Table of Contents
Introduction
Parmigiani Fleurier’s 2024 new watches strengthen the brand’s awareness. Parmigiani places itself among the most-wanted Haute Horlogerie watch manufacturers with the new Toric collection. It gears towards the most demanding collector, whose attention to detail is painstaking and whose watch culture is above the average. This elite can now access the sleekest luxury sports watch as the ultimate classic round timepiece.
The new Parmigiani Toric
While the Tonda PF has turned around the brand in the blink of an eye, to the extent that it has become a case study in the industry, the 2024 Toric reaffirms that the classic-looking watch still is a looker when showcasing a contemporary and distinctive design.
The Parmigiani Toric 2024 collection draws inspiration from the Tonda PF in purity and proportions, elevating its Haute Horlogerie traits to unprecedented levels as a three-hander or a chronograph.
Toric epitomizes Parmigiani Fleurier’s heritage and builds on the success of the signature Tonda PF among luxury and slender sports watches. The brand flexed its muscles here, positioning itself as a fierce competitor to the category’s undisputed leader: Francois-Paul Journe.
The sartorial wristwatch
According to the brand’s communication strategy, as spoken by Guido Terreni, CEO of the brand, the term “sartorial” is recurring and comes in as you head down to the leather strap with the so-called “punto a mano” stitching, a tribute to world-renowned Neapolitan tailoring DNA. Here is the cherry on the cake, whose main talking topic is a gold or platinum case housing state-of-the-art hand-wound calibres, including a world’s first: a new hand-wound mechanical movement.
The source of inspiration. The execution.
Given that Toric is Parmigiani Fleurier’s classic watch par excellence, the outcome is a no-frills, pure, and masterfully executed watch that invites the owner to discover superb craftsmanship inside and out.
For instance, the rose gold model: the case is a gold piece measuring 40.6 mm across and just 8.8 mm in thickness, with an equally gold dial. It is slightly domed on its outer part and extends to the edge of the thin knurled bezel, a brand’s hallmark across all the current collections.
The three-hand Toric
Crafted in pink gold or platinum, this is a pure three-hander with a small seconds counter at six, gold indexes and hands, and an exquisite fine-grained dial whose pattern pops up under a loop. It is sand-coloured or pale grey (Celadon grey), somewhat close to aquamarine.
The outcome is a sophisticated, regular pattern in two colour palettes, offering a smooth, reflection-free tone. In brief, it is pleasing and bright yet not too vivid or shiny. The case closes on a nubuck-covered alligator leather strap.
Once again, the brand offers premium yet understated luxury watches with premium comfort as standard since alligator’s leather is usually too stiff. Covering it with nubuck softens it up. The devil is in the details: the hand-stitched “punto a mano” runs both sides of the strap down to the lovely PF-branded gold or platinum pin buckle.
Toric Chronograph
High-frequency chronograph making is at home at Parmigiani, and the split-second chronograph is among the most challenging complications to design and regulate.
The designers sized the counters and case perfectly to accommodate the PF 361 calibre as effectively as possible. A 7.35 mm high mechanical movement beats inside the Toric Split-Seconds Chronograph, pushing the case’s thickness to 14.4 mm and 42.5 mm in diameter. Wear it, and you will discover it feels much better than the specs suggest.
Golden Tempo
The new PF 780 is a beautifully finished 4 Hertz gold movement. Flip the watch on its back to appreciate its beauty, exemplified by three golden bridges with a Côtes de Fleurier décoration, hand-beveled edges, and a micro-sandblasted gold base.
Placed below is the two-joint balance cock and, atop, a pair of barrels to wind the watch up to 60 hours. The execution is flawless, clean yet rich, with the main parts, like the regulator and the barrels, standing out.
The PF 361 movement
Raise a hand and leave a comment if there is anything as attractive as a PF 361. There are thinner movements than this, yet not as beautifully finished.
The PF 361 rose gold skeletonization reveals the movement’s inner mechanisms through an arabesque design. From a technical perspective, it is outstanding, too, beating at 5 Hertz and housing a double-column wheel mechanism. A Parmigiani Fleurier split-second chronograph buyer gets the best performance and refinement in the industry.
The new Tonda PF
While the Toric collection is 2024’s centrepiece, the Tonda PF range extenders are no less attractive. Please welcome the Tonda PF Golden Siena No Date and the Tonda PF Skeleton Milan Blue Platinum. The former, especially, is highly relevant since the Tonda PF is Parmigiani’s bread-and-butter timepiece.
Tonda PF Golden Siena No Date
In our opinion, the new Golden Siena model is the ultimate Tonda PF. Pairing a no-date dial with the new Golden Siena colour palette elevates the PF and its symmetrical dial to new heights. Also, it helps the signature “grain d’orge” decoration stand out, proving that the combination with the knurled platinum bezel is a winner.
Parmigiani Fleurier is not new to experimenting with more vivid tones on the Tonda PF, as seen on the Tonda PF Pacific Blue, which was exclusively crafted for the Asian boutique Sincere Fine Watches. The Golden Siena version builds on this template and comes with a purer, no-date window layout, which makes it our favourite 40 mm option.
Tonda PF Skeleton Milan Blue Platinum
As expected, the Tonda PF Skeleton welcomes a platinum model. Platinum is a recurring option across Parmigiani Fleurier’s portfolio, and the Tonda has often gone platinum. The Tonda PF Skeleton Milan Blue Platinum adds to the steel and rose gold models.
Crafted via an ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) surface treatment, it consists of a pale blue extra-thin layer whose precision-making process outperforms anything used in watchmaking. Parmigiani names it Milano Blue.
Final thoughts
With Toric, Parmigiani Fleurier completed its full-renewal product cycle. The new generation highlights the savoir-faire Michel Parmigiani was known for and brings classy understatement to a whole new level.
As cited above, the brand makes a statement in fine classic watchmaking, with a thoroughly thought-out collection and a landing point for those craving the best of the best—nothing less than the ultimate piece of watchmaking culture.
The new rose gold and platinum Toric cost 45,000 and 52,000 Swiss Francs, respectively. The Toric Chronograph Rattrapante’s price list is 135,000, and no more than thirty pieces are available. Toric’s global availability is September 2024.
Moving to the Tonda PF: we have loved the collection since it came out in 2021. The 2024 PF Golden Siena is our favourite model so far, and we cannot wait to see more colourful, no-date executions to enrich the Tonda PF lineup anytime soon.
(Photo credit: Parmigiani Fleurier)
Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®
