The New Tonda PF; Parmigiani’s Take On Contemporary Elegance

The biggest challenge for any watchmaker is to create a design that defies and defines time simultaneously. With its new Tonda PF collection, Parmigiani picks up this glove and makes a clear case for a return to elegance. Clean lines, attention to detail, and refined movements make these watches a compelling proposition for any watch connoisseur. With their integrated bracelets, they wear like a piece of jewelry, oozing exclusivity in a more chic, restraint way.

The first member of the Tonda PF collection is the 40mm time-only version. This watch is powered by caliber PF703, an ultra-slim movement with a thickness of just 3mm, which gets its energy from a platinum micro-rotor. The watch is available in both stainless steel and pink gold, sharing the same grey dial. It features the PF-logo at twelve o’clock, nicely balancing the date window at six. From a distance, the dial looks to have a bit of a matte finish, but closer examination reveals that it is, in fact, a refined guilloche pattern. For the stainless steel Tonda PF’s Parmigiani opted for a platinum bezel, as this can be polished to a higher degree, letting the hand-knurled design come even more alive.

The more complex Tonda PF Chronograph and Annual Calendar are also both available in either pink gold or stainless steel, in a case that is 2mm larger than the time-only. The first combines this with a stunning, dark blue dial which goes very well with each color metal. Although they feature a very elegant design, legibility is most certainly not forgotten in both models. The annual calendar boasts a retrograde pointer date with subdials for the day and month. A unique display at six o’clock shows the moon phase simultaneously on the northern and southern hemispheres. Thanks to caliber PF339, it is so precise that it only needs adjusting once every 122-years.

Top of the line is the Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph. This is a very precious watch, as its bezel, case, bracelet, and even the dial are made from platinum. Its movement is equally precious, as caliber PF361 is fitted with bridges made from pink gold. With a skeletonized architecture, the main parts of this integrated chronograph can be admired through the sapphire insert in the caseback. With these watches, Parmigiani is giving new meaning to contemporary elegance in watchmaking, and defining and defying time simultaneously.