PARMIGIANI Fleurier @ Tondagraphe Watch

Following on from its success, Parmigiani Fleurier is reissuing this model in two editions limited to ten pieces, and is offering a new 2013 version in step with its time. Combining the hypnotic beauty of the tourbillon with the technical prowess of the chronograph, this model is brought to life by a manufacture calibre which boasts a 72-hour power reserve. The PF 354 comprises 295 components and reflects the unfailingly excellent craftsmanship that the artisan creating it must display. The assembly’s accuracy and aesthetic is the product of all the manufacture’s knowledge. The bevelling of the two tourbillon bridges alone requires 20 hours of work to achieve the required quality of finish, and the cage will take almost 40 hours. But the tourbillon is the horological complication that requires the greatest skill; its mechanism is the personification of time itself. Standing out perfectly on the dial at 6 o’clock, the cage that encloses the regulating organ turns on its axis at a rate of one rotation a minute: the heart of the watch seems to beat and breathe life into the assembly.

The main aesthetic developments for this model are seen in the style of the dial, which offers a new balance. While it has retained its organisation and the original combination of materials, it demonstrates a desire for clarity and a return to the essential. The inclusion of new understated and elegant Parmigiani numerals makes it easy to read, while the two second and minute chronometer counters stand opposite each other in the centre of the dial. At 12 o’clock, the power reserve also boasts this same spirit and echoes the decorations on the tourbillon. The wearer can admire the bevelling of its bridge, and the perlage work on the barrel. True to the same style codes and quality of finish, these functions are showcased by a snailed circular dial, which is both fresh and dynamic. The Tondagraphe is available in two versions, one with a black dial and the other with a white dial. This model complements the new contemporary faces that Parmigiani Fleurier wishes to bring to Haute Horlogerie.