The All New Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Collection
The Parmigiani Tonda PF Micro-Rotor
This week, Parmigiani unviels 4 new watches to it’s all new Tonda PF Collection. Each watch has varying functions, with one in particular serving as the brands (more-or-less) entry level offering to their sport watch collection. First, there are two more complicated watches - An Annual Calendar, and a Split Second Chronograph only offered in Platinum (and limited to 25 pieces).
The more (ahem…) attainable models of this release are a time and date micro-rotor Tonda PF, and the Tonda PF Chronograph. Bot watches are offered in either steel, or rose gold. Of the four watches, these may feel the most refined, but I think they’ll be among the more popular in the collection - simply because of the price, and slimmed down design DNA.
THE BASICS:
Brand: Parmigiani Fleurier
Model: Tonda PF Collection
Case Material: Stainless Steel, Rose Gold, and Platinum
Case Size: Tonda PF Micro-Rotor measures in at 40mm x 7.8mm, while the Tonda PF Chronograph, Tonda PF Annual Calendar, Tonda PF Split-Seconds Chronograph at 42mm.
Water Resistance: 100m for all.
Movement: Caliber PF703 (Tonda Micro Rotor), Caliber PF070 (Tonda Chronograph), Caliber PF339 (Tonda Annual Calendar), Caliber PF361 (Tonda Split Second Chronograph).
Strap Options: Steel, Rose Gold, Platinum bracelet to match.
Price & Availability:
PF Micro-Rotor - $22,900 - Steel, $53,900 - Rose Gold.
PF Chronograph - $31,000 - Steel and $69,700 - Rose Gold.
PF Split Seconds Chronograph - $171,600 - Platinum.
PF Annual Calendar - $38,000 - Steel and $77,000 - Rose Gold.
THE JUICE:
Each piece channels the brands unique design aesthetic, however, of the 4 pieces, I find the PF Micro-Rotor the most interesting. It is the cheapest of the lot, which also gives it the most appeal, but the bang you get for it is hard to rival from the brand. You get their in-house PF703 Micro-Rotor movement in a slimmed down sports watch - in fact, one of the slimmest on the market. I haven’t seen it in person, but based on my experience with the brand, the watch itself will be able to compete with the likes of the bigger brands. The textured dial paired with the fluted platinum bezel carves this watch into it’s own league and, of course, PF’s penchant for movement finishing is going to require a ton of work to compete.
The PF Tonda Chronograph in Rose Gold ends up being my favorite of the lot. There’s just something about blue dials and Rose Gold that looks striking on every front. While, $70,000 isn’t really an every-day budget, I imagine this watch is going to feel like a tank on the wrist. However, it’s mix of clean lines and texture would make this a beautiful every-day wear for someone with the kind of budget that could afford a quick trip to space.
Interestingly, the Split Second Chronograph is my least favorite of the bunch. While the rest of the watches sport very striking features, the Split Second is much more reserved - which to me, feels wrong for a solid platinum watch. I don’t see why PF opted for a matching sand-blasted platinum dial with the only accents being the gold hands and black indicators. The fairly standard handset, although skeletonized, isn’t really doing the dial any favors, and while I’m sure the mirror polish is stunning, I also imagine it’ll be difficult to pick out at a glance.
The beautiful PF361 Movement.
The PF361 movement, of course, is stunning. 18k rose gold bridges, paired with the hand finishing just… shines. I would have liked to see as much contrast on the dial as I do on the movement.
Finally, we have the Annual Calendar model. The contrast on the dial works really well considering the complications. You have a moonphase, a day, a month, a pointer date on the top perimiter of the dial, and of course, the time. While there is a lot to look at, there is also a clean comprehension to the dial - something that oft goes missing in sport annual calendars. PF’s small logo instead of the dial text, and even the alternating textures of the dial and subdials make the watch superbly legible. I can already hear some griping about the blue moonphase, but I think it fits the watch well, and when paired with the fluted bezel, single crown, and tapered bracelet, works well all together.
Being that the brand’s CEO seat has recently changed butts, this is the first real release under their new leader - Guido Terreni - Previously, the Head of Watches for Bulgari.
To me, it’s a knock-out. The brand’s sports offerings were in dire need of a re-vamp with a little more… sport. Terreni has proven once again that he has been up for the task. You can clearly see the respect for Parmigiani Fleurier as a brand, as well as the influence of one of the brains behind the Octo Finissimo.
This being the first release from Mr. Terreni, I’m excited to see what the brand is going to do next.
You can read more about the Tonda PF Collection here.