WatchElse and Horlogerie-Suisse : Michel Parmigiani,the Sherlock Holmes of horology

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Michel Parmigiani, the Sherlock Holmes of horology

Not everyone knows that the master watchmaker began his career restoring old timepieces. An activity he continues today, with the same passion, at his Manufacture in Fleurier (Valde- Travers). We caught up with a man whose modesty belies his immense reputation.

Par Thierry Brandt

miche parmigiani Like a mother hen, he watches over the antique clocks, singing birds and automata that find their way to his workshop. No matter where in the world he may be, he takes calls from anxious colleagues who are struggling to restore this or that part, or get to the bottom of a wornout, broken mechanism. That’s Michel Parmigiani for you. The ace of restoration; the Sherlock Holmes of horology.

Parmigiani himself coined the comparison with Conan Doyle’s super sleuth. After all, restoration can call for some serious detective work. “These very old, rare mechanisms rarely come with drawings or explanations. Patience and method are the only way to understand how they work. We have to dismantle the entire object, taking photos and notes as we do to pinpoint why this or that part isn’t working. Otherwise we’re lost. It’s like investigating a crime scene: wipe away the fingerprints and you’re finished,” he jokes.

There is a reason why Michel Parmigiani is a world-renowned expert. His credo is to understand his predecessors’ work without ever disrespecting it, and it is this MO that sets him apart and fundamentally distinguishes his work from that of an ordinary repairer. “Repairing is when you alter a part so that it functions normally again. It’s tinkering and in some cases it’s papering over the cracks. Restoration is exactly that: restoring the original. In our profession, you must never betray the object, never distort its history.”

Naturally this requires time and patience, even self-sacrifice, not to mention extensive “archaeological” research before making the first incision. Experience and memory also play a predominant role. “Obviously over the years I’ve learned to recognise certain mechanisms. I can compare them and use this comparison as inspiration so as not to cause irretrievable damage.”

Parmigiani is, of course, also a brand, a maker of contemporary watches whose spirit draws on the lessons of the masters of yore. Michel Parmigiani insists on this centuries-old filiation. He sees restoration as a conductor. “My work has taught me that the desire for excellence, the belief in a job well done, and the quest for the right proportions and harmony are common to every era, from the Renaissance to the present,” he observes before concluding: “I try to keep all this in mind in my current creations; to work in the same spirit.”

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