Hands-On: Parmigiani Toric Perpetual Calendar
A little secret (or maybe not-so-secret) about Watches and Wonders is that, over the years, more and more brands have started to send out press releases in advance or give preview opportunities so that the companies can make sure their releases don’t get lost in the shuffle. And yet, every year, there are inevitably a few surprises. This year, one of the biggest surprises was the expansion of the relatively newly renewed Parmigiani Fleurier Toric line with the introduction of the new Toric Perpetual Calendar.
Part of the delay in writing about the new watch is that it’s subtly captivating in a way that makes it feel like it has been there all along. When we covered the new Toric line last year, one readily apparent thing was that CEO Guido Terreni’s plan for the Toric was a return to understated minimalism while maintaining the luxury appeal the brand has had since its founding.
Where the Tonda PF line has easily captured fans with its variety of takes on a sportier design, selling dress watches isn’t always sexy – or at least it’s not easy to make it so. But the new Toric Perpetual Calendars balance dress with a touch of sportiness that really seems to have people excited.
The new Toric QPs are available in two case materials – platinum and rose gold – with either a soft blue (“Morning Blue”) or orange-salmon dial (“Golden Hour”), all housed in a relatively compact 40.6mm by 10.9mm case, priced at CHF 92,000 and CHF 85,000, respectively. Visually, the watch looks to wear a bit larger, likely due to the domed dial that creates areas of light and shadow that add a bit of depth while mirroring the overall case construction and sloping bezel. That, plus the grained texture of the dial gives it an extra level of softness that changes the experience of the dial, complemented by the high-polish hands, logo, and chamfered rings on the subdial.
The QP display is entirely simple, with subdials displaying day of the week and date on the left and month (and leap year indication) on the right. For those who like horizontal symmetry, it’s perfectly balanced, but sitting below the equator, the balance from top to bottom is a bit of an odd look. That said, it’s something that A. Lange & Söhne collectors have found charming over the years.
Functions of the movement are set by pushers on each side of the crown. The crown also sits slightly below the center point of the case, as is necessitated by the design of the manually wound manufacture caliber PF733 movement. In a year where a lot of ink has been spilled over crown-set calibers (who came first, which is better, etc.), the fact of the matter is that such innovations will remain few and far between for quite some time. But the relative slimness of the PF733 results in a comfortable and compact format.
The architecture of the PF733 should be familiarly elegant, reminiscent of the small seconds version released last year. Simple, clean, with two barrels in sequence that keep the movement thin while giving 60 hours of power reserve. I would have hoped for a bit more power reserve on a manually wound perpetual calendar, but from an aesthetic standpoint, Parmigiani Fleurier continues to knock it out of the park in terms of refined, clean movements with a respect for the heritage that Michel Parmigiani has built into his brand. And, as a reminder, there’s still the signature of Michel Parmigiani that is cut into the Côtes de Fleurier.
On the wrist, this feels exactly as Parmigiani intended – an elegant dress complication for a modern audience. When you examine the early retrograde perpetual calendars, there’s obviously a hint of nostalgia. However, the reality is that those watches were still 40mm, the same size as what we have here, and it’s hard to argue that the simplified design isn’t a significant improvement for the simplicity that Parmigiani aims for.
Which is why it’s funny to say this about a watch that we’ve only just gotten around to talking about: this might have been one of the best releases at Watches and Wonders this year. It’s a watch that never begged for attention, but deserves a bit more all the same.
For more information, visit Parmigiani Fleurier.
Hodinkee