When Brazil’s CBF soccer team defeated reigning world champ Spain 3-0 in the Confederation Cup final on June 30, they had at least one Swiss watch company in their cheering section: Parmigiani Fleurier, which became the team’s official watch partner in 2011. At this year’s SIHH, Parmigiani introduced four new watches in two collections inspired by the team and the nation of Brazil.
The new watches honoring the CBF (Confederaçåo Brasileira de Futebol) include two men’s models and one ladies’ model, both chronographs, in Parmigiani’s sporty Pershing collection; and two pieces in the brand’s versatile Transforma collection, which debuted in 2011: a chronograph and a retrograde annual calendar.
The men’s watch, the Pershing Chronograph 005 CBF, comes in a 45-mm titanium case with a choice of either a titanium, rose gold or white gold bezel. The CBF team colors, which reflect the colors of Brazil’s flag, are evident in the design: blue for the background color on the dial, which has a côtes de Genève finish; gold for the two chronograph hands; and green for the five “victory stars,” symbolizing the Brazilian team’s five World Cup championships and worn on the players’ jerseys, arranged in a circle at 3 o’clock, replacing the small seconds subdial. The men’s model comes with a blue Hermès alligator leather strap or a yellow rubber strap with the embossed logo of the CBF. The U.S retail price for each is $25,000.
The Pershing Chronograph 002 CBF for ladies has a smaller titanium case (42 mm) with a rose-gold bezel set with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds. The white mother-of-pearl dial features rose-gold numerals and applied rose-gold indices. The CBF dark blue color appears here only on the edges of the Delta-shaped hour and minute hands; the green stars again appear at the perimeter of the small seconds subdial at 3 o’clock. This watch comes on a white alligator leather strap. Both the 002 and 005 contain Parmigiani’s chronograph Caliber PF334, which powers a 1/4-second chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour counters as well as small seconds and date display. All the Pershing CBF models have a caseback engraved with the CBF logo and individually numbered. Price: $29,000.
Like the other models in Parmigiani’s Transforma line, the new Transforma CBF watches are engineered to “transform” into three separate timekeeping modes: wristwatch, pocketwatch, and miniature table clock. The CBF version comes with two watch “heads.” One is a chronograph with a carbon case (43 mm in diameter) with a polished-finished steel holder and graphite-plated galvanic black dial bearing the three CBF colors in discreet locations, such as on the chronograph counter hands and the numerals around the tachymeter scale. The green victory stars are found on the periphery of the top half of the dial. The dial’s outer edge is satin-finished and its inner part bears a guilloché pattern. The chronograph subdials (30-minute counter at 9 o’clock and 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock) have a circular snailed pattern. This model also contains Parmigiani’s Caliber PF334.
The other Transforma CBF watch “head” is an annual calendar timepiece, which contains Parmigiani’s Caliber PF339, previously used in the brand’s Tonda Quator watch. The CBF Pantone-blue dial of the Annual Calendar boasts a wavelike barley-grain finish in the center surrounded by an opaline border. Here. the five green stars can be found on the lunar disk of the moon-phase display at 6 o’clock; also, the moon itself is executed in CBF’s signature yellow. As an annual calendar, the watch needs correction only once per year in February, except for leap years, and the moon-phase function is exceptionally precise, requiring adjustment only once every 120 years. The three-part rose-gold case with steel holder is 43 mm in diameter. Like the Pershing CBF models, the Transformas feature a caseback with individual numbering and the engraved words “Confederaçåo Brasiliera de Futebol.” The price for the Transforma CBF set, which includes both the chronograph and annual calendar, is $66,500.
