The Tonda PF collection, which first made its appearance in 2021, has rapidly carved out a distinct and respected space for itself. It exists as a refined alternative in a market crowded with integrated bracelet sports models, championing a philosophy that Parmigiani Fleurier’s CEO, Guido Terreni, terms "private luxury." This concept is built on the idea of a watch being a personal object of culture and refinement, chosen for its intrinsic qualities rather than for external validation. It's a sentiment that resonates deeply with discerning collectors, and this latest introduction, the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Steel and Rose Gold, is a compelling new chapter in that narrative.
To understand any Parmigiani Fleurier creation, one must first understand the man whose name is on the dial. Michel Parmigiani is not a marketer or a designer who decided to build a watch brand; he is a master watchmaker and restorer. He founded his first workshop in 1976, dedicating his life to the incredibly complex art of restoring priceless, historical clocks and automatons. This background is not just trivia; it is the absolute foundation of the brand's DNA. A restorer must master every forgotten craft, from hand-guilloché to complex gear-train calculations, not just to build something new, but to understand and resurrect the work of the original masters.
Courtesy of Parmigiani Fleurier
The modern Parmigiani Fleurier brand, officially established in 1996, was born from this restoration expertise. With the backing of the Sandoz Family Foundation, which possessed one of the world's most important collections of automatons and clocks, Michel Parmigiani was given the resources to create his own timepieces. The result is a brand that infuses every modern watch with a deep, tangible respect for classical horology. This isn't a company that takes shortcuts or follows trends. Every design choice is deliberate, every mechanism is considered, and the finishing is held to a standard that honors the centuries of craft that came before it.
This philosophy is perfectly expressed in the Tonda PF line. These are not loud, aggressive watches. They do not scream for attention. Instead, they reward it. The Tonda PF is a watch that might go unnoticed by the general public, but to a connoisseur, it reveals a world of detail. It is a watch for the person wearing it, first and foremost. This idea of "private luxury" is about the tactile feel of the bracelet, the way the light plays across the dial, and the silent, excellent-running-mechanism-on-the-inside. This is the context into which the new Steel and Rose Gold model arrives.
The very concept of a two-tone watch, one mixing stainless steel and gold, can be a challenging one. For many, it evokes a specific, dated aesthetic. Parmigiani Fleurier has approached this challenge not by repeating the past, but by reinterpreting it through its own lens of architectural harmony. The brand's own words state that this watch is about "harmony," not "contrast," and a close look at the piece reveals this to be true. The 18ct rose gold is not used to create a stark, jarring opposition to the steel, but rather to act as a warm, coherent line that defines the watch's structure.
Let's begin with the case. It measures 40mm in diameter, a versatile and contemporary size that suits a wide variety of wrists. The real headline, however, is its thickness: a mere 7.8mm. This slimness is a defining characteristic of the entire Tonda PF Micro-Rotor line, and it fundamentally changes how the watch wears. It is not a chunky sports watch; it is a sleek, refined piece that can easily disappear under a shirt cuff, yet it maintains a confident 100 meters of water resistance, making it a truly capable everyday companion.
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This ultra-thin profile is made possible by the movement within, but the case design itself is a masterclass in subtlety. The flanks are meticulously satin-brushed, a finish that is notoriously difficult to execute perfectly as it reveals any imperfection. This brushed surface is contrasted by small, polished bevels that trace the edges of the lugs, catching the light and adding definition to the case's silhouette. The lugs themselves are not separate components; they are an organic, flowing extension of the caseband, designed to transition flawlessly into the integrated bracelet.
The most visually distinct element of the Tonda PF case is its bezel. Here, it is rendered in solid 18ct rose gold. It is not a simple flat bezel. It features a high-polished flat ring directly bordering the sapphire crystal, which then steps down to the brand's signature bezel motif: a fine, precise knurling. This delicate, fluted pattern is a hallmark of the collection. It doesn’t shout; it whispers. It breaks up the light into thousands of tiny reflections, adding a tactile and visual complexity that a simple polished or brushed bezel could never achieve. The crown, also in 18ct rose gold, features the same knurled pattern for grip, topped with a polished cabochon bearing the "PF" logo.
The two-tone "harmony" is most apparent in how the gold flows from the bezel to the bracelet. This isn't the common "gold center link" design. Instead, the integrated bracelet, itself a marvel of engineering, uses the rose gold as a subtle accent. The bracelet's links are primarily satin-brushed stainless steel, but the short, articulating links that connect the main H-links feature 18ct rose gold on their polished, angled sides. This means that as the bracelet moves and drapes on the wrist, you get flashes of warm gold light, not a solid bar of color. It's an architectural choice that traces the outline of the bracelet, visually binding it to the rose gold bezel.
Now, we arrive at the dial. The color is described as "Stone Blue," a deep, mineral hue that perfectly captures the watch's sophisticated personality. This color has a remarkable "chromatic versatility." In direct light, it can appear as a luminous, medium blue. In shadow, or from an angle, it shifts to a deep, intense navy or even a subtle grey. This dynamic quality is a constant source of visual interest for the wearer, ensuring the watch never looks static or boring.
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The color is only half the story; the texture is the other. The dial is decorated with an intricate "Grain d'Orge," or "Barleycorn," hand-guilloché. This is not a pattern that is stamped or pressed into the dial blank. It is a traditional, artisanal craft performed on a manually-operated rose engine lathe, a machine that requires immense skill and patience to operate. A craftsperson guides the machine to engrave this complex, repeating pattern of tiny, interlocking grains directly into the metal. The result is a surface of incredible depth and life, a canvas that interacts with light in a way no flat dial can.
Set against this textured blue backdrop is the "dial furniture"—the indices and hands. The hour markers are minimalist, applied batons crafted from 18ct rose gold. Their surfaces are polished and faceted, allowing them to catch the light and ensure legibility against the complex dial. At 6 o'clock, a subtle, framed date window is cut into the guilloché, a practical concession that is well-integrated into the design.
The hands are the "Delta-shaped" set, a signature of the Tonda PF. They are skeletonized, which is a brilliant and practical decision. The open-worked design allows the wearer to see and appreciate the beautiful "Grain d'Orge" pattern on the dial at all times, rather than obscuring it as solid hands would. Like the indices, they are crafted from 18ct rose gold, providing a warm contrast to the Stone Blue dial and creating a clear, legible display of the time.
Protecting this dial is an ARunic anti-reflective sapphire crystal. This high-specification crystal is treated on its surfaces to minimize glare and reflections, resulting in an impressively clear view of the dial. It gives the illusion of almost being able to reach out and touch the guilloché texture.
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Turn the watch over, and you are greeted with a view that is just as compelling as the front, visible through a second sapphire crystal case back. Here we find the engine of the watch: the in-house Calibre PF703. This is the mechanical heart that enables the watch's defining slimness. The entire movement measures a mere 3.07mm in thickness, a remarkable achievement in engineering that showcases Parmigiani Fleurier's prowess as a true manufacture.
The key to the PF703's slender profile is its winding system. Instead of a large, oscillating weight (a rotor) that sits on top of the movement, the PF703 uses a micro-rotor. This is a much smaller, solid weight that is set into the main plate of the movement, sitting flush with the surrounding bridges. This design is far more complex to execute, but it allows for a drastically thinner automatic calibre without sacrificing the convenience of self-winding.
In typical Parmigiani Fleurier fashion, this functional component is turned into a work of art. The micro-rotor is crafted from solid 22-carat rose gold. The high density of gold makes it an efficient winding mass, capturing the wearer's slightest movements to power the watch. And in a stunning display of holistic design, the rotor itself is decorated with the very same "Grain d'Orge" guilloché pattern found on the dial, creating a beautiful symmetry between the front and back of the watch.
The rest of the movement is finished to an exceptional standard. It is composed of 176 individual components, including 29 jewels. The bridges are adorned with "Côtes de Genève" stripes, and all edges are chamfered and polished. The movement is "Adjusted [in] Five Positions," a rigorous standard of testing usually reserved for chronometers, which speaks to its built-in precision. The movement operates at a frequency of 3 Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour, and provides a reliable 48-hour power reserve when fully wound.
The bracelet itself deserves a final mention. Its design is fundamental to the Tonda PF's identity. The links are highly ergonomic, designed to flow and articulate, draping over the wrist for exceptional comfort. The combination of satin-brushed steel and polished rose gold accents is meticulously executed, creating a dynamic interplay of finishes that complements the watch's case and bezel. It is a seamless, fluid design that feels less like an accessory and more like an integral part of the watch's architecture.
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This pursuit of absolute harmony is what sets the Tonda PF apart. As Guido Terreni states, it is about "design where nothing is left to chance." Every element is connected. The thinness of the case is only possible because of the thinness of the PF703 movement. The thinness of the movement is only possible because of the integrated micro-rotor. The micro-rotor is then decorated to match the dial. The rose gold of the bezel is picked up and carried through the subtle accents in the bracelet. Nothing is superfluous, and nothing is an afterthought.
The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Steel and Rose Gold is a watch that fully embodies the brand's philosophy. It is a quiet, sophisticated, and technically brilliant timepiece. It reinterprets the two-tone concept with a subtle, architectural grace, transforming it from a statement of contrast to one of perfect harmony. The watch is backed by a three-year international sales warranty against manufacturing defects. This new reference is priced at $35,742 USD, placing it in a competitive landscape, but it stands apart by offering a level of in-house manufacturing, artisanal hand-finishing, and cohesive design that is reserved for true connoisseurs.
Case: Ø 40.0 MM diameter, 7.8 MM thickness. Stainless steel and 18ct rose gold. Knurled 18ct rose gold bezel. ARunic anti-reflective sapphire crystal, sapphire case back. Water resistance: 100M.
Movement: Calibre PF703. Automatic winding with 22-carat rose gold micro-rotor. Power reserve: 48 HOURS. Frequency: 3 HZ (21’600 A/H). No. of components: 176. Jewels: 29. Thickness: 3.07 MM.
Dial: Stone Blue color with "Grain d'Orge" hand-guilloché finishing. Indices: 18ct rose gold appliques. Hands: Delta-shaped, 18ct rose gold.
Strap: Integrated bracelet in stainless steel and 18ct rose gold.
Price: $35,742 USD
Notes: Features an ultra-thin 7.8mm case profile, made possible by the 3.07mm thick PF703 micro-rotor calibre. The micro-rotor itself is 22ct rose gold and features "Grain d’Orge" guilloché. Comes with a three-year warranty.