Introducing: Six New Additions To The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Collection

I believe it is safe to say that Parmigiani is on a bit of a roll lately. The brand has hit one home run after another under the guidance of CEO Guido Terreni. Now Parmigiani adds another series of new watches to its Tonda PF collection for 2023. If you are a fan of integrated-bracelet sports watches as well as Haute Horlogerie, stay tuned. This might be for you!

This new Parmigiani drop includes a rattrapante GMT, a tourbillon, a micro-rotor automatic in platinum, a minute rattrapante, a three-piece set of calendars, and a split-second chronograph. Let’s get into it!

Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante

Let’s kick things off with something unique and innovative. The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante gives us a brand-new complication, not only for the company but also for the watch world in general. Building on the earlier GMT Rattrapante, this is another clever innovation to keep the dial as empty as possible. This new Tonda PF works as a countdown timer for events via an extra, hidden minute hand.

Two pushers allow you to send a third hand, hidden under the regular minute hand, ahead in one or five-minute increments. Let’s say your pizza has to bake for 11 minutes. You push the pusher at 8 o’clock twice and the pusher at 10 o’clock once. The rose gold hand then jumps 11 minutes ahead of the regular minute hand, and together, they display the remaining time. A push of the button integrated into the crown resets the timer. This means tucking the gold hand back under the regular minute hand until you want to time something else.

The Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante is executed in steel and measures 40mm across. It features a platinum bezel and a beautifully textured sand-gray dial. The automatic micro-rotor caliber PF-052 inside can be admired through a sapphire case back. The Minute Rattrapante is priced at CHF 28,000 / €31,200 / US$30,600.

Familiar watches in a new platinum guise

Some of the new Parmigiani Fleurier releases for this year are familiar figures in a new outfit. The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, for instance, is now available in platinum. The Micro-Rotor was introduced in 2021 and was previously available in steel with a platinum bezel and gold. Now Parigiani Fleurier adds a full-platinum version. Measuring 40mm wide and 7.8mm slim, this time-and-date model is a dream on the wrist. The new matte-textured platinum dial is an absolute showstopper if you ask me. Our very own Andreas owns the earlier steel version, and you can read about his experience here. The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor in platinum can be yours for CHF 85,000 / €94,000 / US$92,800.

The second model to get a change of wardrobe is the Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon. Granted, the 25-piece limited edition of 2022 was already made of platinum. This time, however, the platinum dial is executed in “Milano blue.” This makes the open tourbillon at 7 o’clock stand out even more. Otherwise, this remains the same 42mm × 8.6mm platinum heavyweight. To make it yours, you must part ways with CHF 150,000 / €166,700 / US$163,700.

Familiar watches in a new rose gold guise

But platinum is not all we see in this year’s Parmigiani Fleurier drop. We also get two existing models in a new rose gold outfit.

For starters, the 2021 limited-edition platinum Tonda PF Split Seconds Chronograph is now available in rose gold. You can read about the original watch in this article by Nacho and Lex. What remains are the original full 18K rose gold caliber — perfectly matching the watch now — and the platinum dial. The 42mm × 15mm case is home to a hand-wound high-beat 36,000vph rattrapante chronograph caliber. The new rose gold version comes in at CHF 155,000 / €172,300 / US$169,100.

The second model to go rose gold is the 2022 hit Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. This innovative travel Tondatime solution relies on another hidden hand. Beneath the hour hand, there is a second hour hand. At the push of a button, the regular hour hand jumps in one-hour increments to whatever new local time zone you have entered. The hand beneath keeps your home time. Once back home, a push of the button in the crown makes the local-hour hand jump back to home time. It is very ingenious and practical, really. This year, Parmigiani introduce this complication in a rose gold watch with a lovely blue dial. It is priced at CHF 60,000 / EUR 66,700 / US$65,500.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Cultural Calendars Trilogy Set

Now, if you think all of the above is still a tad mundane, have a look at this trilogy set. Parmigiani is releasing a box set of three full-platinum Tonda PF calendar watches, limited to just three sets. How about that for rarity? You will not run into a second one of these at your local watch get-together anytime soon. The set comprises Gregorian, Islamic, and Chinese calendar watches.

The first model is the Gregorian retrograde annual calendar with precision moon phases. Unfortunately, I cannot go into detail on all of the differences between the calendars in this introductory article, but Sky did a good job of that here. For today, let it suffice to say that the Chinese Xiali calendar names the lunar years in a 60-year cycle while numbering the months. The Islamic or Hijri calendar is based on lunar cycles, with 12 months of 29 or 30 days. Parmigiani’s version here features a perpetual Hijri calendar.

The three watches are executed in platinum, with sand-blasted platinum dials. The cases measure 42mm in diameter and between 11.1mm and 12.2mm thick. They are only available as a set of three, of which three will be made. The price for the set is CHF 500,000.

Initial impressions

Parmigiani Fleurier once again cements its position within the watch world. Like Czapek, the brand has a thoroughly original and impressive interpretation of a classical sports watch. It is great to see the house innovate and further develop its unique complications.

I particularly love the Minute and GMT Rattrapante. I often prefer the base models of watches for their pure design and clean aesthetics. Parmigiani found a way to combine the cleanest look possible with practical complications. It is an old design adage that a simple design is harder than a complicated one. Parmigiani takes that challenge and keeps complicated watches exceedingly simple in a visual sense.

What do you think of these new releases from Parmigiani Fleurier, and which would be your pick? Let us know in the comments below.

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