Parmigiani Fleurier wants its latest Tonda PF watches to be seen as classic, elegant, timeless, consistent and discreet.
The watchmaker, which has been responsible for some of the Swiss watch industry’s most striking, innovative and complicated watches in recent years, has designed the Tonda PF to be more understated so that they never go out of fashion.
They are also water resistant to 100 meters so they can be worn everyday, even though they are less sporty than the Tonda GT line launched last year.
To signal the change of direction, Parmigiani Fleurier has used a new initialized logo of just PF, and communications from the brand are starting to refer to the company as just PF in the same way that Audemars Piguet is commonly called just AP.
The new Tonda PF line was shown to select journalists and retailers at Geneva Watch Days last week.
Tonda PF is an entirely new collection comprising a core line of the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, a slim, automatic two-hander; Tonda PF Chronograph; and Tonda PF Annual Calendar with retrograde date.
All three models are available in steel with platinum bezel or entirely crafted in 18ct rose gold watch cases and integrated bracelets.
In addition, PF is launching a limited edition Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph.
Marking the watchmaker’s 25th anniversary this year, it is being made in a run of 25 pieces with a dial, case and bracelet made of platinum and an open-worked, split seconds chronograph movement built out of solid gold.
Tonda PF Micro-Rotor
The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor measures 40mm in diameter and comes with an uncluttered grey, matte guilloché dial with hours, minutes and date.
It adopts a new version of Parmigiani Fleurier’s main in house movement, the PF703, which is just 3mm thick thanks to a full platinum micro-rotor, and makes the watch just 7.8mm tall on the wrist.
Steel Micro Rotor is the entry level piece in the collection, priced at €21,000 while the same model in gold is €49,000.
Tonda PF Chronograph
Slightly larger at 42mm, the Tonda PF Chronograph houses a 5 Hz Caliber PF070 column wheel movement with small seconds and two registers on a fine guilloché blue dial.
PF has achieved an almost flush surface to the dial by using thinly sandblasted minute track and counter outlines.
There are steel and rose gold versions, both of which have exhibition case backs showing a new 22ct rose gold open-worked oscillating weights featuring the new PF logo.
The chronograph is priced at €28,000 in steel and €63,000 in gold.
Tonda PF Annual Calendar
The same 42mm case an integrated bracelet format are used in the Tonda PF Annual Calendar, which also comes in gold or steel.
PF’s Caliber PF339 drives retrograde date, day, month and 122-year moonphase.
By pushing the date outwards onto the minute track and using discretely outlined counters on the warm grey guilloché dial, Parmigiani Fleurier has managed to balance the pared-down equilibrium of the collection’s design language and an elaborate layout.
The steel model will sell for €35,000 while the gold piece is €70,000.
Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph
The headline piece in the new family is the limited edition Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph with platinum case, bracelet and matte dial.
It houses a Caliber PF361 a new version of the manufacture’s most high-end movement, the GPHG-awarded ChronOr.
The CHF 155,000 watches have hand crafted mainplates and bridges made of solid 18ct rose gold, visible through a crystal case back.
The split second chronograph allows for the timing of two consecutive events to an accuracy of one tenth of a second.
