The New Parmigiani Tonda PF Sport Collection (Video & Live Pics)

Since being appointed CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier, Guido Terreni has streamlined the brand’s collections and ushered in the highly successful Tonda PF family, a sophisticated, understated and strikingly elegant take on the luxury sports watch. In the name of coherence and consistency, Terreni has decided to give its sportier Tonda GT a makeover with PF inspiration, to become the Tonda PF Sport family. Its newly appointed ambassadors, the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph and the Tonda PF Sport Automatic borrow design features from the Tonda PF but reveal a slightly sportier temperament with more wrist presence. Playing up textures and playing down some of the features of the Tonda GT, the new Tonda PF Sport Collection is Terreni’s take on a weekend luxury sports watch to accompany you during your leisure time. And you can discover it in the video on top of this article.

The backstory

The Tonda GT (Gran Turismo) collection appeared in 2020 and, despite its very short lifespan, will be replaced with the Tonda PF Sport, a somewhat surprising move that responds to Terreni’s insistence on coherence across the Tonda line. Designed by Dino Modolo, the showpiece of the Tonda GT was the Tondagraph GT combining an annual calendar and chronograph. Borrowing design traits like the teardrop lugs from the Tonda Chronor and the fluted bezel from the Toric, the GT collection welcomed a simpler model with three hands and a big date window, followed by the attractive panda dials of the Tonda GT Chronograph. There was a gold version of the Tonda GT Chronograph with a souped-up high-frequency 5Hz movement derived from the brand’s 2017 GPHG award-winning calibre PF361 that we will refer to later in the article.

Buoyed by the success of the Tonda PF, you can tell that the new collection is very much a Terreni project, and his photograph appears on page 4 of the press release. Ranging from complicated models like the Tonda PF Chinese Calendar and the majestic Split-Seconds Chronograph to flying tourbillon, GMT Rattrapante, annual calendar, chronograph and time-and-date models, the Tonda PF collection has been the indisputable backbone of the brand since its debut a year and a half ago. The deliberate minimalism that characterises the collection is combined with the signature teardrop-shaped lugs and knurled bezels. Other features include the gold oval PF cartouche at noon, the gold delta-shaped openworked hands and the refined grain d’orge or barleycorn hand-guilloché motif on the dial.

As Terreni points out in the MONOCHROME interview, the new Tonda PF Sport models feed off the Tonda PF’s design cues and are envisioned as “active counterparts” of the PF family. Translated, this means an elegant, understated luxury sports watch designed as a “weekend watch for a Parmigiani customer”. Slightly sportier and slightly thicker than the Tonda PF, the new chronograph steers clear of technical spots watches designed to time competitive events and eschews a tachymetre scale.

Key Features of the Tonda PF Sport

At first glance, you might not notice many differences, but the knurled bezel is less knurled, so to speak. Instead of the 225 incisions on the Tonda PF models, the bezels of these models have 160. The bezels are not crafted in platinum, though, and the reduction of incisions gives the watch a bolder spirit. Both models are available in 100m water-resistant stainless steel or 18k rose gold cases; the Tonda PF Sport Automatic has a 41mm diameter and height of 9.8mm, while the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph has a 42mm diameter and thickness of 12.9mm. Another design tweak involves the screw-down crown that has been slightly enlarged to match the larger case dimensions and offer better grip. 

Moving to the dial, the signature grain d’orge hand-guilloché pattern of the Tonda PF is replaced with a clou triangulaire (triangular nail) guilloché pattern. The short hand-applied indices have been shortened and the flange reduced in width. One of the few traits the Tonda PF Sport has inherited from the GT is the use of black Super-LumiNova on the indices and tips of the hour and minute hands. Like the PF, the gold oval cartouche with the brand logo is applied to the dial at noon.

Another aspect that Terreni is particularly proud of is the new textile-style rubber strap that has been saddle-stitched by hand like an alligator strap. The idea is to separate the PF Sport strap from conventional mould-injected rubber straps and bring it in line with the more sartorial spirit pursued by the brand.

Tonda PF Sport Chronograph

As I mentioned earlier in the article, the new Parmigiani Tonda PF Sport Chronograph shares the same high-frequency movement as the Tonda GT Chronograph in rose gold and the Tonda PF Chronograph, based on the brand’s award-winning calibre PF361. 

Comparing all three models side by side reveals how the new chronograph has succumbed to the more elegant and minimalist PF treatment. However, the panda-style dial is directly inspired by the rose gold GT models and features a silver background with three black counters, minus the big date window. The shorter gold indices (rhodium-plated on the steel model) are applied to the dial and, along with the delta-shaped openworked gold hands, are treated with black Super-LumiNova for a dash of sportiness. The PF cartouche is featured at noon, and the date window is at 4:30 with a black background and white numerals.

While it still shares a similar 42mm case with teardrop lugs and pushers and brushed and polished finishes, the case height is 12.9mm which is thinner than the GT (14.3mm) but slightly thicker than the PF (12.4mm). 

The sapphire caseback offers a view of the in-house PF070 calibre, an automatic integrated chronograph with a column wheel and vertical clutch. The 315-part movement has a high frequency of 5Hz or 36,000vph and a 65-hour power reserve. Chronometer-certified by COSC, the movement is beautifully hand-finished and features a solid gold rotor inspired by the shape of the steering wheel of the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO of the 1960s. 

Quick facts: 42mm x 12.9mm – stainless steel or 18k rose gold – screw-down crown – 100m water-resistance – silver dial with guilloché pattern and three black counters – hand-applied gold indices with black SLN – gold skeletonised delta-shaped hour and minute hands with black SLN – date window at 4:30 – calibre PF070 manufacture automatic with high-frequency integrated chronograph – 5Hz/36,000vph – 22k rose gold rotor – black rubber strap with steel or rose gold folding clasp – ref. PFC931-1020001-400182 steel EUR 29,500 – ref. PFC931-2020001-400182 rose gold EUR 51,200

Tonda PF Sport Automatic

The second model is this straightforward time-and-date Parmigiani Tonda PF Sport Automatic with a 41mm diameter and thickness of 9.8m, flaunting the more pronounced notches on the bezel. Once again, it is offered in stainless steel and 18k rose gold 100m water-resistant cases; it is larger than the PF equivalent and smaller than the soon-to-be-discontinued GT Automatic. 

Not far away visually from the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, the new Tonda PF Sport Automatic puts a lot of distance between itself and the Tonda GT for two reasons: it dispenses with the big double date window at noon and eliminates the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock. According to Terreni, a small seconds counter gives a watch a classic vibe, while a central seconds hand is sportier.

Like the Chronograph, the silver dial is decorated with the same clou triangulaire guilloché pattern, the flange is slimmer, and the indices are shortened and treated with black Super-LumiNova. The skeletonised delta-shaped hands are also treated with black SLN tips, and the gold oval PF cartouche is featured at noon with a date window with a black background at 6 o’clock.

The movement you can see on the reverse side – calibre PF70 – is the same movement used inside the 36mm Tonda PF. This 179-part in-house automatic beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and its double barrels mounted in series deliver a power reserve of 60 hours. Like the chronograph, the gold skeletonised and sandblasted rotor is styled like the steering wheel of a 1960s GT. The movement is decorated with refined finishings like bevelled edges and Côte de Genève.

Quick facts: 41mm x 9.8mm – stainless steel or 18k rose gold – screw-down crown – 100m water-resistance – silver dial with guilloché pattern – hand-applied gold indices with black SLN – gold skeletonised delta-shaped hour and minute hands with black SLN – date window at 6 o’clock – calibre PF770 manufacture automatic – 4Hz/28,800vph – 22k rose gold rotor – black rubber strap with steel or rose gold folding clasp – ref. PFC930-2020001-400182 rose gold EUR 38,900 – ref. PFC930-1020001-400182 steel EUR 21,700

For more information, please consult parmigiani.com.