect contrast with the steel case, which displays the sporty yet elegant lines typical of the Brand. This 10-piece limited edition houses a solid gold Parmigiani PF 110 movement equipped with a weekly power reserve. With its 227 components and two barrels, it features Côtes de Genève decoration and hand-bevelled bridges, in the purest tradition of watchmaking. Parmigiani Fleurier has pushed the concept to the finest level of detail, with the power reserve gauge at 12 o'clock forming the mouth of Mister A.
This André limited edition confirms Parmigiani Fleurier's avant-garde character, while remaining true to the trademark codes and finish quality typical of its Haute Horlogerie timepieces.