PARMIGIANI FLEURIER

Eschewing the dressy and rather traditional aesthetic that typifies many timepieces from the haute horlogerie house founded by the eminent watchmaker and restorer Michel Parmigiani, the Tonda collection has tended to embody a sporting mien. However, the new Tonda GT line, which was introduced in the summer of 2020, exudes an even more elegant air of casual refinement. Take, for example, this Tondagraph GT chronograph in rose gold with blue clou triangulaire guilloché dial, a colour combination that could hardly be more perfect. Then, as with almost every Parmigiani watch, there are the Tondagraph’s proportions, which embody the golden ratio, the impeccable craftsmanship and finishing, the semi-integrated lugs and bezel, and a 42mm diameter that nonetheless appears to occupy minimal real estate on the wrist. This exquisite timepiece draws its power from a new, singlecentral-column-wheel PF071 automatic chronograph movement manufactured by partner company Vaucher (a near-neighbour in the Swiss village of Fleurier), which beats at 36,000vph for a 65hour reserve (and a smoothly sweeping second hand), while water resistance is an eminently decent 10 bar.

As for the new Tondagraph GT Annual Calendar Chronograph it comes not in rose gold but steel, a move that brings this complicated timepiece down to a price point that’s – how can we say it? – less stratospherically expensive than ever-soslightly affordable. Aside from the case material, however, in other respects this is a typical Parmigiani, from the coin-edge bevel detailing to the ideal proportions of its clou triangulaire guilloché dial, case and bracelet. As it incorporates both annual calendar and chronograph complications, by definition there’s an awful lot of information on show here, but it’s all done cleverly and discreetly, with three hands on the central axis, a trio of subdials and three windows – in fact, at first glance you’d think it was a regular chronograph. Flip the watch over, though, and you’ll find an especially luxurious touch to offset the steel case: a 22k gold rotor powers up the 56-jewel, Vaucher-manufactured PF043 calibre, which runs at 28,800vph and provides a reserve of 45 hours.