Press: Parmigiani Fleurier’s New Tonda PF Collection Is The Start Of Something Seriously Exciting (Hodinkee)

Guido Terreni’s first collection at Parmigiani Fleurier charts a new course for the Swiss company.

With Geneva Watch Days officially kicking off tomorrow, Parmigiani Fleurier has fired the starting pistol by unveiling a refresh of its Tonda collection, just in time for the company’s 25-year anniversary.

In 1996, Michel Parmigiani – a world-renowned restorationist and dedicated supporter of Fleurisian watchmaking – founded his namesake firm with the financial support of the affluent Sandoz family, who Michel had already been working with, in his capacity as a restorationist. For 25 years, Parmigiani Fleuer has operated in a silo of Swiss watchmaking, producing some of the most intricate and detailed watches under its own name, while also growing its operation in scope and scale to include an array of smaller in-house factories that produce everything from hairsprings (Atokalpa) and screws (Elwin) to cases (Les Artisans Boîtiers) and dials (Quadrance & Habillage).

With the help of these facilities, Parmigiani Fleurier has created over 30 in-house movements in 25 years – an incredible pace for what first appears to be a small-time player in the watch industry. But that’s what makes the company one of the watch world’s true hidden gems – not only does Atokalpa create hairsprings for Parmigiani Fleurier timepieces, but also for any Swiss watch brand that seeks a higher-end alternative to the hegemony of ETA and Sellita.

As a result of Parmigiani Fleurier’s dedication to its founder’s individual perspective and worldview, many of its watches have remained under the radar, skipping mainstream success for true indie charm. But after 25 years, Parmigiani Fleurier is looking to go bigger and bolder. The company hired away the Head of Watches at Bulgari, Guido Terreni – one of the masterminds behind the Octo Finissimo – to be its new CEO (check out our interview with him from earlier this year, here).

 

 

This week at Geneva Watch Days, Parmigiani Fleurier will reveal its first collection under Terreni’s hand – the new, all-expansive Tonda PF line. It’s a refresh of the company’s long-running Tonda collection that consists of seven total watches, in four styles, to start, each with an integrated bracelet, including a two-hander, a high-beat chronograph, an annual calendar with retrograde date, and – the star of the show – a high-beat split-seconds chronograph cased in solid platinum.

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