One of the most memorable meetings at Watches & Wonders earlier this year was with Guido Terreni, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier: this highly charismatic watch industry CEO was impeccably dressed and chatting about fashion history and how the new Trick collection has been designed with the modern fashion lover in mind.
Tereni is happy to see menswear getting attention again, seeing Silicon Valley guys supporting casual business wear. For him, wearing a beautiful suit, shirt and loafers that were expertly selected for him in his hotel room that morning, it’s natural and he doesn’t have to think twice about what works and what doesn’t. I write this with a bit of envy because more than once I’ve had to Google what a certain dress code on an event invitation means for a brand. “Desert chic” and “runway with a twist” are two examples I’ve had to look up in recent months. Before I worked in finance, I loved wearing suits. I’m still comfortable in them, but I’ve always been a bit envious of what some men can pull off. But people like the CEO of Parmigiani inspire me to try harder.
Guido Tereni
New Trick Collection
And while we’re here for watches, not fashion, the new Parmigiani Toric collection confirms that these are watches you want to match with your outfit, not the other way around. The Parmigiani Toric received a lot of praise at the Watches & Wonders 2024 exhibition, not only from us, but also from many others who were closely following all the presentations during the week.
We’ve seen brands like Parmigiani Fleurier garner attention from those with a broader perspective on the world of watches. The brand doesn’t make watches to be worn for show, but simply for pleasure and enjoyment. The trick is stealth luxury, or, in Tereni’s words, “private luxury.”
Trick Petit Second
The new Toric Petite Seconde is a dress watch in the classic sense, with a gold case, gold dial, gold hands, no date, and a manual winding movement. On paper (or screen) it may sound boring, but the opposite is true when you look at this watch. From first glance to closer look, the Toric Petite Seconde continues to fascinate me.
This is a time-only watch with a recessed subdial for the seconds hand, and if you look closely you’ll also notice that the large dial is beveled and separated by a gold-tone border.
According to Parmigiani, the designers were inspired by dress watches from the 1960s. The Toric’s “sand gold” dial has a hand-applied grained finish. All these elements give the dial depth. At 12 o’clock, there is the Parmigiani Fleurier logo in 18K rose gold. The 18K rose gold hour markers are small and almost touch the center of the dial. As you can see in the images, the Parmigiani Toric Petite Second uses alpha-shaped hour and minute hands. Of course, the small seconds hand is also in 18K rose gold, and its subdial has four markers for 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds. It’s quite an ensemble, and it feels like a lot of thought went into it. It’s incredibly clean and crisp, but never boring.
The 40.6mm 18K rose gold case features a knurled bezel similar to the Tonda PF model, which sits comfortably on the wrist even when not wearing a handmade shirt. Parmigiani has also taken pride in designing the handmade alligator leather strap with nubuck finish and Punta a Mano stitchwork (handmade, Neapolitan style) for the new Toric model.
The midcase is wider than the bezel, giving it a more contemporary look than previous Toric models. It’s a matter of taste of course, but I prefer the modern look of the redesigned Toric. The curved gold lugs are sturdy yet elegant.
The folks at Parmigiani must have noticed my pupils dilate when I turned the Toric Petite Seconde for the first time. What a view! The manual winding PF780 movement is made of gold and decorated with Côtes de Fleurier. The two large barrels and the balance (bridge) are visible from the back. What’s more, Caliber PF780 has a 60-hour power reserve, ticks at 28,800vph, and is made up of 157 parts. It’s only 3.15mm thick, which allowed Parmigiani to keep the case to just 8.8mm thin.
The Toric Petite Seconde is also available in a 40.6mm platinum case, a “Grey Celadon” dial and a brown-grey strap. Both versions feature a pin buckle, allowing easy viewing of the beautiful gold movement.
Toric Chronograph Rattrapante
Limited to 30 pieces, the Chronograph Rattrapante is a bit sportier than the classic Toric Petite Seconde model. With an 18K rose gold case, a hand-grained dial in “natural amber”, seven hands and large concave subdials, this timepiece is a real treat for the eyes.
The design is similar to the Toric Petite Seconde, with its gold knurled bezel, sturdy lugs and wide case design, plus highly polished oval pushers and a ribbed winding crown that incorporates a pusher for the rattrapante complication.
PF361-Slim
The Toric Chronograph Rattrapante case is 42.5mm in diameter and 14.4mm thick. Inside is an 18K rose gold chronograph rattrapante movement with column wheel and rattrapante function. The skeleton bridge has a beautiful brushed finish, revealing the two column wheels in a contrasting silver tone, as does the balance wheel bridge. This caliber, PF361-SLIM, is 7.35mm thick and consists of 285 parts. The barrel provides a power reserve of 65 hours.
While the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde doesn’t stand out much on the wrist, the Chronograph Rattrapante model immediately grabs attention. That said, like its platinum and rose gold siblings, it’s a very refined looking watch.
These Toric models are a talking point for those in the know: the finishing of each element of the watch is impeccable and the golden movement will wow all who see it.
The three new Toric watches will be available this month, all of whose specifications can be seen below, and further details can also be found on the Parmigiani Fleurier website.
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