The 2024 Watches & Wonders Geneva (WWG) edition featured an unprecedented number of not sporty, not sporty-chic, not integrated-bracelet, not steel watches. Unprecedented, that is, if your memory cannot reach as far back as 2018, when dress watches were everywhere. When that fundamental segment of high watchmaking was still hot and the Nautilus-clones and Royal Oak-alikes of this world had not taken over the watchmaking scene. Yes, there was a time when a gold timepiece, with a slim case, a beautiful movement and not overflowing with complications was a relevant expression of taste. A timepiece like the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde. It is a timepiece so rife with elegant details that most of them simply go unnoticed.

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The Toric is hardly new; it is the name of Parmigiani Fleurier’s original collection and never left the collection. Back in 1996, when the brand was first launched, it stood out with its double godroon bezel, whose bumps were knurled. Not guilloché, which is a type of engraving, but ridged like the fudged sole of a dress shoe. Except what is being pressed into shape is not leather, but gold. Fast-forward 28 years, and Parmigiani Fleurier has been through ups and downs and is now in great shape thanks to the Tonda PF and its lean and sartorial design guidelines. The firm is selling as many watches as it can make, which signals general admiration and desire in the watchmaking community. But instead of just sticking to a single collection, like so many brands do – instead of milking the Tonda PF – the brand decided to release the kind of watches Michel Parmigiani built this business for in the first place. The kind no one expected until a few months ago.

Admittedly, this is a strong and indeed personal statement but bear with me for a minute and take a look at the Toric Petite Seconde. Look at the dial. It is finely hand-grained to a powdery texture with a pastel-toned galvanic treatment. Its shape is “chevé”, meaning it is shaped like a pan, with a curved edge. Its indices are short, and their outlines follow the aforementioned curve. The hands are ever so slim; ever so slender. And then there are the “filet sauté”. This regrettable Gallicism refers to the thin wire circles going around the dial and the small seconds. And of course, there is the signature knurled bezel that gives the 8.8mm-thick case its relief. And the last detail? All the above components and features are in gold.

Flip the Toric and behold caliber PF780. It is an all-new movement, made especially for the collection. It is slim, hand-wound and built according to an elaborate interpretation of symmetry. It will not be obvious but the bridges and mainplate are crafted out of solid rose gold and guilloché with a Côtes de Fleurier pattern. Parmigiani Fleurier is going all-in on the details without shouting it from the rooftops. That understatement is the loudest statement one could make. And since you have stuck with me this far, trust me on this last one: it is an ardent joy to wear.

Movement: Manual-winding, rose gold caliber PF780 with small seconds; 60-hour power reserve
Case: 41.8mm in rose gold; water-resistant to 30m
Strap: Nubuck-finished alligator leather
Price: SGD 75,160

This story was first seen on WOW’s Summer 2024 Issue.

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