jleno
1978
Parmigiani Kalpa Qualité Fleurier
I've had the Kalpa QF for a couple of weeks now and have been incredibly pleased with this acquisition. The Kalpa line from Parmigiani has had many different variations, but I was very attracted to this particular version since it was released a few years ago. The tonneau-shaped case with large teardrop lugs in polished red gold is luxurious and elegant. The dial also has an unusual design with black guilloche circling a flat, round center. It comes off immediately as a formal dress watch, but the design is so unique that I'm unaware of any other watch resembling it. And that's a rare thing to achieve in the category of formal dress watches!
If I'm not mistaken, the case for this one is the smallest that was offered for the Kalpa at 42x32mm and 10mm thick. I have a very small hand/wrist size, but this Kalpa wears perfectly and wraps nicely around the wrist with the shaped case/lugs. The black alligator strap provided by Hermes is wide, thick, and of high quality. No visible gap between the strap and case gives it a well-integrated look.
The packaging that came with the watch was simple; a 2-watch leather travel roll, a small leather folder, a 3-year warranty card, and a signed card for the QF certification. I would have preferred a nice wooden box like Breguet's to the travel roll, but the roll itself is of good quality and practical.
Another interesting detail considering the dressy style of this watch is the generous amount of lume used. Here's a shot of what that looks like:
The movement in the Kalpa QF is an automatic, but it was thoughtfully designed to fit the shaped case. It also includes the Qualité Fleurier certification, which requires certain specifications to be met regarding chronometry and finishing. More information on the certification can be found here. Highlights of the finishing include the guilloche rotor, a criss-crossing Geneva striping, wide polished countersinks for the jewels, black polished screws, and hand-finished anglage.
Some sharp outward angles show the quality of the anglage as you can see below:
Overall I'm highly impressed with this Kalpa for both it's originality and quality. And as a dress watch, the Kalpa QF is huge fun to wear and does not suffer from being too subtle!
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention the best part about this watch - the date window! Oversized and framed in gold with a triplet indication, I can't think of a less polarizing date window! :P
Complications
Explore the artistry of shaped calibers in luxury watches like Parmigiani Fleurier, Chopard, JLC Reverso, and Patek Philippe. Discover the harmony between case and movement.
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Parmigiani Kalpa Qualité Fleurier
I've had the Kalpa QF for a couple of weeks now and have been incredibly pleased with this acquisition. The Kalpa line from Parmigiani has had many different variations, but I was very attracted to this particular version since it was released a few years...
Thanks for this synthetic yet comprehensive review of a very beautiful PF
Congrats to you on a very nice PF, enjoy it and wear it in the best of your health !
A beautiful PF
I yet to see one in person at some point but looking at your pics and post i know i will like it a lot . Enjoy it to the max
Superb Kalpa!
Thank you for the review, jleno. Hope this will be your lucky charm in many poker games to come!
