Horological Meandering

ampurist
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Misahara, Parmigiani, and Harper's Bazaar celebrate the new Misahara boutique

Dec 11, 2014,19:50 PM

 

Misahara partnered up with Harper’s Bazaar and Parmigiani Fleurier to celebrate the launch of the new Misahara boutique in the glamorous Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. The three fashion powerhouses boasted select models of different watches, a wide array of jewelry, and beautifully dressed guests in the grand ballroom. As guests entered through the 59^th street entrance, they were met with an assortment of large stoned Misahara bracelets, necklaces, and delicate Parmigiani Fleurier watches. Mostly women’s watches, there was an earthy tone to the collections. The Misahara jewelry featured beautifully shaped naturally colored stones set in simple gold bands while the Parmigiani Fleurier watches ranged from mother of pearl dials to white gold bracelets with diamond decorations.

The Misahara brand was founded by Mrs. Lepa-Galeb Roskopp. The new jewelry line is focused on the global influences of the world traveler and is seen through the gems, stones, and design. Mrs. Roskopp’s personal travels and experiences are all infused into each piece and sealed with a stamp of the unity symbol. Mrs. Roskopp, her husband, and children have cultivated a special attention to the suffering in South Africa and have pledged a portion of all profits from the Misahara brand to help the children of the Thimbini School. Celebrating the brand’s Plaza boutique, Misahara expands their reach in the United States with pre-existing boutiques in Paris, Milan, Rome, and Belgrade.

Having only briefly explored the Parmigiani Fleurier world, I came across one of those moments where a light bulb goes off - that feeling in history class when one learns about a historical moment that is a direct effect from an event previous learned about. Founded on the basis of restoration, Michel Parmigiani began his career with a workshop in Couvet in 1976. Restoration is not the usual answer when watchmakers talk about the spark behind the beginning of their career, but in 1974, Mr. Parmigiani jumped into the watch world during the “quartz crisis”. The quartz crisis refers to the movement sparked by the Japanese when they created the quartz movement aiming for more precision and a lower price point.

Sound familiar? Let’s rewind a couple of weeks ago to my interview with Mr. Oohira at the Madison Avenue boutique where I was shown the Grand Seiko in great detail (http://seiko.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost/fi-876/pi-6679678/ti-961083/s-0/t-seiko-one-on-one-with-watch-whisperer-mr-akira-oohira/). The charm and attraction of this movement was the extreme precision and the greatness of the technology behind each creation. Little did I know, weeks later, I would witness one brand’s response to the economic effect of the Japanese phenomenon. Despite the hardship, Mr. Parmigiani kept his focus in the industry and founded his belief that “bases itself on the single belief that to part with the traditional art of watchmaking could only be harmful and would only breed destruction”.

In 1980, after a few successful years with his smaller workshop “Mesure et Art du Temps”, Mr. Parmigiani met the Sandoz family of Sandoz pharmaceutical group, now Novartis. Upon this introduction, Michel gained the trust to care for the family’s extensive watch collection and later, grabbed the attention of Pierre Landolt. With the push from Landolt, Michel and Pierre begin their adventure in 1996 with the birth of Parmigiani Fleurier.

The Parmigiani Fleurier brand we know today is a brand that boasts complete independence with in-house movement and parts. Over the past 18 years, they have boasted 7 collections, not including their exclusive special editions. Not only have they flourished with horological achievements, the Parmigiani Fleurier name has been seen through many major sponsorships including the International Hot Air Balloon Festival, Confederaco Brasileria de Futebol, Olympique de Marseille, and the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Parmigiani Fleurier and Misahara combined their pieces beautifully with the pairing of similar earthy undertones and designs. For the more masculine models, Misahara paired them with pavé or statement cufflinks. After trying on the new pieces, guests made their way upstairs to the grand ballroom set with a fully operating photo studio mimicking a real life photo shoot for friends and family and live band. The grand setting allowed for the flow of models, couples, and fashionistas to mingle in suits and beautiful ball gowns. At the beginning of the cocktail reception, the legendary model Carmen Del’Orefice participated in a live photoshoot and showed guests why the modeling world has craved this beauty for 66 years.

As the crowd began to retire for their early Thursday morning workdays, guests were gifted chocolate truffles filled with liquor and adorable door knob pillows. What dream was resting on my pillow? The dream for the Tonda 1950 Set with the mother-of-pearl dial and white strap... I have something of a sweet tooth for the combination of white and mother of pearl.

Below are some pictures of guests and the featured displays and watches.

Tonda Quator - Movement with retrograde annual calendar with precision moon phase, 50 hours power reserve, Date - Hour -? Minutes - Month, Rose Gold plated appliques dial, opaline outer "grain barley" center finishing

Kalpa Donna - Quartz movement, steel case, "sun ray" guilloche dial, steel bracelet

Bugatti Super Sport - 10 day power reserve, 18ct rose gold case, each engraved with number edition

Tonda 1950 Set - Automatic Movement, 42 hour power reserve, Tahiti Mother-of-Pearl, 18 ct white gold case

Tonda Hémisphères - Automatic and Duel Time Movements, 50 hour power reserve, Second Time Zone (hour - minute - day - night), 18 ct rose gold case

Tonda Hémisphères in white gold

Kalpagraphe -? Rose Gold case, 50 Hour Power Reserve, Rose gold plated appliques with "snailed" counter, velvet centre, and sunray satin finish, brown alligator strap