Parmigiani marks a new milestone

It had been a matter of hot speculation in the automotive world since the start of the year: would there be a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport and would it set a new land speed record? “Why launch a new version of the Veyron except to surpass the car that has already redefined the limits of what we expect from a production model,” commented the French car website leblogauto.com. The Bugatti Veyron, revealed to the public in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show, is currently the only production car by the firm, which joined the Volkswagen Group in 1998. It takes five people a full three weeks to assemble each one. The first cars in a production run of 300 rolled out of the Bugatti workshops in Molsheim in Alsace, France, in 2005.

Revolution number one in 2004

Motor enthusiasts were given an answer to their questions in July, when Bugatti set a new land speed record of 431 km/h (268 mph), duly testified by Guinness World Records. In doing so, the Bugatti Veyron snatched its title of world’s fastest production sports car back from Ultimate Aero TT by American automaker Shelby Supercars, held prior to that by the Swedish Königsegg CCXR. Watchmaker Parmigiani, partner to Bugatti since 2001, was unlikely to allow an exploit of this scale go unacknowledged, and pulled off a feat of its own with rare mastery of execution. When test driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel launched his Bugatti at over 430 km/h, he wore the new Bugatti Super Sport timepiece, which once again leaves no doubt as to Parmigiani’s expertise in developing unique horological concepts.

Parmigiani had previously hit the headlines with the Bugatti Type 370, for which the first prototype was unveiled in 2004 and whose Centenaire series, launched end 2009 for the automaker’s 100th anniversary, was the last chapter in a 200-piece adventure. Unique in the history of watchmaking, this timepiece was a full four years in development and revolutionised the design of classic watch mechanisms with a transversally positioned movement, like a car’s engine block. Cross-arms hold the five plates of the movement whose gears are cut in the shape of car wheels.

Another world first

The new Bugatti PF 372 calibre (337 components) that equips the Super Sport sits along a vertical axis while retaining the lateral time display that is adapted to driving. “In a world premiere, Parmigiani has successfully developed a 90° time-setting system – the dial is positioned perpendicular to the display axis (hours/minutes) – by integrating a system of double pinions with bevel gearing,” Parmigiani explains. A dynamometric crown that fits seamlessly into the watch’s aerodynamic lines is another key feature. A light pressure retracts the winding stem from its housing to wind or set the Super Sport, which has a ten-day power reserve. And that’s not all: the calibre is spread across two planes so that the movement is displayed at an angle of 30° on the wrist. On the top side, the balance and escape wheel bridges form an arc reminiscent of the Bugatti oval. The balance remains perfectly visible, as does the central circular power reserve bridge with its ten-day graduated scale. The carbon fibre hour wheel can be seen through the dial’s openwork centre. The movement itself can be viewed through the watch’s six sapphire crystals.

The inspiration for the tapered profile of the Bugatti Super Sport comes from the iconic shape of the case lugs on a Parmigiani watch, a hallmark of the Parmigiani style. The case is in 18k white gold. This first special edition of thirty pieces, unveiled in July at the same time as the record-breaking run, is proof indeed of Parmigiani’s status as a pioneer in contemporary watchmaking.