Sartorial Savvy
Everywhere the eye lands on a Tonda PF, there's a particular texture, form, detail to be seen and enjoyed. This is not ornament, ostentation or opulence. This is a mature, sartorial approach to watchmaking, where cloth is replaced by metal and weaving by dial pattern. The cutting and fitting of the shoulders and waistline take on the form of case and bracelet. Like in a Neapolitan or Sicilian workshop, these are entirely focused on silhouette, fluidity, proportions and taste. 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.
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 Tonda PF Micro-Rotor
The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor measures 40 mm in diameter and owes its pure aesthetic to the uncluttered warm grey, matte guilloché dial. It inaugurates a new version of Parmigiani Fleurier's fundamental movement, the PF703. This ultra-slim, 3 mm thick engine is selfwinding thanks to a full platinum micro-rotor. This diminutive oscillating weight is integrated inside the movement's structure rather than lying on top of it. The gain in height is considerable. This in turn allows the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor to measure a mere 7.8 mm on the wrist, ensuring comfort and elegance.
In an unusual and exclusive combination, it features hours, minutes and date. The date disc is the exact same color as the minute track's, creating a consistent colorway. Combined with its slimness and sleekness, this makes the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor a refined everyday timepiece that can literally be worn on any occasion.
The Tonda PF Chronograph
The 42 mm Tonda PF Chronograph exemplifies how a particular design can shift according to the specific requirements of a complication. The 5 Hz Caliber PF070 is an integrated, high frequency, column wheel movement with small seconds and two registers. Integrating three counters on the Tonda PF Chronograph’s thinly guilloché dial demands finesse.
Parmigiani Fleurier maintains an almost flush surface by using thinly sandblasted minute track and counter outlines on the discrete blue dial. The pushers have been fused with the profile of the Tonda PF Chronograph's lugs. This model, along with the Tonda PF Annual Calendar, premieres a new oscillating weight in 22ct rose gold, widely openworked with a central PF logo medallion.
The Tonda PF Annual Calendar
The 42 mm Tonda PF Annual Calendar transcends the aesthetics that had thus far been associated with Parmigiani Fleurier's annual calendar movement. Caliber PF339 presents a retrograde date, day, month and 122-year moonphase as visible in both hemispheres. As they come on top of the three usual time-telling hands, the very nature of the general design of the collection was at stake.
By pushing the date outwards onto the minute track and using discretely outlined counters on the warm grey guilloché dial, Parmigiani Fleurier has managed to balance the pared-down equilibrium of the collection's design language and an elaborate layout.
The Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph
At the top of the collection lies an exceptional timepiece. Limited to just 25 units as an homage to the maison’s 25th Anniversary, the Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph gives prominence to the best craftsmanship available at Parmigiani Fleurier. The case and bracelet of this timepiece are crafted in platinum. In a deserved exception to the collection's rule, Parmigiani Fleurier has opted for a an extremely rare, solid platinum dial to match the deep luster and specific sheen of the case and bracelet, while its sandblasted finish maintains the matte, finely textured theme of the collection.
Caliber PF361 is a new version of the manufacture's most high-end caliber, the GPHG-awarded ChronOr. Three characteristics make this movement a truly exceptional creation. One, its mainplate and bridges are made of solid 18ct rose gold. Two, they're extensively openworked, satin-finished and beveled, even though the dial is a closed one. Three, it is an integrated, high frequency split seconds chronograph. It allows optimal timekeeping of two events starting at the same time, down to the 10th of a second.