Introduced about two years in the past at SIHH 2017, the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde watch line has been the model’s most interesting foray into the more and more fascinating market of high-end journey watches up to now. The model I spent a while with was this rose gold case with white dial (ref. PFC493-1002400-HA1442) that gained the GPHG Journey Time Watch Prize in 2017. The watch is accessible in two different variations, a guilloché slate dial model with the identical rose gold case (ref. PFC493-1000200-HA1242) and, maybe much more compelling, a metal case variant with black dial (ref. PFC493-0001400-XA1442).
What makes the Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde stand out is that it permits the second time zone (indicated on the 12 o’clock subdial with its personal AM/PM indicator) to be set to the minute by a devoted crown at 2 o’clock.
Assuming not everybody needs to put on a watch with the dial data density of a world timer, the overwhelming majority of journey watches with GMT or twin time zone features enable the wearer to regulate the second time zone in one-hour increments. Nonetheless, everyone knows that there are 13 locations globally which are in time zones with 30 or 45 minute time variations from Coordinated Common Time (UTC). In truth, I realized that about 20.25% of the world’s inhabitants lives in certainly one of these areas, making most “journey watches” ineffective if you wish to monitor the time in any a part of India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Myanmar, or Nepal, in addition to elements of Australia that use Australian Central Commonplace Time (this contains Adelaide through the summer season months), amongst others.
Positive, India makes up the huge share above, however contemplating how a lot enterprise is finished with and from India, that’s an enormous potential market to depart on the desk, particularly when you think about the fast tempo of globalized enterprise in that nation.
The motion behind the Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde is the Calibre PF317 which has a 50-hour energy reserve and operates at 28,800 vph. Product of 316 elements, the PF317 takes the bottom COSC Chronometer-certified in-house Calibre PF331 and provides an Agenhor module that controls the second time zone perform. When you’re not conscious, Agenhor is the family-owned motion manufacture in Geneva that’s liable for serving to manufacturers like MB&F, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpels create watches they might in any other case be unable to make, in addition to the “AgenGraphe” chronograph motion.
The module is disengaged by pulling the two o’clock crown that controls it and permits the wearer to independently alter the second time zone to the minute. When you set the time and push the crown again in, the second time zone routinely “re-indexes” itself to run in tandem with the native time with no matter time interval the wearer units.
The AM/PM indicator for the second time zone juts out of the left aspect of the sub-dial, which I consider is finished for causes involving the economic system of the dial actual property, in addition to not eager to create any confusion as to which period zone that is related to. For native time, the AM/PM indicator is throughout the seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The PF317 additionally has a retrograde calendar perform, which makes use of the red-crescent tipped central hand. Parmigiani precisely claims that when the retrograde date hand does the 240° motion from the 31st again to the first, the change is finished with sufficient power from its spring that the bare eye can’t discover it. I attempted to each watch and punctiliously pay attention for the swift change of the hand, however actually couldn’t discover both. Then once more, I’ve to put on glasses and used to blast my headphones approach too loud, so neither my eyes nor my ears are in peak situation.
Turning the watch over reveals the whimsical asymmetrical caseback with an off-center sapphire exhibition show. That is achieved in order to solely reveal the bottom PF331 portion of the motion, which has similarities to that discovered on the Toric Chronometre watch. It’s hand-finished with perlage and Côtes de Genève, and, after all, that beautiful 22okay rose gold rotor with guilloché sample and PF brand.
The motion right here dictates the dimensions of the watch, which, at 42.8mm-wide and 11.9mm-thick is bigger than most Parmigiani Fleurier items, because of the addition of the second time zone module. For comparability’s sake, the usual PF331 measures 25.6mm-wide and three.5mm-thick, whereas the PF317 will increase in dimension to 35.6mm-wide and 5.4mm-thick.
The case consists of three distinct points: the bezel, the case center, and the lugs. The Toric case is delicate however characteristically masterful in its execution. The sloped lugs are not like the bigger teardrop-shaped lugs you’ll see on Tonda or Ovale watches, which helps preserve the lug-width down.
After all, the knurled bezel is the spotlight of the case. This ornamental bezel design is seemingly impressed by Doric and Ionic columns present in historic Greek structure. The Toric knurled bezel was discovered on Michel Parmigiani’s first watch idea again in 1996, and that very same artisan nonetheless does the knurling by hand on each Toric watch to this present day.
I’ve touched on most elements of the dial when discussing the second time zone sub-dial at 12 o’clock with adjoining AM/PM indicator, the seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock with native time AM/PM indicator inside it, and that central retrograde date hand with pink crescent tip. Related to this mannequin (although not the black dial variants) is the particular therapy that Parmigiani offers to its white grain ending on dials. The grain texture is finished by rubbing silver powder on a brass plate and ending by hand with a horsehair brush. That is all achieved at Quadrance et Habillage, which is Parmigiani’s dial-making division.
The Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde in rose gold case with white dial (ref. PFC493-1002400-HA1442) is priced at 31,000 CHF. The worth is barely increased, at 32,000 CHF, for the guilloché slate dial mannequin with gold case (ref. PFC493-1000200-HA1242), whereas the metal case variant with black dial (ref. PFC493-0001400-XA1442) is priced at 19,800 CHF. You possibly can study extra at parmigiani.com
