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Spending nine years in the Michel Parmigiani atelier provided
Kari with the most valuable experience of his career. “Where I learned
the most after Watchmaking School was with Parmigiani. When I started
over there I worked in a small workshop with a watchmaker, Charles Meylan,
who was, at the time, 70 years old. He taught me so much in the field
of complicated watches and his methods on how to make things that were
learned from decades of experience, methods that are not taught today.
A person like Mr. Meylan motivates and inspires me.” So much so
that Kari began making a pocket watch with up/down indicator and detent
escapement fitted in a one-minute tourbillon with his spare time, for
his own pleasure, as well as to make a tourbillon with constant force
escapement, which was fitted to a marine chronometer – a piece that
was purchased by an enthusiastic collector.
At Parmigiani Mesure et Temps (1990-1999) he was responsible
for the unique watch construction department (piece unique), restoration
of antique pieces, including all manner of complications – repeaters,
tourbillons, complication cocktails, the finishing and construction of
complicated ebauches for other brands, as well as designing and conceiving
additional mechanisms.
This period was followed by three years of teaching at WOSTEP
in Neuchatel where he headed up their complicated watch department. In
2002 Kari decided to take the leap and opened his own workshop: Voutilainen-
Artisan d’Horlogerie d’Art, where he provided first class
restoration services to a select clientele as well as conducting work
for the industry. All of this work was to provide him the opportunity
to launch his own watches. |
