The ambitious partnership now binding PERSHING (a FERRETTI Group brand and prestigious Italian shipyard specialising in luxury yacht construction) with PARMIGIANI FLEURIER (a Swiss Fine Watchmaking brand) arose from a shared entrepreneurial culture. The fusion of the values of excellence of PERSHING and PARMIGIANI FLEURIER sealed the promise of a unique history, marked by the aim of constant perfection of tried and tested know-how. The result of this partnership was the creation of the first range of PERSHING aquatic sports watches, dedicated to its gentlemen and lady customers, with a comprehensive variety of models and mechanisms on offer. The Pershing collection comprises two different lines: The limited edition "one-one-five", available in 18 carat rose gold and 950 palladium, created in honour of the biggest and most prestigious Pershing vessel, measuring 115 feet, and the Pershing Chronographs collection, available in steel with four dial variants, which is non-limited edition.

A lifetime passion

Two men, Tilli Antonelli and Michel Parmigiani, succeeded over the course of several decades in creating an extraordinary industrial facility, embodying the object of their passion. The young Antonelli has a fascinating history, in which his intuition led him at a very early age into boatbuilding, while he sailed on a legend of the seas, il Moro di Venezia. At almost the same time, on the other side of the Alps, in the heart of a region known as Val-de-Travers, a young student called Michel Parmigiani discovered a passion for the mechanics of time, inspired by another legend - the grand masters of Swiss watchmaking. The meeting of their two worlds could only underline their will to perfect the real to achieve the exceptional.

An ideal of excellence

Since 1985, PERSHING, one of the world leaders in top-end yacht construction, has made innovation pay off with each of its new creations. A symbol of an elegant, refined Italian aesthetic with all devotees of the sea, it is distinguished by its capacity for innovation, its way of anticipating trends and giving them a unique identifying style. By adhering to in-house production, and the choice of the finest materials, the best boatbuilding craftsmen pull off the feat of offering the prestige of a unique creation every time.With a total of around 100 yachts built every year, PERSHING exhibits gems of know-how on a daily basis. At least twelve different professions are involved in creating the tens of yachts in construction (from 46 ‘ to 115’ feet for the biggest). From resin specialists to joiners,from hydraulic engineers to architects, over 500 people work in bringing PERSHING's constantly evolving ideas to fruition.

Since its beginnings in 1996, PARMIGIANI FLEURIER has borne the tradition of high quality Swiss watchmaking. Thanks to the trust and support of the Sandoz family foundation, a lifetime passion has been transformed into an exceptional jewel of Fine Watchmaking. Its template for expansion has been set out by the acquisition of a rich diversity of production centres, creating a craft-industrial facility acknowledged today as one of the few fully verticalised and completely independent Swiss manufactures, incorporating all the facets of a watchmaking art essential to achieving a high tradition watch. Today over 500 craftsmen are involved in this watchmaking success story, contributing to the spread of the PARMIGIANI FLEURIER brand throughout the world, with the creation of over 5000 timekeepers per year.

A long-term partnership

This similarity of outlooks and passions is today the core reason behind the two companies bringing together their creative spirit and giving life to a whole new family of highly sporty watchmaking collections, from the chronograph to grande complication mechanical models. The Pershing collection, making its world premiere today, is also the starting point for a long-term association that may also be manifested in more advanced collaborations in creating timekeepers customised to a yacht or the customer's wishes. Probing the complex world of a perpetually moving watchmaking mechanism or exploring the mysteries of the ocean depths requires an absolute knowledge of one's art. The time manufacturer was destined to meet the naval manufacturer…

The Pershing collection

THE LIMITED EDITION "ONE-ONE-FIVE" CHRONOGRAPH AND THE PERSHING CHRONOGRAPH LINE

For its first complete collection of aquatic chronographs, there could be no better route to mastery for PARMIGIANI FLEURIER than allying its technical expertise with one of today's biggest boatbuilders: PERSHING. A symbol of power, speed, innovation and performance, PERSHING's image was particularly suited to the creation of a first gold, palladium and steel chronograph line.

PARMIGIANI FLEURIER had for several years wanted to develop a new collection of watches with highly sporty lines and volumes. The watchmaking project took a major turn with the formation of the partnership between PERSHING and PARMIGIANI FLEURIER. In this new light, the look of the new aquatic timekeeper, especially innovative for PARMIGIANI FLEURIER, took shape: its round and powerfully-shaped case, with stylistic emphases strongly identifying with the Kalpa line (a Parmigiani Fleurier emblem), a uni-directional rotary bezel, rubber chronograph push-pieces built into the loops, 200-metre (660 feet) water resistance, tachometer and rubber or leather straps made to measure. The convergence line of the two identifying styles speaks volumes. The round and tighter curves of the case resemble a hull fuselage; its highly sharp loops are as wiry as the side ports on Pershing boats; the choice of fine materials such as 18 carat rose gold or 950 Palladium is an echo of the finest rare wood varieties or refined leatherwork in a yacht's interior furnishings. Finally, the special form of the numerals on the dial is in the spirit of the PERSHING logotype. The original aesthetic of the PERSHING model is no less perfectly identifiable with PARMIGIANI FLEURIER. It incorporates all the style codes now connected to the brand, by virtue of which it retains a timeless appearance. The emblematic curve of its loops, the "Delta" shaped hands, the dial colours and decorations, the refinement of the finishes along with all the components of the chronograph movement. All these elements form the signature of the PARMIGIANI FLEURIER philosophy.

The first collection created in homage to this new partnership has emerged under the sign of the limited edition "one-one-five", in honour of the biggest and most prestigious Pershing vessel, measuring 115 feet, which can be found engraved on the watch case-back. This exclusively 18 carat rose gold or 950 Palladium series comes in two dial versions, Tan and Silver, each of 115 pieces, incorporating the self-winding chronograph movement Calibre PF 190. The Pershing chronograph has an hour and minute display, as well as chronograph seconds in the centre, and has one 12 hour counter and one 30 minute counter, a small seconds, plus the tachometer and large date indicator. The case is water resistant to 660 feet, and has a rotary bezel. The second collection of PERSHING chronographs is non-limited edition and has the same innovative volumes, but comes in four dial versions: Graphite, Silver, Blu Metal and Amaranth. This steel-only piece is inspired by the silvery reflections of PERSHING yacht hulls, an emblematic, instantly recognisable colour of the Italian brand. The steel metal exhibits contrasts between the satin-finished loops and shiny watch middle band. It incorporates the new Parmigiani Fleurier "house" self-winding chronograph movement Calibre PF 334, fully developed by the Fleurier manufacture. Available with a rubber strap or steel bracelet, it is also water resistant to 200 metres, and has a rotary bezel and engraved case-back representing one of Pershing's flagship models.

Press release