The history of the Kalpa goes right back to the company’s origins, when its founder, the master watchmaker and restorer Michel Parmigiani, created the first in-house wristwatch movement: the calibre PF110. Aside from the distinctive tonneau shape and innovative power reserve indicator, this premium, hand-wound watch movement has an exceptional quality, boasting an eight-day power reserve and excellent rate regularity thanks to the double barrel. This is rare for a watch of this era. Departing from the traditionally round watch movement has remained a key design element for the Kalpa, the company’s first shaped watch. In developing it, Michel Parmigiani started with a spherical cap shape and focused firstly on the profile of the watch and the attractive integration of the lugs, to achieve an ergonomically perfect whole. And thus the famous teardrop-shaped lugs were born, themselves inspired by the golden ratio’s logarithmic spiral. ‘The inspiration comes from nature, from its proportions and from the natural curves that provide the ingredients for creativity.’ In that sense, the name Kalpa is very apt – the word refers to cosmic order, ritual and art, through which man achieves harmony with universal energy. 

The inside of the new Kalpa may represent uncharted territory, with the new range of shaped manufacture movements, but the outside, too, is on the same trail – in pursuit of consistency and perfection. Thus, every aspect of its trademark design has been meticulously revisited, taking great care not to compromise the original harmony of the proportions and design features. With balance, comfort and readability as their watchwords, the designers at Parmigiani Fleurier worked intently on the Kalpa to introduce a touch of modernity while at the same time respecting its identity and authenticity. The tonneau case, known for its ergonomic design that sits perfectly on the wrist, has had its outline and curves reworked. The lines are tautened and contemporary, and now include a slight concavity which add character and dynamism to the overall appearance. The familiar short and curved teardrop lugs have also been resized and realigned, to achieve a more perfect fit with the case. The crown has been enlarged and more of the tonneau opening is visible – particularly at the back, where the movement can be seen, seamlessly integrated with the case, as can the 22 ct gold oscillating weight (in self-winding models), adorned with Parmigiani Fleurier’s signature barley grain motif.

Moving on to the display, balance and readability are the order of the day with a face that is both understated and refined. Every detail of the dial has been conceived with elegance and clarity in mind, with different levels of surfaces and finishes, alternating between guilloché, snailing and opaline work punctuated with hand-applied faceted indices. The guilloché work blends perfectly with the design of the movement and oscillating weight. One of the key distinguishing features of the watch face is the delta-shaped hands, which have been resized and given a luminescent coating. To further increase the readability of the functions, the date window has been moved away from the small second display and placed at the top of the dial. It is rounded and the opening reveals three numerals, of which the 1 has either a bright red or a gold powder finish depending on the model, to mark the start of each month. Lastly, the new Kalpa is exactly as its creator, Michel Parmigiani, had hoped it would be: it combines his expertise as a master watchmaker and restorer with his creativity as a watchmaking architect, designing the future by observing the proportions and harmony found in nature.