COUNTDOWN TO WTLA:

Parmigiani Quantième Perpétuel Rétrograde Makes its U.S. Debut at WatchTime L.A. Event


Among its new timepieces unveiled at SIHH 2019, Parmigiani Fleurier introduced the most complicated model yet in its recently revived Toric collection, the Toric Quantième Perpétuel Rétrograde – a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date and an ultra-precise moon-phase. On May 3-4, the watch, which wowed the invitation-only media and retail crowd in Geneva back in January, finds its way to American aficionados for the first time at WatchTime Los Angeles. Here’s a closer look.

Parmigiani Toric Quantieme Perpetuel Retrograde - Guilloche dial - angle
Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpétuel Rétrograde with slate guilloché dial

The watch features the Toric collection’s characteristic curved case with hand-knurled bezel, here measuring 42.5 mm in diameter and a relatively slender 12.1 mm thick and made of 18k rose gold with a polished finish. The crown of this model is topped with a blue cabochon, while the dial is offered in two distinctively decorative versions: slate gray with a radiating pinecone guilloché effect (a style introduced in the collection’s flagship Toric Chronomètre model also launched at SIHH), and a white-grained finish achieved by a process that is exclusive to Parmigiani Fleurier watchmakers. Inside the case, visible beneath a clear sapphire caseback, is Parmigiani’s manufacture Caliber PF333, the self-winding movement that drives the timepiece’s array of timekeeping and calendar functions.

Parmigiani Toric Quantieme Perpetuel Retrograde - back
The self-winding PF333 caliber is visible through the caseback.

Those functions are elegantly arranged on the dial as follows: a semicircular date scale around the edge, on which the date is indicated by a red-tipped, center-mounted retrograde hand; hours and minutes on central, partially skeletonized javelin-shaped gold hands, with seconds on a slimmer hand with a crescent moon-shaped tip; day and month in two parallel windows in the center, and leap year indication via a Roman numeral in a small round window at 12 o’clock; and the prominent moon-phase aperture at 6 o’clock, executed on an aventurine disk with a starry sky motif and two moons representing both hemispheres.

 

Parmigiani Toric Quantieme Perpetuel Retrograde - white grain dial - front
Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpétuel Rétrograde with grained white dial

From a technical standpoint, the Toric Chronomètre Perpétuel Rétrograde is a perpetual calendar with perks. Its date function automatically adjusts the date to precisely the number of days in each month, including Februaries over the course of leap-year cycles, via the use of a month-governing cam equipped with a planetary gear that controls the number of days in February. This highly complex device releases from the central wheel at a precise point in time to jump the date instantly to the first day of the next month. The precision of the moon-phase indication — only one correction is required every 122 years — comes from a complex gear system built into the governing device that itself is integrated into the same module as the date calendar. The watch comes on a tan-colored alligator leather strap provided by Hermes and attaches to the wrist with a rose-gold ardillon buckle.

Parmigiani Toric Quantieme Perpetuel Retrograde - side
The rose-gold case has a knurled bezel and a crown with a blue cabochon.

You can check out the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel Rétrograde, as well as other notable pieces from the manufacture’s 2019 collection, along with those of 27 other luxury watch brands, at WatchTime Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now!

Live shot of the Parmigiani Quantième Perpetual Retrograde taken at SIHH in January.
No Responses to “Parmigiani Quantième Perpétuel Rétrograde Makes its U.S. Debut at WatchTime L.A. Event”

Show all responses
  1. Watchlinksingapore

    This Parmigiani Fleurier is pure love! No matter how complicated is its craftsmanship, the outcome is indeed drool worthy. Though I’m not a huge fan of the Toric collection, this timepiece looks amazing. So, if I want to get it, where should I look for luxury watches in Singapore?

    Reply
Leave a Reply