Parmigiani

The gold Kalpa XL you see below was my first non-round case watch. I didn't know what I had been missing and I quickly fell in love with the fit, comfort and legibility of of the tonneau case. Which led me to purchase the stainless steel case Kalpa XL. 

There are subtle differences in the two watches.

The steel Kalpa has skeletonized delta hands which I prefer to the luminescent delta hands of the gold Kalpa.

The steel Kalpa has an entirely matte finish dial while the gold Kalpa has a matte finish inner dial surrounded by 12 guilloche sectors. Both finishes are tastefully done and a pleasure to the eye.

The steel Kalpa's date window is discreetly incorporated in the small seconds subdial. The gold Kalpa date window is of the "expanded" variety and hence more prominent on the face of the dial. I personally don't mind expanded date displays but in this case I think the discreet display is preferable.

The steel Kalpa power reserve is displayed in a cutout with a colored wheel while the gold Kalpa power reserve is displayed on a recessed half subdial with numbers corresponding to the days of power in reserve. I prefer the numerical display of the gold watch.

Finally, the steel Kalpa has a 5mm crown and the gold Kalpa has a 7mm crown. The larger crown is much easier to grip making the winding process easier and more enjoyable on the gold Kalpa.

Without reservation, I am a huge fan of these Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire watches. You get a lot of design flair and horology for the money with these watches. 

Thanks for looking and have a terrific Friday.

M4

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