Parmigiani Fleurier Introduces New Toric Petite Seconde

Capturing the essence of vintage aesthetics, the new Toric Petite Seconde timepieces offer a fresh take on elegance.

One of Parmigiani Fleurier’s specialities is crafting timepieces with a simplistic yet elegant and stylish approach. The brand’s collection of timepieces consists mainly of two lineups: the Tonda and the latest Toric unveiling. Just by looking at Parmigiani Fleurier’s existing Tonda collection, you can see where the brand’s design codes and ideologies lie: the art of simplicity.

The latest Toric Petite Seconde is the revival of a legend unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2024. Parmigiani Fleurier is offering the Toric Petite Seconde in two versions: a rose gold case or a platinum case. These two new timepieces fall under the brand’s men’s watch category and are designed as the ideal dress watch—a high-end luxury timepiece with refined elegance.

At launch, these models come in a 40.6mm x 8.8mm thick case size in, as mentioned earlier, an 18-carat rose gold or 950 platinum case. Guido Terrini, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier, has chosen the nobles of materials to create this re-introduction of the Toric collection. The timepieces feature the knurled bezel design that is also featured on the Tonda collection. The polishing of the cases is immaculate. The lugs and side case profile all feature polished finishes, which give a stunning shine, one that is quite visually appealing on the 18-carat rose gold case.

The dials feature Parmigiani Fleurier’s design philosophy of simplicity. The sharp details are kept to a minimum in size. The baton-style hour indices are small yet still easily noticeable against the coloured backgrounds. The sharp angular hour and minute hands reflect the watch’s “refined” styling. Finally, the last two design elements on the dial are Parmigiani Fleurier’s logo at 12 o’clock and the very minimalistic constant seconds counter at 6 o’clock.

Where these timepieces’ aesthetic comes to life is the “chevé” dial colours and, upon closer inspection, their textures. The grainy texture of the “chevé” dial colours gives it a matte-like appearance, contrasting nicely against the polished finish of the case and dial elements. The 950 platinum case gets a grey celadon dial with 18-carat gold rhodium plated hour indices and hands, while the 18-carat rose gold case gets a colour-matching sand gold dial with 18-carat rose gold hour indices and hands.

The gaining process of the dials is carried out by hand. It’s done through a process where a special mixture is created using cream of tartar, crushed sea salt, and silver, which is mixed with water to create a paste. After the paste is applied to the dial, it is polished with special brushes to create a grained surface finish.

The two dials offer very distinctive aesthetics; the platinum version has a more subtle view that is perfect for everyday wear, while the rose gold variant gives a high-end luxury appeal, reserved for those special occasions. The pair of timepieces has alligator leather straps with colours that work to accentuate the dial. The rose gold case gets a beige green strap, while the platinum model gets a sand-coloured alligator strap.

Parmigiani Fleurier’s in-house calibre PF780 manual wound movement powers these two Toric Petite Seconde timepieces. This newly crafted movement measures just 3.15mm thick. It operates at a high frequency of 28,800 VpH (4Hz), delivering high accuracy while also delivering a decent power reserve of 60 hours. Unlike the simplistic dial, the case back of the timepiece highlights a movement with a high level of detailed finishing. The PF780 manual wound movement consists of two-barrels and a balance wheel that’s been made clearly visible to the viewer. The finishing includes hand-bevelled edges against the rose gold main plate.

Final Thoughts

The re-introduction of Parmigiani Fleurier’s Toric line has now taken a much more minimalistic approach. The previous timepieces in the Toric line consisted of timepieces with elegant Arabic or Roman hour indices, javelin hands and guilloché decorated dials. The last model in the previous Toric generation was released in 2020, to Michel Parmigiani’s 70^th birthday, which features all these classic design elements.

Now, 2024 represents a new chapter in Parmigiani Fleurier’s Toric collection. While the timepiece retains some iconic elements of the past, such as the knurled bezel, it has undergone a drastic change, removing everything but the bare necessities. While not everyone may be on board with this, one thing is for sure: It paves the way for some beautiful and highly detailed dials to take centre stage.

Reference: PFC940-2010004-300181-FR (950 Platinum), PFC940-2010001-300181-EN (18-carat rose gold)

Specification

• Case: 40.6 mm. Thickness: 8.8 mm.
• Case Material: 950 Platnium or 18-carat rose gold
• Dial: Grey celadon dial with 18-carat gold rhodium plated hour indices and hands or sand gold dial with 18-carat rose gold hour indices and hands.
• Crystal: Sapphire scratch-resistant, with anti-reflective coating.
• Water resistance: 30m (3 Bar)
• Movement: Manual winding mechanical movement Calibre PF780
• Movement Frequency: 4Hz (28,800 VpH)
• Power reserve: Approx. 60 hours
• Bracelet: 18-carat rose gold case gets a colour-matching beige green strap with rose gold buckle, while the platinum model gets a sand-coloured alligator strap with platinum buckle.

International Recommended Retail Price: 52,000 CHF (950 Platinum), 45,000 CHF (18-carat rose gold)

Availability: Available now, visit Parmigiani Fleurier boutiques or authorised dealers to enquire. For more information, head to parmigiani.com