transmission to all four wheels to propel the Veyron to a record-shattering top speed of over 400 kilometers per hour. As the costs for development and production continued to escalate at a rate to rival the Veyron’s acceleration, a viable business case was left in the blur of the supercar’s wake. In the way of justification, the Bugatti Veyron stood, as it stands still, as the automotive embodiment of one raison d’être: because we can. Not satisfied to achieve mechanical perfection in the automotive sphere alone, Bugatti turned to Parmigiani Fleurier to craft a timepiece to match the Veyron’s excellence. Few watchmakers would be capable of matching such a feat. But when Parmigiani returned with the Type
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370, it proved itself Bugatti’s equal in innovation and craftsmanship. The 370’s unique mechanism was designed from scratch as the world’s first transverse timepiece, showcasing its bridges and train wheels from the top and its display cantered on the lower face. Its purpose, Parmigiani explained, was to inform its wearer of the time without having to remove his hands from the steering wheel. But its overwhelming complication betrayed a much simpler justification: like the spirit that gave birth to the supercar it was made to accompany, Parmigiani created this showcase of watchmaking brilliance simply to prove that it could. 100 years since Ettore Bugatti founded the company, a decade since the debut of the Veyron concept car and five years since Parmigiani unveiled its groundbreaking timepiece, Bugatti is celebrating its centenary this year. The automaker kicked off celebrations with a series of special edition Veyrons which would ultimately be the last. As the Veyron reached the end of its 300-unit production line, so too would the Parmigiani Fleurier Type 370 finish