In 1996 Parmigiani Fleurier set out to restore Swiss watch making. In those early days he designed a handful of self-winding eight day watches that are still running today. It is a testament to his expertise and so is the Kalpa Grande collection. There is no time piece on the market today that is more modern or sleek. These high-end watches are affordable, but everyone that sees you wearing one will think you’ve spent a fortune, making this collection a buyer’s choice.
The shape of the case is what brings this collection together. The case is a tapered rectangle; an oval of sorts. This shape is hard to define with words and it is what gives these watches their defining characteristic.
A few of these watches have metal bands and the shape of the case melds right into the band. It creates an infinity feel, as if the band will continue to taper off in that manner forever. You’ll want to roll your hand over to follow the sleek lines of the shape as it wraps around your wrist. The watches that feature a leather band serve as juxtaposition to the sleek shape of the case. It makes the watch face itself stand out at the work of art. The stark contrast will draw the eye to the memorizing design.
The anti-reflective sapphire crystal display makes the watch easy to read in all sorts of different light; even the bright sun. The Arabic numerals are stylized but sparse, only showing the 12, 10, two, eight, and four. The rest of the hours are scored with marks around the tapered rectangle of the face, but there is a perfect circle inside the watch face. The hands line up with the inlaid crystals for a more precise read.
There is a simple date indicator. You won’t have to squint or search for the information and it is laid inside of a chronograph showing the seconds on the minute. This luxury watch is easy to read and incredibly pleasing to the eye.
You have your choice of colors. You can catch the people’s eye with contrast if you’d like. Choose the yellow gold on gloss black that really makes the gold sparkle loudly. Or you can choose a watch is the entirely made of stainless steel for a more subdued look. You can’t go wrong with any of these affordable, high-end delta-shaped time pieces.