Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante Verzasca

Zach Brass

Watches tend to resonate with people because of romantic stories and lifestyle relevance. But look, I think most of you are this shocking, so pretend to be yourself. Most of us do not check progress mission times at the International Space Station or check timing bezels above 300 meters below sea level. So when a watch comes with not only romantic stories but also relevant practical use that hits true chords, it’s really cool. And it is, for me, Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante.

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This summary is personal as a personal disclosure. I personally buy and own the original Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante with a 2022 blue dial. Whether it’s the original steel blue dial model I own, the solid gold model with a blue dial that follows, or this new Verzasca Green variant we’re looking at in-depth today, there are two key elements worth understanding what I’d like to dig into, but let’s start with specs and how it’s worn.

Specifications and how it will be worn

The new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante Verzasca Green, as its name suggests, features the new Verzasca Green Dial Color. In rendering, it may not appear to be far from the original Milano Blue Dial, but in reality, the Milano Blue Dial is darker than expected, and sometimes almost black. However, this new green dial is green in every light, and its tint gives it a slightly casual feel. It’s a very clear shade of green that I’ve never really seen from other brands, so it remains exhilarating despite the fact that the green dial is more popular than ever.

This is a 60m water-resistant watch with a rather thin 40mm stainless steel case of 10.7mm thick. The wrists have an impressive weight, partly because precious metals are quietly incorporated through its thin, loose platinum 950 bezel. This extra weight creates a strong center of gravity. This really helps keep the watch at the center of your wrist.

The bracelet is designed with ergonomics in mind, and its wide range of posture enhances balance and comfort around the wrist. Its butterfly clasp does not have any kind of fine-tuning system, but the links are sized to have a more compact length found on bracelets filled with half-links, virtually half-link sized links from other brands. In cool weather, my Tonda PF GMT Ratrapante fits like gloves, but as the weather warms a little, I have to say I sometimes feel a little between the sizes. Adding one link makes the watch wear a little more loosely than I would like. But to be clear, I can be very nippon about the fit and I think the vast majority have little problem with bracelet sizing. Parmigiani Fleurier, but if you’re reading this, I’m not against the line clasp that introduces on-the-fly adjustments!

It’s worth mentioning how exquisite the exterior finish is before diving into the caliber. This case is largely decorated with a rich satin brush, which is very fine in its quiet representation, complemented by thin, polished bevels in the hairline. You can really see this on the rug. The mirror polishing is what is most visible on the bezel, the 7′ case side pusher (more on later) and the bracelet. I love the way the bracelet tapers and the refined links become thinner when they fasten.

The 48-hour in-house micro-rotor automatic PF051 is also finished in first-class standards with beautiful striping and fine edge edges on the bridge. With a microrotor architecture, there is no obstruction of living components, and the components making caliber ticks, and the microrotor itself is adorable.

Now that we all understand specs, let’s get into its clear, defined features and design philosophy.

First of all, what is GMT Rattrapante?

Well, this PF name is a bit misleading in that it’s not a watch with GMT functionality. In my opinion, it’s actually better: the complexity of travel time. While the clock appears to only display hours and minutes while remaining in the local timezone, GMT always shows the hand and additional timezones. The complex nature of the watch is only revealed through depression of the pusher on the case side, in both the visually comfortable position and the easiest and most comfortable position involved for the wearer. With each press, it reveals that local hour hands will move forward an hour before, and the rose gold hands hidden beneath them will remain in sync with your home time zone.

This is where we enter the concept of what Lattrapante is. A Rattrapante, or Splite seconds chronograph, is a chronograph that allows you to record multiple time intervals that start at the same time but not end together to keep things simple. However, Rattrapante roughly translates to “catch again” or “take again.” Therefore, it is primarily considered a mechanism with two central chronograph hands beginning together, but it does not have to be exclusive to such a high-end chronograph, stopping independently, revealing the second elapsed second hand that was previously hidden, then coming back to “catch up” and “catch up.”

Parmigiani Fleurier skillfully remixed this mechanism and used it for the travel time function instead of recording multiple intervals. Therefore, the hand of the Time and the hand of the hidden rose gold hand rotate together in the same position until you hit the pusher and jump forward in local hour hand. The rose gold hand remains at home no matter how many times you hit the pusher. After that, when you go home and local time is again your home, a color-adjusted rose gold pusher inside the crown will reset the display. Reset your white rhodium-plated 18k gold hand to catch up, or go back above your rose gold hand position and hide your rose gold hand again.

Incorporating rose gold is more than just a play for a pop of colour. Rather, its warmth represents the warmth of the house, with this hidden hand and crown pusher sharing rose gold as a material that indicates whether to tie it to both this function and expression or return to the house. Call it romantic – I call it a thoughtful design that introduces practical beauty.

Secondly, what is private luxury?

The second, more philosophical element is the concept of private luxury. In short, the words of Guido Terreni, CEO of Palmisiani Fleurier, are related to his brand’s watches are watches for the joy and education of the wearer themselves. The goal, which is increasingly a buzz surrounding brands within watches that collect niches, is a watch that mostly flies under the radar while you get closer to the wrist and get technically understood. The peacocks do not bend, but are strictly worshipped by those willing to discover Palmisini’s mastery of watchmaking, across a rich layer of design intent.

For example, barley guilloches with hand performance are performed in a more modest, more modest and smaller pattern, only revealed under direct light. The Parmigiani Fleurier logo, renewed to the PF emblem, refuses to spell its maker, further messing up the meticulously selected colors and intricate texture patterns on the dial. In fact, this oval seal is borrowed from a seal that has been found to be engraved on the surface of the brand’s movements, bringing hidden elements to the forefront and creating subtle nods to the manufacturer. If it’s just for you, why write it?

verdict

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante Verzasca, or Tonda PF Gmt Rattrapante, is a watch (and brand) that doesn’t try to boast about itself or seek attention. If you know, you know that you are far more part of the community with the amazing watchmaking behind the watch than the hype and superficiality generated by the brand. That being said, I am constantly surrounded by watch nerds who have got it and am excited to see the watch on my wrist. If I said I didn’t feel pleasure in the reaction I got when I saw myself wearing it, I would be lying. But again, this is strictly within the community.

For the most part of the time, when I wait for the light to change at the corner of a busy sidewalk, and I look down at the dial from under my sleeve to check the time, I know it’s only for me and is hidden by the appearance.