A Parmigiani Fleurier timepiece is unlikely to be your first watch. However, because of the brand’s history, high caliber of watchmaking, patented design hallmarks and attention to detail, it will be one that immediately catches the eye of any watch aficionado.
A case in point is the all-new collection from the revered Swiss watchmaker, the Tonda PF. Released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Parmigiani Fleurier brand, the new integrated bracelet addition to the Tonda family is built around the most iconic in-house movements of the maison, running a wide gamut of complications, and culminating in a limited edition, all-platinum, award-winning split-seconds chronograph.
Ultimately, the Tonda PF is an extension to the Tonda collection, which at 40mm is a sportier profile that showcases the manufacturer’s prowess in producing fine timepieces. It features a rather clean design, with subtle details such as the fluted bezel, Guilloché Grain d’orge dial, and a myriad of polishing style that accentuates the quality of the maison.
Aesthetically, the collection showcases a mature, and almost sartorial, approach to watchmaking – where cloth is replaced by metal and weaving by dial pattern. The silhouette of the pieces’ design echo those of a Neapolitan or Sicilian tailors, where fluidity, proportions and taste play paramount importance. Like any jacket that originates in those institutions of male elegance, the Tonda PF is tailored to withstand the passing of time and trends, and remain relevant.
Its specific hands are made of solid gold. Slim and long, they’re almost entirely openworked and of completely new design. The bezel, a direct heritage from the Tonda collection, features a sleek, polished part and another that’s been knurled by hand, and is crafted out of solid platinum 950 for the steel models. Rather than using the same steel as the rest of the case and bracelet, Parmigiani Fleurier has elected to work with this highly precious metal. Not for the sake of exclusivity, but because it provides a better, shinier play with light and a more artisanal feeling once polished by hand.
The case band on all four references of the Tonda PF line deserves closer examination. It is not straight, but slightly bassiné, i.e. wider near the bezel and narrower on the wrist. This provides the overall design with a sense of increased slimness. The surface is horizontal-satin-finished all around as is the upper surface of the lugs.
The range of references within the Tonda PF collection are connected by a range of distinct design cues. The PF logo appears at 12 o’clock, nestled in a vertical, oval, double-edged appliqué with extensive finishings. The standout Grain d’Orge guilloché dial pattern is a triumph of intricate detailing – any smaller and it would be invisible, any larger and it would be obtrusive, therefore defeating the collection’s purpose of being refined and dedicated to exclusivity and modern timelessness.
The range includes the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, a slim, pared-down, high-end two-hander with platinum micro-rotor; the Tonda PF Chronograph – with an almost flush dial and an integrated high frequency chronograph movement; and the Tonda PF Annual Calendar that carries a retrograde date which demonstrates how discretely indications can be integrated into a pared-down design. All three models are available in steel with platinum hand-knurled bezel or entirely crafted in 18ct rose gold.
At the top of the range, Parmigiani Fleurier is grooming a limited series of the Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph. Fitting for a 25th Anniversary, its 25 pieces feature a dial, case and bracelet made of platinum 950, whose high frequency, openworked, split seconds chronograph movement is built out of solid gold. Any watch aficionado would approve.
More here.