Parmigiani Fleurier - Restoration “The Pistol and its Songbird“

Parmigiani Fleurier is one of the only watch companies in the world that possesses a Restauration workshop. It’s a secondary activity within the manufacture, when you consider its three dedicated watchmakers, the small work premises they are busy in, but the impact of Restauration on Parmigiani Fleurier’s expertise is colossal. Restauration, or the art of re-establishing the former glory of an artifact by setting-it free from the torments of time, was Michel Parmigiani’s initial area of expertise when he started off as an independent watchmaker. Restauration has never ceased to be the soul of the brand in the sense that it has enabled Parmigiani Fleurier to understand over 3 centuries of watchmaking that have forged our trade. In 2016, after twelve months of work, Parmigiani Fleurier has brought back to life a unique object from the Sandoz Family Collection: the double-barrel pistol and its songbird. This rare automaton was conceived and created, in all likelihood circa 1815, by the famous Fr