In 1996, master watchmaker Michel Parmigiani’s dedication to horology resulted in the launch of a new watch brand with a new credo and new aesthetics. The new Tonda PF collection is both an homage to Parmigiani Fleurier’s design aesthetics, and also the maison’s most forward-looking collection to date.
Unveiled during Geneva Watch Days, the Tonda PF collection is described by Parmigiani CEO Guido Terreni as “a watch of purity,” and includes a slim two-hander with date, a 5-Hz integrated chronograph, an annual calendar with retrograde date, and a 25-piece, limited-edition integrated split-seconds chronograph whose case, bracelet and dial are made of platinum. As with many of Parmigiani Fleurier’s creations, the Tonda PF’s design is driven by the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical formula associated with the golden ratio which has has been at the root of virtually everything Michel Parmigiani has ever created. It’s the guideline of the size of hands and counters, the curvature of lugs, the guilloché patterns, case proportions and countless design details that suffuse the Parmigiani Fleurier aesthetics.
The Tonda PF collection also introduces a new brand signature element: The PF logo now appears at 12 o’clock, placed in a vertical, oval, double-edged appliqué with extensive finishing. Next to that, the indices of each watch are set across two levels of the dial, while the grain d’orge guilloché dial pattern used for the majority of the new watches is most likely one of the finest seen in the industry.
Positioned as a new collection of watches within the Tonda family, the Tonda PF includes the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, a slim, pared-down, high-end two-hander with platinum micro-rotor. The Tonda PF Chronograph features an almost flush dial and an integrated high frequency chronograph movement. The Tonda PF Annual Calendar with retrograde date demonstrates how discretely and astutely advanced 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 introducing a limited series of the Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph (with a different dial finish). Fitting for a 25th Anniversary, its 25 pieces feature a dial, case and bracelet made of platinum 950, whose high frequency, open-worked, split seconds chronograph movement is built out of solid gold.
Speaking of precious metals: The hands of the Tonda PF models are also made of solid gold. 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.
The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor measures 40 mm in diameter and features an uncluttered warm gray, matte guilloché dial. It is powered by a new version of Parmigiani Fleurier’s automatic movement, the PF703 (21,600 vph, 48 hours of power reserve). This ultra-slim, 3-mm-thick engine is equipped with a platinum micro-rotor. This in turn allows the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor to measure a mere 7.8 mm on the wrist. In a comparatively unusual combination, it displays just the hours, minutes and date. The date disk is the exact same color as the minute track’s, creating a consistent colorway.
The slightly larger, 42-mm Tonda PF Chronograph uses Parmigiani’s COSC-certified 5 Hz Caliber PF070, an integrated, high-frequency, column-wheel movement with small seconds and two registers (36,600 vph, 68 hours of power reserve). Despite the additional subdials, Parmigiani Fleurier was able to maintain an almost flush surface by using thinly sandblasted minute track and counter outlines on the 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, also comes with a new oscillating weight in 22ct rose gold, widely open-worked with a central PF logo medallion.
The 42-mm Tonda PF Annual Calendar is powered by the PF339 (28,800 vph and 50 hours power reserve) with a retrograde date, day, month and 122-year moon-phase (displaying both hemispheres). By pushing the date outwards onto the minute track and using discretely outlined counters on the gray guilloché dial, Parmigiani Fleurier has managed to balance the pared-down equilibrium of the collection’s design language and layout.
At the top of the collection is the Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph. Limited to just 25 units as an homage to the maison’s 25th Anniversary, the case and bracelet are crafted in platinum. Parmigiani Fleurier even opted for a 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 (36,000 vph and a power reserve of 65 hours) is a new version of the manufacture’s most high-end caliber, the GPHG-awarded Chronor.
The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor is available in stainless steel (Ref. PFC914-1020001-100182) and has a list price of $22,900; the rose gold version (Ref. PFC914-2020001-200182) is $53,900. The Tonda PF Chronograph in stainless steel (Ref: PFC915-1020001-100182) retails for $31,000, the rose gold version (Ref. PFC915-2020001-200182) for $69,700. The Tonda PF Annual Calendar in stainless steel (Ref. PFC907-1020001-100182) is priced at $38,700, the rose gold version (Ref. PFC907-2020001-200182) at $77,500. The The limited-edition Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph (Ref. PFH916-2010001-200182) is $171,600.
