A relatively young brand, Parmigiani Fleurier can trace its roots back to 1976 when a young watchmaker and restorer, Michel Parmigiani, opened shop in Couvet. There he restored vintage and antique timepieces, all the while conjuring up ideas built from his passion of horology. Skip a couple of decades and a bit and Michel Parmigiani has now created his own watchmaking brand, Parmigiani Fleurier, and has released the Toric QP Retrograde, his very first timepiece made for his novel and budding brand.
Fast forward to 2019, and after many years of success, prosperity and innovation, Michel Parmigiani has once again unveiled a timepiece that truly resonates with the purest tenets of what makes a sound Swiss made timepiece: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Metrographe.
Now available in an 18k rose-gold case measuring 40mm across and 11.80mm in thickness, the Tonda Metrographe Reference PFC274-1002500-HA3241 has a stunning deep-blue dial that changes shades depending on the lighting environment.
The case is quite atypical with respect to its overall architecture. Is it round, is it cushion? It’s actually a bit of both with thanks to the lengthened lugs that meet just above the equator of the case. The crown and pushers protrude just enough to remain functional, and the slim bezel ensures that absolutely nothing is taken from that dial.
Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda Metrographe features skeletonised hour and minute hands along with the traditional layout orientation of a true chronograph dial. The Tonda Metrographe’s aesthetic is clean, it’s sharp, it’s highly legible and it stays true to the core roots of Parmigiani Fleurier’s ethos. It’s distinct and doesn’t conform, but at the same time it rides the wave universality.
Powering the Tonda Metrographe is the calibre PF315 which is actually based on their in-house calibre PF331, except this time it has a Dubois Depraz chronograph module. It features a power reserve of 42-hours, beats at a frequency of 4Hz, measures 28mm across and 6mm in thickness and features Cötes de Genève throughout. This is an automatic calibre whose oscillating weight is made of 22k gold and features a Grain d’Orge guilloche pattern.
The Tonda Metrographe is also being released in a stainless-steel version with a blue dial, but the rose-gold variant is far more interesting, at the very least from a visceral perspective. The Tonda Metrographe in rose-gold sits on a Hermès Abyss Blue alligator strap with an 18k rose-gold pin buckle.
As far as decent, under-the-radar, let-the-product-speak-for-itself watchmaking goes, the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Metrographe in rose-gold is really quite impressive. Not perfect, but very much a sound product.
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Metrographe in rose-gold has a retail cost of 29,500CHF and is available now.
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