Parmigiani Fleurier introduces Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar

SWISS luxury watchmakers Parmigiani Fleurier has introduced a new Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar in a stainless steel case with a vivid Viridian green dial. The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar is a horological expression of the Tabular Islamic calendar which was developed by Muslim scholars and astronomers in the 8th century.

This system makes it possible for historians to convert Islamic dates to Gregorian dates and also makes the Hijri Perpetual Calendar possible. The first year of the Hijri calendar corresponds to the year 622 CE and is marked by the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Hijrah (Arabic for ‘migration’) from Mecca to Medina in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

The lunar Hijri calendar is based on the cycles of the moon in comparison to the solar Gregorian calendar and lunisolar Chinese Xiali calendar. This makes for a 30-year cycle with each year consisting of 12 months that are 29 or 30 days long. In each 30year cycle there are 19 common years consisting of 354 days and 11 abundant years consisting of 355 days.

There are four sacred months of the year during which there is to be no violence, no war or wrongdoing but rather a renewed and heightened focus on piety and carrying out good deeds. Three of these sacred months occur consecutively beginning with the 11th month of the year Dhul-Qa’dah followed by Dhul Hijjah, and then the first month of the new year which is Muharram. These three sacred months being consecutive makes sense when one considers that Dhul-Hijjah is when the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca occurs, with the months before and after ensuring peaceful journeys to Mecca and to return home. Finally there is Rajab which is the seventh month of the year. Landing right in the middle of the year, Rajab is also a time for peace and reflection in the lead-up to Ramadan as well as a time for the voluntary pilgrimage to Mecca known as an Umrah. Denoted by 9 in red is the month of Ramadan during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown for either 29 or 30 days. The month culminates with Eid al-Fitr which is the first of two major Islamic holidays, the second of which being Eid Al-Adha which always lands on the tenth day of the last month of the year.

The new Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar has a 100m waterresistant stainless-steel case with alternating satin and polished finishes. Its signature fluted bezel is in 950 platinum and it is paired with a matching stainless-steel bracelet with folding clasp. The viridian green dial is hand finished with a Grain d’Orge guilloche. The applied hour markers and skeletonised delta hour and minute hands are crafted in 18k gold with rhodium plating. The second hand and calendar subdial hands are made of rhodium plated steel.

The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar is equipped with the Caliber PF009 automatic movement, which operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and has a power reserve of 48 hours. The intricate movement has beveled bridges.

The skeletonised rotor is chiselled from platinum with a polished and sandblasted finish. Like the case and dial, it is meticulously finished with Côtes de Genève and perlage throughout.

The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar displays all the information on the dial. The 12-hour subdial shows the 30-year cycle with the abundant 355-day years in beige and the standard 354-day years in white. The 3 o’clock subdial indicates the numbered months of the year with the ninth month of Ramadan highlighted in bright red. The 9 o’clock subdial shows the days of the month with an aperture indicating whether it is a 30-day abundant month or a 29-day common month. A white aperture indicates a 29-day month.

The activated beige aperture indicates a 30-day month, with the number 30 in beige. Finally, the 6 o’clock subdial features the blue aventurine moon phase display, which shows the position of the moon in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The Tonda PF collection offers three masterpieces dedicated to this theme: the complete Chinese calendar Xiali, the Western Gregorian calendar, and finally the new Islamic Hijri calendar. Together, these creations bear witness to a profound respect for the diversity of cultures and the complexity of the time that unites us.