Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa Grande Owner Review : Bold, rare and atypical

Often in the watchmaking world, there are beauties that are completely underestimated and yet offer a lot of value for our money. This is the case for many Parmigiani watches that are heavily discounted on the secondary market to make themselves affordable for true Haute Horlogerie, very often with complications, to top it all off. And particularly the Kalpa Grande that interests us today. This watch has a very strong sentimental value for me, in addition to offering authentic high-end finishes for an absolutely ridiculous price (count €3 to €5K for a beautiful example). I discovered the existence of the Fleuris brand with the oval watch years ago, around 2010 or 2011, around the time of Bugatti's centenary celebrations. The brand was then particularly highlighted by having designed a tourbillon intended to be the on-board clock of the 16C Galibier super-limousine concept and which, unusually, could be converted into a wristwatch. I was then this young high school student, a car spotting enthusiast, prey to major mental health problems but who kept saying to himself... "For Parmigiani to be able to get Bugatti in its pocket, it must be a top-notch brand"... I also had fun listing many common points between the two brands which justified this partnership, making it very logical: the transalpine origins of their respective founders, the "Goutte d'Eau" horns of the PF reminiscent of the mudguards of old Bugattis, the commercial links with Hermès (supplier of travel trunks from the 1930s, then signing limited edition interiors for Veyron/Chiron for one, 25% shareholder of Vaucher Manufacture and supplying the leather straps for the other), the shape of the logo (in both cases, a stylized oval), the passion for exceptional craftsmanship and artistic professions, the fact that Automotive inspiration is never far away for PF even today (the name "Tonda GT" for the brand's first chic sports model or the reproduction of a half-steering wheel of a vintage supercar as a rotor in the Tonda PF Sport chronographs)... At the same time, I registered on Forumamontres where a moderator (Emmanuel H, not to name him, who has since been treating us on Instagram with a collection of exceptional supercars) had presented us with a first-generation Tonda Hémisphères in rose gold, with a chocolate dial. The latter made me fall in love with Parmigiani, because of its great originality, which made it look like nothing else on the market, the warmth of its metal and its sculptural shapes. This watch would eventually be worth acquiring if I find a nice, well-reduced example on the secondary market, which is not easy (and it is not for lack of regular monitoring)... But let's get back to the Kalpa Grande... So I acquired it in 2011, when I was 17 (I was probably Parmigiani's youngest customer at the time) at a completely knockdown price, while it was gathering dust in the window of the MMC boutique on rue Marbeuf, using the funds from a bank account funded by one of my grandmothers. It was then my first real high-end watch, the founding stone of what would 14 years later give rise to a first-rate collection... I can say that the acquisition of this Kalpa undoubtedly also reflected a courageous, audacious personality, knowing what she wants and not hesitating to think outside the box, to break the codes to favor originality and rarity. This watch, like all Parmigiani and Nombre d'Or creations, is supremely comfortable and balanced on the wrist. It must be around 9mm thick, making it very thin and pleasant to wear. The dimensions of the case are quite contained, around 46*34mm, making it very discreet on the wrist. This case is cambered and the brand's signature "Water Drop" lugs ensure ideal positioning of the watch on the wrist, so much so that I often say that it sits there! This Kalpa Grande is full of very appreciable details, making it quite captivating to observe. Its dial is in two parts, with a sector center and a "wavelet" guilloché rim, topped with alternating stylized numerals and mirror-polished indexes, playing wonderfully with the light, providing beautiful reflections. The Delta hour and minute hands are original, often used in Parmigiani from older collections. The counterweight of the second hand is topped with a small crescent moon, a detail that I love and which gives it a touch of exoticism, a slightly oriental side, which reminds me of a Bugatti speeding under the Dubai sun. The date is trailing, a detail again quite rare, which some appreciate and others not, which is a question of taste and habit... Here again, Parmigiani broke the codes. The bracelet, meanwhile, marks Parmigiani's first foray into the integrated bracelet segment. If it does not equal that of the Tonda PF (or even that of the Tonda GT) which is for me one of the very best on the market, it was already not bad at all at the time... The center of the links is brushed. This bracelet is quite thin, the width of the links decreasing as one moves away from the lugs. The integration and the fall are very well mastered, the butterfly buckle is invisible and its blade is not felt at all. A killer detail... The polished ends of the links which strictly follow the "Drop of Water" shape of the horns... Let's move on to the engine room... The Kalpa Grande is powered by the automatic caliber PF331, a beautiful movement, certainly round in a shaped case, but which serves as the basis for the old Richard Mille two or three hands that were the RM005, the RM010 and the RM016, excuse me for saying so! The latest generations of Kalpa Grande have a somewhat austere brass rotor, while on mine, I am lucky enough to be able to enjoy this exceptional 22K gold rotor, magnificently guilloché "Grain d'Orge". Finally, we find the high-end finishes specific to the Fleurisanne brand... Côtes de Genève, some chamfering on the bridges, circular graining, snailing... It's very well done and seems to me to be at the level of an entry-level Patek, with originality, exclusivity and serenity when worn as well! As you will have understood, the Kalpa Grande is a watch that I highly recommend when you can find it, as second-hand ones are quite rare... As I mentioned, it knows how to make itself affordable (between 3 and 5K€ for a beautiful example depending on the version), which for me is a dream offer! You can therefore have access to a real Haute Horlogerie watch, exclusive, with a strong style for the price of a Tudor BB41. Which makes me say that these Kalpa Grande ultimately represent one of the very best quality/price/exclusivity ratios on the market!