Hands-On: Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde And Toric Chronograph Rattrapante

It’s no exaggeration to say that Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terreni changed the course of the brand’s trajectory when he took over in 2021. The Tonda PF has undoubtedly been one of the biggest independent watchmaking success stories in recent memory, but just when the brand was at risk of falling into the trap of becoming synonymous with one collection, we saw a refreshed take on the magnificent Toric collection at this year’s Watches & Wonders.

The Toric has been in something of a hibernation period in recent years but it is worth noting that this was the first major Parmigiani watch, with the Toric Memory Time debuting in 1996. Founder Michel Parmigiani has always had a love of classical Greek architecture (particularly Doric columns) and the golden spiral, which is derived from the golden ratio principle in which a spiral gets wider the further it gets from its center. While these earlier pieces are likely too highly stylistic for contemporary audiences —myself excluded — the new generation is a perfect distillation of their essence in a neater package.

There were two iterations released at Watches & Wonders 2024: the Toric Petite Seconde and the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante, each of which are given the classic Parmigiani Toric signature of the knurled bezel, but with cleaner, fresh dials. The Petite Seconde models debut in a white-gold version with a grey celadon dial and a rose-gold version with a sand gold dial. Both have hand-finished matte grain finishes that are perfectly contemporary without being too “on-trend.” These dials have the oval PF logo and applied matching gold indices along with the namesake small-seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.

Turning the 40.6mm wide and 8.8mm thick case over reveals that the view from the case's back is just as, or even more, impressive than the one from the front. On display is the PF780 manual-wind movement, operating at 4Hz with a 60-hour power reserve. The movement boasts exceptional finishes, as on the dramatic, rose gold bridges that are done with a côtes de Fleurier motif and are flanked by two large barrels and balance bridge. This movement was as unexpected as it is exceptional, making for one of the most celebrated dress-watch releases of the last several years.

The second piece in this reintroduced collection is the limited and technically impressive Toric Chronograph Rattrapante. Any Parmigiani enthusiast who saw this watch immediately recognized the PF361 movement that was initially introduced back in 2016, inside the Tonda Chronor. This in-house, integrated split-seconds chronograph, with double column wheel and vertical clutch, is a watchmaking triumph that is perhaps equally matched by its aesthetics. Operating at 5 Hz with a 65-hour power reserve, this is actually an updated version of the PF361 that is uncompromising in its performance but sheds heft from the original, which had 317 components and a thickness of 8.5mm, as compared to the newer version used here, with 285 components and a substantially slimmer 7.35mm thickness.

Those sweeping, 18k gold bridges curve and snake around in all their glory and splendor, formed in a way that is actually unique and an inarguable flex.  The skeletonized movement is finished with satin brushing and hand-beveling throughout, making for a visual feast that more than justifies the six-figure price tag and limited production.

While the movement has been around in those previous Chronor iterations, the new Toric is perhaps the most attractive vessel for it to date. Where these older models had busy dials that were quite glossy and reflective, the Toric Chronograph Rattrapante has a hand-grained, matte dial similar to that of the Petite Seconde. The 18k gold dial has pristinely beveled edges for the subdials, while the hour, minutes, and chronograph hands are done in 18k rose gold and the rattrapante hand is finished with rhodium plating. The case measures 42.5mm wide and 14.4mm thick — which is quite reasonable for a split-seconds chronograph, but I must admit I miss the old teardrop-shaped lugs that had the chronograph pushers integrated into them. Alas, I understand those might be a little too old-fashioned for what the brand is going for these days.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde in rose gold (Ref. PFC940-2010001-300181-EN) is priced at $48,400 while the platinum model (Ref. PFC940-2010004-300181-EN) is priced at $55,900. The Toric Chronograph Rattrapante (Ref. PFH951-2010001-300181-EN) is limited to 30 pieces with a price of $145,200.