The Splendid Parmigiani Tonda PF Micro-Rotor In Platinum

Introduced in 2021, the Tonda PF collection accomplished two missions: one was to celebrate the brand’s 25^th anniversary and the distinguished career of master watchmaker and founder Michel Parmigiani; the second was more long-term and designed to mark the new roadmap for the watch brand under CEO Guido Terreni. Positioned as the brand’s luxury sports watch with integrated bracelet, the Tonda PF is as classy as they come. During Watches & Wonders 2023, Parmigiani Fleurier unveiled its Tonda PF Micro-Rotor dressed from head to toe – case, bracelet, dial, bezel and rotor – in 950 platinum. With its sober, monochrome aesthetics, deliberate minimalism and slim profile, the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor is, in our eyes, the essence of sophistication and understatement.

The Backstory

The Tonda PF luxury sports watch collection is rooted in the classic ultra-slim Tonda dress watch collection designed by Michel Parmigiani. In a departure from many high-testosterone luxury sports watches, the Tonda PF is built around the concepts of refinement and discretion, described by the brand as a “sartorial approach to watchmaking.” Debuting with an automatic time-and-date (micro-rotor), a chronograph, and an annual calendar, the first model to flaunt platinum armour was the impressive split-seconds chronograph with a gold engine, followed by a Flying Tourbillon in 2022.

majestic Platinum

Following stainless steel and rose gold executions, the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor now dons a refined platinum suit. Platinum, denser, heavier (34%) and more durable than 18k white gold, brings its characteristic white lustre and reassuring heft to the composition. If you’ve seen and handled platinum, you know that it doesn’t really look or feel anything like steel or white gold. Platinum delivers a sensation of weightiness and majesty that few metals can rival.

Simplicity and refinement are the operative words, and thanks to the extra-thin 3mm automatic movement, the 40mm case flaunts a slim profile of 7.8mm. Fair enough, there are thinner automatic high-end sports watches on the market, like Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo, but the Tonda PF manages to reconcile thinness with a sensation of resilience provided by the structure and material of the case. Fitted with a screw-down crown (some complaints levelled here due to its small size), the case is water-resistant to 100 metres.

Nuanced details

Like a well-tailored suit, the proportions of the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor are spot on, and its ergonomic curved caseback design lets it hug the wrist comfortably. As a descendant of the original Tonda dress watch family, the case flaunts the stylish teardrop lugs designed by Michel Parmigiani with their gleaming polished top surface and satin-brushed flanks. Viewed from the side, you can appreciate how the polished area of the external lugs is echoed down the tapering bracelet to produce an elegant, fluid sensation. Fitted with a concealed triple-folding clasp, the bracelet is considered one of the most comfortable bracelets; the one complaint is the lack of a micro-adjustment system.

Another genetic trait of the Tonda PF family is the micro-knurled and polished platinum bezel that attracts light to the composition. This Tonda’s elegant yet understated monochrome temperament is reinforced with the platinum sandblasted dial, a characteristic shared with other platinum models. Instead of the hallmark barleycorn guilloché decoration of ‘regular’ Tondas, the platinum family embrace an even more pared-down aesthetic thanks to the subtly grained and matte surface of the platinum dial.

The essentials

The dial is a paragon of minimalism, offering the hours, minutes and date; there is nothing superfluous or jarring, no luminescent markers, no excessive branding – save for the elegant white gold oval cartouche at noon bearing the brand’s initials. The white gold indices are faceted and reach up from the recessed minutes track like tiny claws to occupy their position on the dial. Similarly, the elegant delta skeletonised hour and minute hands are crafted in white gold. All the white gold elements on the dial are rhodium plated and polished to attract light. The only other function on the dial is the date window, judiciously placed at the 6 o’clock position with a grey sandblasted background and black numerals to match the dial and the discreet black minute track on the periphery.

Calibre PF703

Platinum finds its way into the micro-rotor of the brand’s automatic calibre PF703, a movement derived from a flagship automatic initially used in the dressy Tonda 1950. Calibre PF703 has an operating frequency of 3Hz and a power reserve of 48 hours – not the highest, but satisfactory given its thinness. The micro-rotor is integrated into the movement enabling a significant reduction in thickness and is decorated with a grain d’orge guilloché pattern. Other finishings include Côtes de Genève on the bridges and perlage on the base plate.

thoughts

The unique lustre and reassuring weight of the platinum ennoble and elevate the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor without making too much noise. For some, the sober monochromatic platinum suit might be too low-key; for others, it could be the very epitome of good taste. And guess where we sit…

Availability & Price

The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor in platinum joins the regular Tonda PF collection and retails for CHF 85,000. For more information, please consult Parmigiani.com.