The case of the Bugatti Super Sport Sapphire is based on a gold skeletonised structure to which the sapphire sections have been added. These add to the large volumes of the Super Sport line but, by virtue of their transparency, open up the entire movement so that it can be admired by the wearer. The effect created by the translucent shades therefore joins the magnificent technical features of the mechanism, combining aesthetics and watchmaking prowess in a single viewing plane.

The sapphire case middle

The case of the Bugatti Super Sport Sapphire is based on a gold skeletonised structure to which the sapphire sections have been added. These add to the large volumes of the Super Sport line but, by virtue of their transparency, open up the entire movement so that it can be admired by the wearer. The effect created by the translucent shades therefore joins the magnificent technical features of the mechanism, combining aesthetics and watchmaking prowess in a single viewing plane.

Given the sheer number of transparent sections, the Parmigiani Fleurier watchmakers were faced with a considerable challenge when casing up the movement. The slightest scratch would be visible or even accentuated by the magnifying effect of the sapphire. Above and beyond flawless execution, this also meant that the resting points classically used to case up movements with normal exposure were no longer permitted. The operation had to be carried out without the slightest rubbing, and using carefully inspected supports to ensure the movement appears in its full, flawless beauty.

The gold movement

Nineteen of the movement's components, including the bridges and plates, are made of red gold to lend the Bugatti Super Sport Sapphire a prestigious air.

Producing a gold movement, especially when it is as complex as this one, is a technical feat in itself. Gold is a malleable and highly flexible material. It sticks to tools, does not react to machining processes in a predictable manner and requires all working parameters to be reviewed. The machines have to be recalibrated and their feed rate revised and constantly adjusted. A gold movement is an accomplishment that must be earned, but which in the end affords an exceptional result worthy of the Bugatti Super Sport family.

The dial's inspiration

The dial is designed to match the colour of the gold movement visible underneath. In this way, these two levels create a feeling of continuity and harmony. The same reasoning also applies on a decorative level as the base plate presents a vertical line which is echoed in the stripes of the Côtes de Genève decoration on the hour/minutes bridge in the background. 

The elliptic flange features a design that is wider at 12 o'clock than at 6 o'clock. Consequently, reading the time at different viewing angles is no longer classic and planar, but technical and architectural. The length of the hands has been adapted to this new dial opening and highlights its flange.  

The technical prowess of the Bugatti Super Sport

The Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti Super Sport was first presented in 2010, six years after the Bugatti Type 370 and the stir caused by its horizontal movement layout. 

The Bugatti Super Sport is an engine block for the wrist, following the same concept as the first creation in the collection. But instead of the tubular shape created by a transverse mechanism, the Bugatti Super Sport adopts a spectacular drop shape, inspired by the lugs characteristic of Parmigiani Fleurier. Finding a way for this extremely pure, ergonomic curve with no parallel lines to house a watchmaking movement, inherently based on flat surfaces, was a challenge to be solved by the brand's entire watchmaking department. The movement was designed as a highly complex series of stepped layers and positioned diagonally in the sapphire case. Because of this inclined position, the hour display – which is ordinarily parallel to the movement – had to be rotated by an angle of 90° thanks to a system of double pinions with bevel gearing. This direct reference to the automotive world that has been converted into a watch mechanism is a world first.

Finally, the side crown was the subject of major research as mechanical constraints originally required it to be raised away from the profile, breaking the harmonious aesthetics of the piece. Les Artisans Boîtiers, working together with the Elwin bar turning facility, which both belong to the Parmigiani Fleurier watchmaking department, designed the most complex dynamometric crown to date – made of no fewer than 12 parts – which is perfectly incorporated into the profile without disrupting the harmony of the piece, and which emerges from the case when pressed in order to wind the movement. This dynamometric crown is also a world first and one of a kind.