Parmigiani Fleurier is one of those impossibly cool brands that always seems to fly just under the radar, consistently delivering knock out pieces without the usual fanfare of much larger brands. The latest example of this comes in the form of the new Tonda Chronor Anniversaire, launched at SIHH in celebration of the company’s 20th Anniversary, which boasts an in-house movement with a fully integrated chronograph. Not to mention the fact that it looks amazing.
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Chronor Anniversaire
Presented in a 42mm x 14.6 mm polished gold case – your choice of white or rose gold – the Tonda Chronor Anniversaire is the perfect size for a modern day dress watch. The chronograph functionality does give it a bit of a sporty feel but not so much that you’d feel out of place wearing it on formal occasions. What I find most attractive about the dial though – aside from its ”grand feu“ enamel finishing of course – is its simplicity.
Parmigiani’s familiar Delta-shaped hands complete with luminescent coating indicate the hours and minutes whilst at 6 o’clock a cleverly designed small seconds hand rotates continuously, tracking the seconds on two different scales. If you look closely you will notice a series of small 18K gold hour indexes, finely polished to create a subtle yet attractive contrast against the dial. Looking further inward the 12-hour and 30-minute chronograph counters can be found at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively, whilst a large, double window date occupies most of the room just below 12 o’clock.
What should really get your blood pumping though is the sight of the twin central seconds hands and the chronograph seconds and tachymeter scales. That’s right, not only does the Tonda Chronor Anniversaire offer a fully integrated chronograph, it also boasts split-second functionality, meaning you can time two separate events simultaneously. Talk about functionality, this thing has it in spades.
All of this is possible thanks to the gorgeous, and I do mean gorgeous! manually-wound PF caliber 361 in-house movement which is crafted from – you guessed it – 18K rose gold. Sure it’s harder and takes longer to make a movement from rose gold but just take a look at the results and you can see why Parmigiani didn’t even give it a second thought (that and the fact that the company is arguably one of the most vertically integrated watchmakers going around – translation: these guys know what they’re doing.)
Although Parmigiani has been around for 20 years now the Tonda Chronor Anniversaire represents the first time the company has ever produced an integrated chronograph, so cutting corners wasn’t really an option. As such the movement features a vertical clutch paired with dual column-wheels, one each for the chronograph and the split-seconds respectively. This setup not only ensures smoother operation but in conjunction with the higher frequency of the movement (5Hz / 36,000 vph) also helps to increase accuracy, so much so that the chronograph can measure elapsed time with 1/10th of a second precision.
There are four different variations of the Tonda Chronor Anniversaire for you to choose from: white gold case with a blue dial, white gold case with a white dial, rose gold case with a white dial, and rose gold case with a blue dial. Each is paired with a black or brown Hermès alligator leather strap, with Ardillon buckle in the same metal as the case and all of them are limited to just 25 pieces each.
For more information on the new Tonda Chronor Anniversaire please visit the Parmigiani Fleurier website.