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Watches and Wonders 2022: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante

Parmigiani Fleurier debuts a terrific world-first complication within the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante that conveys flyback capability to a subtle GMT hand, all powered by a new in-house PF051 caliber with a 48-hour power reserve.

The Parmigiani Fleurier the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante with a world-first flyback complication re-engineered solely for a second time zone display.

As the watchmaker’s Watches and Wonders 2022 highlight, the new watch nicely extends the sartorial approach to dial and case design embodied within the entire Tonda PF collection, which Parmigiani Fleurier debuted last year to much acclaim.

The new complication makes it a simple task to set and read two time zones. With two hour hands initially superimposed, the wearer need only press the pusher at 8 o’clock to advance the upper rhodium-plated gold hand dedicated to local time. Each press moves the hand one hour forward. This action reveals the rose gold hour hand, which displays time in the wearer’s home time. The watch is then set, and both hour hands will convey the time in both locations with no additional intervention.

Once the wearer returns home, he or she simply presses the crown-integrated rose gold push button to instantly ‘fly’ the gold hand back underneath the rhodium-plated hand.

These simple gestures engage a sophisticated flyback mechanism that on most watches operates a chronograph seconds hand, which here does not exist. Instead of timing two separate events, the job of traditional flyback complications, this patented Parmigiani Fleurier invention is employed to clear the dial of its third hand.

This enables an even clearer view of the hand-wrought barleycorn guilloché pattern blue dial framed with a sandblasted minutes track. As with every steel-cased watch within the Tonda PF collection, this GMT is also further framed with a finely knurled single-piece platinum bezel.

For many at Watches and Wonders 2022, this Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante was among the show’s highlights. It is certainly the purest GMT we’ve seen and a welcome display of restraint amid a torrent of grander world-timers and dual-timers displayed across Geneva this week. Price: $26,800.

 

Also new from Parmigiani Fleurier at Watches and Wonders 2022:

Alongside the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante, Parmigiani Fleurier presented four more novelties. Two, the Tonda PF Skeleton and the Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon, display the same knurled bezel, teardrop-shaped lugs and clean Grain d’Orge guilloché pattern dial. The two others are the sporty Tonda GT Chronograph in Big Date and Annual Calendar in two new appealing new colors.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton, two new 40mm models in rose gold and steel/platinum (above), set with black rubies. Prices: $97,400 (steel with platinum bezel) and $63,300 (rose gold, pictured below).

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon (above), a 40mm platinum-cased model with platinum micro-rotor. Price: $157,000.

 

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT Chronograph with Big Date adds two dial options: Silver/grey (above) and pomegranate (below). Price: CHF 43,100.

 

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT Chronograph with Big Date and annual calendar, also with same color options as above. Both are pictured below. Price: CHF 19,400.

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The Watches

Parmigiani Fleurier Unveils La Rose Carrée, an Artisanal Grande Sonnerie

In the late 1990s Michel Parmigiani, founder of Parmigiani Fleurier, acquired a late 19th century grande sonnerie and minute repeater movement created by famed watchmaker Louis-Elisée Piguet.

That complicated movement, which was never encased in a pocket watch, remained on Parmigiani’s to-do list for restoration until earlier this year when Guido Terreni, the company’s newly named CEO, embarked on a project to help the brand celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Terreni and Parmigiani quickly enlisted the Piguet movement as the heart of the project.

The Parmigiani Fleurier La Rose Carrée, a deeply artisanal grand sonnerie.

After nearly a year of painstaking restoration and artisanal craftsmanship, the Fleurier-based watchmaker has released the La Rose Carrée, a 64mm white gold double hunter pocket watch with the fully restored Piguet caliber set within a newly designed case coated in translucent grand feu enamel.

Named after the Rose Carrée or “squared rose” engraved pattern seen on the case and movement, the one-of-a-kind watch Is coated by three or four layers of blue grand feu enamel (applied by artistic enameller Vanessa Lecci) to add depth and rich color to the engraving work.

According to Terreni, the square roses pattern found throughout the watch follows the Golden Spiral, a derivative of the Golden Ratio, which has long been favored by Michel Parmigiani.

One cover opens to reveal the black onyx dial, white gold hands and a small-seconds subdial outlined in white gold. The second cover opens to frame the beautifully engraved movement with a mainplate and the bridges displaying the thematic Rose Carrée pattern.

The grande sonnerie and minute repeater movement, pictured here after restoration, was created at the end of the 19th century by Louis-Elisée Piguet.

 

Notable too is the blue-sapphire-set crown and an unusual square-link chain entirely handcrafted by Swiss traditional chain maker Laurent Jolliet.

For additional detail and a video about La Rose Carrée, check out the Parmigiani Fleurier website.

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The Watches

Oliver Smith Celebrates With Parmigiani Fleurier

Scottsdale-based Oliver Smith Jeweler is partnering with Parmigiani Fleurier to create twenty bespoke watches to help celebrate the jeweler’s fortieth anniversary.

The 42mm watches, fifteen steel-cased Tonda GT models and five of its more complicated sibling, the Tondagraph GT, each feature a customized brown guilloché dial with cream-colored subdials and chapter ring.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tondagraph GT specially made with Oliver Smith.

“I really wanted to partner with Michel Parmigiani because of his creative genius. His skill as a restorer of antique timepieces was clear at a young age, and he’s come about his success as a watchmaker extremely organically,” says Oliver Smith, Founder and Creative Director at Oliver Smith Jeweler.

“I appreciate how Michel takes inspiration from patterns in nature, like the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence, in developing the proportions of his pieces. He takes that natural world into the balance of his watches,” Smith adds.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT specially made with Oliver Smith.

Each dial is guided by Michel Parmigiani’s Golden Ratio principles. The dials each sport open-worked Delta-shaped hands framed by fluted bezels and unmistakable teardrop-shaped lugs. Fifteen Tonda GT pieces have been produced. Only five Tondagraph GT models have been made, each numbered individually 1-5.

Inside Parmigiani Fleurier fits its own excellent calibers. The Tonda GT is powered by the PF044 automatic movement, which is finely finished, has a power reserve of 42 hours and is water resistant to 100 meters. The Tondagraph GT features the PF043 movement and combines an annual calendar and a chronograph.

Both models are fastened by a matching steel bracelet with folding clasp buckle, a new design from Parmigiani Fleurier first seen in last year’s Tonda GT novelties. For extra versatility, Oliver Smith and Parmigiani Fleurier include an additional interchangeable black rubber strap with deployant buckle.

Prices: $17,700 (Tonda GT pieces) and $23,200 (Tondagraph GT models, each numbered individually 1-5).

 

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Featured News

Parmigiani Fleurier’s ‘Tailored’ Design Highlights New Tonda PF

Parmigiani Fleurier updates its Tonda collection with a cleaner, pared-down sub-collection dubbed Tonda PF. The new line exhibits a less ornamented Tonda dial design, which the watchmaker attributes to a carefully considered ‘sartorial’ approach to the update.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF collection includes a chronograph, a split-seconds chronograph, an annual calendar and a two-hand, time and date model. With the exception of the split-seconds edition, the three new Tonda PF debuts are all available in steel with a platinum hand-knurled bezel or in a rose gold case.

It’s not just the wide-open dials that characterize the new Tonda PF. The newly designed, extra-long openwork hands are now made of solid gold. The new bezel echoes many of the brand’s original Tonda designs, but adds a subtle knurling that, surprise, is made by hand in luxurious platinum.

The bezel on each steel Tonda PF is hand-cut in platinum.

This rare combination speaks volumes about the details Parmigiani Fleurier has built into this handsome new collection. Ever modest, the watchmaker claims the platinum flourish is “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.”

In my mind the platinum bezel is a hidden treasure – not unlike Parmigiani Fleurier itself.

And finally, Parmigiani Fleurier has updated the bracelet for the new collection. Now wider near the bezel and narrower along the length, the bracelet exudes a tailored approach to watchmaking and likely feels slimmer when worn. The horizontal-satin-finished surface here perfectly echoes the upper surface of the lugs.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor.

Tonda Automatic with PF Micro-Rotor

This slim 40mm by 7.8mm two-hander underscores its name with a luxurious platinum micro-rotor to echo the bezel (on the steel model).

The precious oscillating weight (pictured above) powers the latest iteration of Parmigiani Fleurier’s caliber PF703. The dressy date/time display offers a date disc colored to exactly matches the minute track, all placed within a matte guilloché dial, and cut to a turn. Prices: $22,900 (steel) and $53,900 (rose gold).

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, in rose gold case and bracelet.

The Tonda PF Chronograph

With its integrated high-frequency (5 Hz, or 36,000 vph) Caliber PF070 movement, this 42mm model retains a clean two-register chronograph layout alongside a small seconds subdial. The new lightly guillochéd dial design extends to its bezel with a sandblasted minute track and counter edges.

The Tonda PF Chronograph

The case is dressy, with subtle teardrop pushers, and when turned over reveals a beautifully finished openwork rose gold rotor with a PF logo (pictured below). Prices: $31,000 (steel) and $69,700 (rose gold).

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronograph, in rose gold.

Tonda PF Annual Calendar

In its 42mm case, Parmigiani Fleurier’s Caliber PF339 powers the Annual Calendar, which displays a retrograde date, day, month and a moon phase aperture, showing both hemispheres.

The new Tonda PF Annual Calendar.

New here is Parmigiani Fleurier’s placement of the date onto the minute track and a careful addition of subtle subdial outlines to a grey guilloché dial. The dial font is ultra clean and the moon phase indicators seem to glow against the dial. Prices: $38,700 (steel) and $77,500 (rose gold).

The new Tonda PF Annual Calendar, rose gold edition.

The Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph

At the top of the collection’s price range, this complicated model is offered as a limited series of twenty-five, meant to celebrate the brand’s twenty-fifth birthday.

The watch offers a dial, case and bracelet made of platinum and a stunningly beautiful high frequency, open-worked movement built from gold. The watch’s integrated split-seconds chronograph allows the user to time two events starting at the same time, down to the tenth of a second.

The Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph.

If a gold movement and platinum case aren’t luxurious enough, add on the platinum bracelet to match the case and you have a genuine high-end offering in every sense of the word.

The Caliber PF361 inside the watch is a new version of Parmigiani Fleurier’s most high-end caliber, namely the inspired and GPHG-award winning ChronOr. In addition to a solid rose gold mainplate we see extensively open-worked, satin-finished and beveled bridges. Exquisite. $171,600.

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Ladies

Parmigiani Fleurier Launches ‘Panda’-Dialed Tondagraphs

 

Parmigiani Fleurier embraces its inner panda with the new Tondagraph GT Steel Silver Black and the Tondagraph GT Rose Gold Silver Black, both now with ‘panda style’ sporty bi-color dials.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tondagraph GT Steel Silver Black.

The 42mm Tondagraph GT Steel Silver Black is both a chronograph and annual calendar, and as with all annual calendars, this indicator requires adjustment only once per year, from February to March.

The back of the steel model allows the owner to see the movement’s 22-karat gold rotor through a sapphire case back. You’ll also see a host of decorative finishes, including the circular côtes de Genève pattern on the bridges.

In comparison to its black-dialed predecessor, which utilized orange numerals and details, this new model displays higher-contrast elements in white, panda style.

“With this new model we wanted to exalt the contrast between the counters and the silver dial,” says Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terreni. “Taking out the orange indicators of the first edition helped us obtain a pure and long-lasting aesthetic.”

Rose gold

The 42mm Tondagraph GT Rose Gold Silver Black is a follow up to last year’s Tondagraph GT Rose Gold Blue, and like that model is powered by PF071, a 36,000-bph integrated chronograph caliber. This is a COSC chronometer-certified movement based on Parmigiani’s GPHG award-winning Caliber PF361. It offers 65-hours of power reserve.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tondagraph GT Rose Gold Silver Black.

The integrated chronograph function uses a smooth column wheel rather than a cam, and a vertical clutch rather than a horizontal one. These are said to increase accuracy by enabling the chronograph to start without an initial jolt.

As you might expect from this brand, the movement is expertly finished by hand. You’ll find chamfering and polishing, sandblasted surfaces, a sunray pattern on the 22-karat gold oscillating weight and beautifully hand-finished bridges.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Caliber PF071, a 36,000-bph integrated chronograph caliber.

Prices: Steel model: $20,400 (rubber strap),  $21,500 (steel bracelet); Gold model: $45,300 (rubber strap), $72,500 (solid gold bracelet.

 

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