A volleyball champion Vanessa Lecci is now one of the few enamel artisans in the world, and she crated her latest enamel work in a special Parmigiani watch.
The legendary watchmaker Michel Parmigiani’s 71st birthday celebrated on December 2, 2021. Indeed, the founder Michel Parmigiani’s birthday was also important for the brand because they created a special pocket watch named La Rose Carrée in the honor of 25th anniversary of the manufacture. And the interesting thing is that the pocket watch houses a previously used caliber, which means this new piece is a vintage one in terms of movement.
At the heart of the watch there is a Grande Sonnerie high-end minute repeater movement (displays every hour and quarter hours with the current time) manufactured by the master of complications, Louis-Elisée Piguet, in the late 19th century and purchased by Michel Parmigiani at the end of the 20th century.
This unique pocket watch mechanism, which has been saved in a drawer for 2022, has covered with a new case after a magnificent restoration. The front and back covers were embroidered with a motif called “rose carrée” (square rose) by artisan Eddy Jaquet. This motif is inspired by the aesthetic form the rose petals take as they begin to fade. The design is based on the golden ratio seen in some plants and shellfish such as the nautilus, a spiral suggesting aesthetic perfection. The extraordinarily beautiful enamel work on the engraving highlights Micehl Parmigiani’s favorite blue color, both with its depth and brilliance. And it is engraved by Vanessa Lecci and she is one of the few “grand feu” craftsmen in the world. Known as “grand feu”, which means “great fire” in French, this technique consists of numerous irreversible firing and delicate cooking processes that require superior skill and precision at a temperature ranging from 780 to 810 °C in a special oven.
