Of Divine Proportions

The Golden Ratio

Parmigiani reveals his inspirations: “Our designs are rooted in observations of nature. One finds symmetry and complete harmony in nature, and in nature everything is in a state of equilibrium. This is the essence of Fibonacci’s law. This Italian mathematician in the 13th century succeeded in seeing harmony and proportion in everything. It was a revelation to me. In his theory, a flower, a leaf, a crystal, the structure of all these things, are governed by the Golden Ratio, an algorithm that when followed creates beauty and harmony.”

The golden ratio, approximately equal to 1.618033, is believed to be a divine proportion that when used in design makes the creation more aesthetically pleasing. The Greeks employed it when building the Parthenon, and it is widely observed in great architecture. It is also seen in the works of Salvador Dali, Da Vinci and hundreds of other painters, and even the music of Chopin.

This interesting focus on harmony and proportion has made Parmigiani Fleurier watches easily identifiable, not only because of the designs of their dials, but because of the exceptional construction of the cases and the parts. Parmigiani explains further, “In our watches, you will notice that all the curves are natural. The hands, the numerals, and other details, everything is in perfect symmetry with the rest of the parts.” A prime example of this can be seen in the lugs, which come in a distinct leaf-like shape that to many may seem like a random design, but is a result of study based on the Fibonacci's golden ratio.