The “costume watch”, in concept, needs to be as simple to execute as it’s to classify. It’s within the title: a timepiece to swimsuit “dressy” events the place apparel name it an outfit if you wish to be informal about it or a uniform if you happen to favor some ambiguity – that requires no less than three items of clothes. A watch that qualifies to accompany such a costume code needs to be slim sufficient to slip underneath a sleeve, clear in design in order to not distract from the ensemble, cased in a valuable steel, and affixed to a strap, by custom produced from leather-based however satin is appropriate.
However as menswear developed, so have the foundations that put the formal in formal put on and the equipment that accompany them. If limited-edition sneakers and boutonnieres the scale of melons are actually acceptable crimson carpet vestments, then huge, burly software watches or diamond mines masquerading as timepieces can even technically be counted as costume watches.
However Parmigiani Fleurier is having none of that.
When the model launched its reimagined Toric assortment at Watches & Wonders Geneva (WWG) 2024 , it was a proud declaration of what it thinks a costume watch needs to be: elegant, and, extra importantly, restrained. This method aligns seamlessly with a broader pattern in style — what some name “quiet luxurious,” or, to borrow a punchier however barely grating time period from the aughts, “stealth wealth.” Within the style world, this meant the disavowal of loud branding (or any branding in any respect) and the pursuit of beige-adjacent hues that soften gently into clear silhouettes. In different phrases, this was a sort of luxurious that was felt relatively than seen, and precisely what the brand new Toric Petite Seconde and Break up Second Chronograph exemplify. As we reported in April, these are the primary two fashions on this reimagined Toric assortment.
“Tremendous watchmaking at all times goes past what’s sensible, as seen right here
within the gold plates and bridges of the PF361-SLIM calibre”
CLASSIC ADJACENT
“In crafting the brand new Toric assortment, we drew upon the wealthy horological tradition and experience of Parmigiani Fleurier to redefine the essence of the boys’s costume watch,” says CEO Guido Terreni. “This assortment embodies a spirit of freedom and class that displays the evolution of the trendy man’s wardrobe.”
Certainly, the very first Toric — the Reminiscence Time from 1996— actually qualifies for a costume watch with its 36mm diameter, classically styled dial, and black alligator strap. However its double-stepped knurled bezel, leaping hour show, and javelin- formed palms nonetheless made it a relatively hanging watch. As founder Michel Parmigiani’s introductory watch to his new model, this method served the nascent Parmigiani Fleurier nicely then. There was actually nothing prefer it in 1996. The brand new Toric, against this, distils the unique’s Roman architecture-inspired DNA right into a a lot purer and extra restrained expression, capturing the essence of the design whereas embracing a extra understated magnificence.
There’s a lot to get into with this story, even when the Toric assortment solely has two fashions however we should start with a number of notes about construction, as we typically do. First, as common, the quilt watch itself has its specs and particulars listed within the Cowl Watch story, which is self-explanatory. However, we open this extra expansive narrative with a have a look at the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante, in any other case often known as a split-second chronograph, and comply with up with the 2 time-only fashions. This story additionally makes room for an unrelated watch from Parmigiani Fleurier, the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante, and yow will discover that off in its personal devoted space.
Clearly, the connection between the 2 fashions is in that rattrapante perform, which requires a extra in-depth rationalization. It’s actually true that the manufacture calibre PF 361 that powers the Chronograph Rattrapante isn’t new, having debuted in 2016 for the model’s twentieth anniversary, however the split-second complication is uncommon sufficient that we wished to shine a highlight on it. Actually, the split- second model of the chronograph is one space that we didn’t cowl in our chronograph particular in 2023 (situation #70) so we’d like a little bit of area for an abbreviated explainer right here. There may be additionally the matter of names as a result of the model of the calibre right here is PF361-SLIM, implying small variations with the unique.
HEAVYWEIGHT APPEAL
With all that stated, it needs to be famous that the Chronograph Rattrapante and the Petite Second fashions are each within the Toric assortment so commonalities are to be anticipated. As such, we can be making factors about dials and circumstances within the later second a part of the narrative, which offers with the Petite Seconde fashions. To start although, allow us to get the straightforward factors out of the way in which as a result of we’ve got written in regards to the Toric assortment on a number of events because the launch, not together with our dialog with Terreni on this topic (largely). Whereas all of the watches are good-looking, they’re outlined by how they really feel, each to the contact and on the wrist. Commensurate with that, the Toric is all about valuable metals, with gold dials, gold palms, gold and platinum circumstances, gold indexes and gold actions. Within the midst of all that resplendence, there are additionally gold pin buckles and crowns.
Whereas this journal has made the case that there’s nothing just like the Toric accessible from any model – the important thing phrases there being ‘model’ and ‘accessible’ – we additionally acknowledged that the Toric now appears very very similar to the Tonda PF. Analysing the Tonda PF mannequin on this story, it’s clear that they’re from the identical household. Terreni agrees however factors out that the household in query known as Parmigiani Fleurier.
“The Toric has a Parmigiani Fleurier look to it (not a Tonda PF one) since you begin (on a brand new type for a model’s watches) from a imaginative and prescient…you begin from the primary assortment that you just wish to work on. For Parmigiani Fleurier, this was (the Tonda PF), a sports activities stylish watch, which is simpler to do as a result of we’ve got to comply with sure guidelines, such because the inclusion of an built-in bracelet (and a template existed, with the Tonda GT Sport). Consequently, we performed with the nuances and the finishings and the development of the dial… What you see within the Tonda PF (from 2020) are the beginnings (when it comes to the model’s route).” Terreni informed us at WWG.
“It’s about consistency actually, which you’ll clearly see now in each the Tonda PF and the Toric. For lots of manufacturers, you possibly can see two collections with little in frequent, as a result of one is extra up to date and the opposite has been within the assortment for 50 years or extra. Model identification and model type that you just acknowledge whereas taking part in with the aesthetic codes of the model is essential to me. I believe that the Tonda PF and the Toric are an expression of 1 type in two totally different classes of watches. One is a sports activities watch that must be versatile and sensible. The opposite is extra dressy, however has to nonetheless use the identical codes, that are subtlety and magnificence. There may be refinement for the ending and freshness within the colors.”
DOUBLE TIME
The above will suffice to introduce the Toric, briefly, as will the pictures right here. On the matter of the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante, it too will be regarded as a springboard of kinds. As famous, it is a gold motion that has been in service with the model for near 10 years now, at one time additionally with the grand date show. Regardless of this obvious familiarity, we found in the midst of researching the aforementioned chronograph story that there’s some confusion amongst informal watch lovers. Allow us to use the outline of the split-second chronograph as creator and educator B. Humbert offers it in his guide The Chronograph: Its Mechanism and Restore.
“The time period ‘split-second’ was initially coined due to the truth that cut up, or double, readings could also be taken, not due to the accuracy of the timing.” Donald de Carle, in his guide Sophisticated Watches and Their Restore, offers an much more succinct description: “The split-second chronograph is so referred to as as a result of the (chronograph) second palms divide or cut up.”
Humbert notes that the split-second chronograph options twin sweep seconds palms superimposed. These seem, at relaxation, to be only one hand; even when the chronograph is activated, each palms transfer collectively and search for all of the world like there is only one hand. It is just when the split-second button is activated that there’s a change: one hand stops shifting whereas the opposite continues across the dial. That is how the watch tracks multiple elapsed time and this explains one other title for the complication: the double chronograph. The brief story of it’s {that a} chronograph tracks and information elapsed time, on-demand. Due to this fact, the split-second chronograph retains observe of two readings, additionally on-demand.
CLASS ACT
Now, a watch as magnificent because the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante makes it simple to consider the split-second chronograph as twice the timer the chronograph is, in each manner. A lot of the grand homes of fantastic watchmaking think about the split-second chronograph a excessive complication, with loads of up to date watchmakers reserving the best reward for it, together with Francois-Paul Journe and Anthony de Haas (of A. Lange & Söhne).
Humbert, de Carle and different luminaries provide a measured take, noting that the motion for the split-second chronograph is actually extra complicated however what makes it difficult to assemble and restore is how delicate it’s. This fits the character of Parmigiani Fleurier to a tee; the complication even hides its true nature, showing like a regular chronograph to the informal observer. Proper from the beginning of his tenure on the model, Terreni has described Parmigiani Fleurier as a model with a delicate soul and the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante is the apotheosis of this concept.
This additionally speaks to the aforementioned use of gold for the calibre PF361-SLIM as a result of this new Toric assortment is the right dwelling for this motion. Distinguished from the usual PF361 motion by its thickness (7.35mm vs 8.4mm), gold bridges and plates right here are perfect for a basic high-end watch from a watchmaker with an idiosyncratic imaginative and prescient of such a watch. The manufacture notes that gold supplies structural rigidity whereas admittedly additionally posing challenges dues to its malleability in contrast with metal and brass. That Parmigiani Fleurier opted for gold over base metals is offered as a daring resolution that concerned additional hours of effort to compensate for the properties of 18k rose gold. That’s at all times a pleasant contact in relation to fantastic watchmaking – going past what’s merely mandatory and sensible.
It needs to be famous right here that Parmigiani Fleurier is a category act when it comes to its manufacturing capabilities. Simply think about the truth that Vaucher (see under and in addition our quite a few tales on the Fleurier-based watchmaker) collaborated with TAG Heuer in 2024 to provide nothing lower than a split-second chronograph. This one is an computerized and famously takes an ultra-contemporary method, with bridges and plates in titanium. Vaucher is well-known for such sturdy – dare we are saying avant-garde – approaches to the split-second chronograph that may be discovered inside the circumstances of a number of the largest names. We point out this right here as a result of Parmigiani Fleurier may have selected any route it happy for calibre PF361- SLIM and it reserved essentially the most luxurious possibility for itself. Once more, there may be nothing prefer it from any model (when one provides within the dial and casemaking touches detailed under).
The Toric Chronograph Rattrapante is a restricted version of 30 so it is going to be tough to amass however it’s not fully unattainable. In a slight digression, we advocate a really totally different form of rattrapante for many who miss the boat on this stupendous Toric, the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante (see the part on this for extra). For now although, it’s about time to introduce the Toric Petite Seconde, which covers the important details about the brand new assortment.
“In crafting the brand new Toric assortment, we drew upon the wealthy horological tradition and experience of Parmigiani Fleurier to redefine the essence of the boys’s costume watch”
– CEO Guido Terreni
A HIS-TORIC RELEASE
The Toric Petite Seconde is 40.6mm broad and accessible in two variations: platinum or rose gold. The platinum mannequin pairs a Celadon Gray dial with a matte sand-colored strap, whereas the rose gold variant gives the reverse: a Sand Gold dial matched with a Celadon Gray strap. Reasonably than counting on high-contrast pairings, these watches discover the interaction of complementary tones, making a balanced and sleek aesthetic. And with an general peak of simply 8.8mm, the watch is bound to glide effortlessly underneath a cuff.
The bezel stays fluted, however gone are the numerals, minute tracks, javelin palms, and model title — options that after outlined earlier Toric fashions. Of their place are modern baton indices, sword-shaped palms, and a discreet model brand, leaving a lot of the dial refreshingly uncluttered. However make no mistake, this largely empty dial is a masterclass in artistry and a showcase of the model’s in-house know-how.
The business as an entire has come to method the time period “in- home” with a sort of reverence that appears to suggest that any watch value waitlisting for had higher have been made by the model promoting it. If not totally, then on the very least, the motion.
The notion is comprehensible. A model that crafts its watches with little exterior assist indicators that it has the requisite technical functionality and experience to take action. And since in-house actions are distinctive to the model, they are often distinguished from opponents who depend on third-party actions, including to the watch’s attract and worth. With the ability to inform customers in regards to the decades-long journey it took to develop a specific course of or horological curiosity additionally makes for a deliciously emotional story.
However arguably the largest profit for a model to spend the time and sources to turn out to be a real manufacture is freedom. Freedom to create options, problems, and ornamental types that finest swimsuit their philosophy, targets, and requirements. So, it says one thing about what Parmigiani values that it has 5 amenities in its Watchmaking Centre, cut up between La Chaux-de-Fonds and Fleurier. And it’s thanks to 2 of those — Quadrance & Habillage, and Les Artisans Boitiers (LAB), its dial and case making outfits — that the brand new Toric Petite Seconde appears so darn good.
Quadrance & Habillage was established in 2005, and it’s there that artisans work alongside high-tech equipment to provide any sort of dial you possibly can think about. Specifically calibrated machines care for processes just like the manufacturing of dial plates, floor remedy of the plates, and chemical dyeing however human palms take over after for extra delicate procedures, masking the whole lot from guilloche, sandblasting, satin-finishing, snailing, graining, and extra.
DIAL P FOR PASSION
For the brand new Toric assortment, Parmigiani revived the traditional artwork of grenage. Like many sorts of ornament, grenage was simply one other intelligent manner of hiding imperfections on dials which have suffered from age or rust. Abraham-Louis Breguet invented this method as a method to forestall rust from forming on his marine chronometers. Michel Parmigiani, who spent the primary half of his profession restoring a lot of such timepieces (together with Breguet’s), grew to become intimately aware of the strategy himself.
The method begins with mixing tartar cream, finely floor sea salt, and silver, utilizing a glass pestle. After demineralised water is added, the paste is unfold throughout the dial’s floor with a horn spoon and labored on with round motions, rubbing it in all instructions utilizing specialised brushes. Because of silver’s photosensitivity, the artisan should work in dim gentle. A stiff brush is used first to impart the color of lead, then a softer and finer brush is substituted to realize a denser, whiter grain.
At this level, expertise and talent are paramount as hand strain is utilized in steady actions till resistance is felt, revealing silver particles that stick with the floor, giving the approach its title — grene being the French phrase for “grain”. Reasonably than a extremely polished floor to catch the sunshine, this matte dial does nicely to serve the Toric’s sartorial ethos.
The dials themselves are produced from gold — white for the platinum mannequin and pink for the rose gold — and additional particulars add to their minimalist magnificence. The hours are utilized tiny faceted rectangles which have been polished for distinction towards the grainy dial. The model brand is positioned within the now acquainted oval cartouche, and a refined bevel on the periphery acts as a chapter ring. Additionally, you will discover that the dial has a cheve design, which suggests it dips abruptly on the edges to fulfill the interior sides of the case. On that word…
Housed in the identical constructing as Quadrance & Habillage is the Les Artisans Boiters, which Parmigiani Fleurier acquired in 2000. Just like the dial-makers, the case craftspeople use a mixture of tech-assisted strategies and handcrafts to make its circumstances, with the Toric’s modern case and signature knurled bezel not being an exception.
All of the circumstances are designed utilizing CAD software program earlier than being crafted from numerous metals in CNC machines. Nonetheless, it takes skilled eyes and palms to identify imperfections, clear, and polish every case to perfection. Even the often-overlooked case middles obtain the identical stage of consideration. The standard of the dials and circumstances produced at these two amenities is so distinctive that no fewer than 18 different watch manufacturers have chosen them as their trusted companions.
HEART OF GOLD
Whereas the case and dial embody restraint, the motion has the audacious intention of providing barely contained opulence. For one, the motion is crafted from 18k rose gold — a rarity in watchmaking. Past the apparent elements of price and availability, it takes a certain quantity of masochism to assemble actions from a steel as gentle as gold. As talked about earlier, rigidity and resistance to put on are required — qualities historically offered by metals like brass and metal — which means that guaranteeing a gold motion’s structural integrity calls for distinctive care and experience.
The payoff, in fact, is status and gorgeous magnificence. The totally new calibre PF780 is a hand-wound motion that eschews the skeletonisation of the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante for 2 bridges that act as architectural parts. With solely the 2 barrels and steadiness seen by this construction, the general design is decidedly trendy, with the attention drawn to the bizarre “Cotes de Fleurier” guilloche sample — an interpretation of the basic Cotes de Geneve.
Every incision is carried out utilizing an vintage cam-operated guilloche machine, a deliberate alternative that honours conventional artisanry over trendy digital instruments. The ending additionally imbues the bridges with a fabric-like texture, one other nod to sartorial magnificence. The mainplate is subtly sandblasted, making a complementary matte end that enhances the motion’s depth and complexity. The motion runs at 4Hz and comes with an influence reserve of 60 hours.
TAILOR-MADE
For a group that claims to carry again the apotheosis of costume watch magnificence, it’s evident that the straps have been approached with the identical stylistic brio. Every alligator strap is an train in precision and craftsmanship, not not like the method of tailoring a bespoke swimsuit, with each piece made totally by hand.
Some duties, like padding the leather-based tongue’s edges, are past the capabilities of machines, however others, like stitching, are undertaken manually for no different purpose than to have a good time custom. It takes 20 minutes in contrast with a machine’s three, however that’s the value the model is keen to pay in service of preserving heritage.
Price noting is how the stitching itself attracts inspiration from the artwork of Neapolitan tailoring (and certain Terreni’s personal Italian roots), often known as “punto a mano”. This type of tailoring was created in protest to stiff English fittings, and favours gentle, flowing traces — a constant throughline for the brand new Toric’s identification. On the seen aspect, a tiny, 1mm sew alternates with a bigger 4mm hole, whereas the reverse aspect follows an reverse sequence. This unconventional sample, executed on the particular request of Parmigiani Fleurier, was apparently a primary for the contracted strap producer. The strap itself includes six fastidiously formed and glued layers, every executed by hand, and requiring a full two days per strap.
Even right here, subtlety is vital. Reasonably than the standard gloss of alligator leather-based, the straps are given a nubuck remedy to ship a velvety texture. This impact is achieved by gentle abrasion — basically sanding — utilized with simply the correct quantity of strain, a fragile steadiness honed by years of observe. The consequence? A strap that feels as luxurious because it appears, with each step — amounting to some 20 handbook operations — telling a narrative of dexterity and dedication.
Continues Terreni: “We aimed to interrupt free from conventional constraints, making a watch that embodies a nuanced, serene, and versatile magnificence, meticulously crafted to resonate with the refined essence of at present’s discerning particular person.” Lengthy stay the costume watch.
TONDA PF GMT RATTRAPANTE
Parmigiani Fleurier has one thing of a practice in relation to the Rattrapante, which you’ll actually recall from the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante and the GMT Rattrapante (reverse). Nicely, all these watches have one thing in frequent however it’s not the complication, in fact. Our favorite occurs to be the GMT Rattrapante, probably as a result of we’re keen on twin timers of all kinds. One thing about figuring out the time at two areas, considered one of which is evident solely to the wearer, is thrilling. Parmigiani Fleurier recognised this sentiment and got here up with a value- add that heightens the discretion worth: two overlapping hour palms that separate on demand to trace time in two totally different zones. That’s the place the Rattrapante bit is available in for this Tonda PF mannequin.
Here’s a temporary primer on the GMT Rattrapante from our personal story on it in 2022: It is a fuss-free two-time zone watch, with the extra perform of being on-demand. Utilizing the pusher at 8 o’clock strikes the white gold hour hand ahead by one hour, whereas revealing a second hour hand in crimson gold. This crimson gold hand will stay tied to dwelling time whereas the white gold hand now signifies native time; utilizing the pusher at 3 o’clock will get the white gold hand gliding throughout the dial to as soon as once more take its place over the crimson gold hand, the place each then transfer ahead as regular. That is excellent for many who solely need their problems of their faces once they wish to use them. In observe, or sensible phrases, we predict this works finest when attempting to handle occasions in two international locations or time zones for brief intervals, from the second you arrive to the second you permit.
Whereas it appeared a bit naughty at launch at the moment, with the Minute Rattrapante nonetheless a yr sooner or later, the GMT Rattrapante too speaks exactly to the model’s desire for classical restraint. We’re fairly hopeful that we’ll see a model of this mannequin within the Toric assortment because it makes a very good match.
PHOTOGRAPHY CHING@GREENPLASTICSOLDIERS
STYLING GREGORY WOO
This text first appeared on WOW’s Festive Challenge #76
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