Parmigiani Fleurier Toasts 40 Years of Oliver Smith Jeweler with Bespoke Tonda GT Editions
Parmigiani Fleurier introduced the Tonda GT, a sportier subfamily of its luxurious Tonda line, in 2020, to offer a more “everyday” style of timepiece that still distinctly projected the manufacture’s legendary elegance. This year, in partnership with Scottsdale-based Oliver Smith Jeweler, Parmigiani has created 20 special-edition models — 15 of the three-hand Tonda GT, 5 of the chronograph-equipped Tondagraph — to celebrate the high-end watch-and-jewelry retailer's 40th anniversary in business.
Both of the watches feature a handsome brown dial, with cream-colored details, and are double-signed with both Parmigiani and Oliver Smith Jeweler logos. Like their predecessors in the regular collection, their aesthetic follows the “golden ratio” principles adhered to Parmigiani Fleurier's eponymous founder Michel Parmigiani, with gently curving teardrop-shaped lugs; an ergonomically sculpted bracelet with brushed and polished finishes; a hand-knurled, fluted bezel reminiscent of those on Parmigiani’s Toric models, and the “clou triangulaire” guilloché motif on the dial, which also features the brand's hallmark openworked Delta-shaped hands. The simpler of the two models, the Tonda GT, features small seconds at 6 o’clock and a big-date display at 12 o’clock. The 42-mm case is in brushed and polished stainless steel and water-resistant to 100 meters thanks to a screw-down crown. Displayed behind a sapphire caseback is the self-winding movement, Parmigiani’s in-house Caliber PF044, with a 44-hour power reserve and a host of fine decorations.
More complex in its functions and thus more limited in production is the Tondagraph GT, whose 42-mm stainless steel case houses another in-house, automatic movement, Caliber PF043. Though its name implies that it’s a chronograph, the watch is actually something more special and rare, offering the uncommon horological combo of a chronograph and an annual calendar. The dial displays the time on luminous-coated Delta-shaped hands, the date in a large aperture at 12 o’clock, the running seconds and the month in a multipurpose subdial at 3 o’clock, and chronograph minutes and hours, respectively, on subdials at 9 and 6 o’clock. Inside the 100-meter water-resistant case, the movement is visible behind a sapphire window in the back. Possessing a 42-hour power reserve and a 28,800-vph frequency, it also boasts an array of high-horology finishes that are common to Parmigiani, including côtes de Genève and perlage.
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT Steel Brown Oliver Smith edition is limited to 15 pieces and priced at $17,700, while the Tondagraph GT Steel Brown Oliver Smith edition retails for $23,200 and limited to five pieces.
