Watch of the Week: Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronomètre
Michel Parmigiani, the founding father of the brand that bears his name, started his career restoring watches. Over the years he has worked on the rarest and most amazing clocks, pocket- and wristwatches ever created. This has given him a great understanding of movements, decoration techniques as well as design. In 1997 he brought all this experience together, founded his brand and designed, build and launched his very first model: the Toric.
In the world of classic watches, the Toric has become a staple. The watch has a timeless flair that hasn’t lost any of its charm during the two decades that it was on the market. In 2017 Parmigiani decided that it was time for an update and launched a new version of the watch. While he slightly increased its diameter, he also ensured that all the hallmarks that makes this watch so special remained.
One of the most prominent of those features is the hand-knurled bezel. This is the result of a very demanding process in which a master-craftsman uses a special wheel to make the notches one by one. As the bezel is round, even the smallest error will render all the work worthless. For its latest version, Parmigiani combines this with another craft that requires the same precision and eye for detail, that of the guilloche dial. What makes the dial stand out, even more, is the slate grey color for which Parmigiani opted. Combined with the rose gold case and numerals it becomes a particularly beautiful and dynamic color combination.
The Toric Chronomètre wouldn’t be a Parmigiani when it wasn’t fitted with a proprietary movement. It is fitted with caliber PF441, which features automatic winding and a 55-hours power reserve, that it obtains from two series-couples mainspring barrels. With a height of 3.7 mm is the movement pleasantly slender, which also helps in keeping the overall height of the Toric Chronomètre under the 1 centimeter, at 9.5mm. As the name of the watch already indicates is the movement Chronometer-certified, but additionally, to this did Parmigiani pay particular attention to the finishing of each component. This will ensure that also the new Toric Chronomètre will continue the legacy as one of the staples in the world of the Haute Horlogerie!
