The Parmigiani Toric was launched in 1996 alongside the brand itself, and has served as a cornerstone of their vision in the years since. The design was originally inspired by Doric columns of ancient Greek architecture, and expressed itself through a myriad of complications over the years. This year, the collection gets a clean sheet redesign with the Toric Petite Seconde and Toric Chronograph Rattrapante, and while simple at a glance, there is plenty of beauty to behold the closer you look. The new collection builds off of the momentum gathered by the Tonda in recent years, and comes at a perfect time to capitalize while furthering the new design DNA of the brand in the process.
As we’ve come to expect from Parmigiani in recent years, the new Toric collection is an exercise in restraint. The dials present a sparse landscape that become more intriguing the closer you look at them. The colors represented are soft and unique, while the texture that underpins them feels at once rough like very fine grit sandpaper, while also being soft and smokey. The dial is represented in three different colors across three different watches, 2 of them being time only, with a third that is a limited edition rattrapante chronograph. The impact is largest when viewed in the time only watches, as all other details seem to be executed in service to the texture and color of the negative space.
The Toric Petite Seconde, as they are called, offer the most interesting take on the concept, with the hour markers relegated to the other side of a thin polished track, leaving just the subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock, and the hands to occupy the dial along with the applied logo at 12 o’clock. Each gets manual winding movements composed of gold components, which are set into gold or platinum cases, and utilize dials constructed of gold only. You may be sensing a theme here.
The texture achieved on the dial is achieved through a traditional graining process, which sees the dial brushed by hand before getting a light polish. The effect is luxurious in the most subtle of ways, underscoring the theme being established with the rest of the watch. Each case measures 40mm in diameter, and 8.8mm in thickness. The rose gold example gets a Sand Gold colored dial, while the platinum case gets the Grey Celadon colored dial, which is absolutely intoxicating in the flesh. The tones have been matched to coordinating straps that don’t overpower the subtlety of the dials, and a make use of tang buckles over bulkier deployant systems.
Turning the watch over reveals a view of the PF780 within. This is a hand-wound movement providing 60 hours of reserve, and features Côtes de Fleurier finishing on the bridges. A small easter egg can be found here in the form of the brand’s founder, Michel Parmigiani’s signature which is set between two visible barrels.
Everything about these watches feels intentional, and the execution is methodical. The result is something truly special, and while I don’t think the concept works quite as well when complications are added to the mix, the chronograph touches on many of the same themes. Overall the new Toric collection represents the most impressive pure formal watch released at the show this year, and has me excited for what’s yet to come from the brand. The Toric Petite Seconde is priced at $48,400 in rose gold, and $55,900 in platinum. Parmigiani