Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour Review

When we reviewed the Arnold & Son Longitude Titanium a few weeks ago, I commented that Arnold & Son was a brand I was well aware of and had a lot of exposure to decades ago when I was heavily involved in the resale watch site I built but I hadn't handled since that time. Another brand that I had a similar experience with was Parmigiani Fleurier. In the mid 2000s Parmigiani Fleurier was still a new brand having been founded just ten years prior. The brand was putting out amazing pieces and I had the pleasure of wearing many of them.

Back in that time period Parmigiani Fleurier was having a lot of success with their Toric and Kalpa collections. The designs were extremely elegant and the watchmaking was top tier. While most watches from Parmigiani Fleurier were a bit too dressy for my personal style, I had nothing but respect for them and really appreciated the high level of craftsmanship that went into each piece. In recent years Parmigiani Fleurier has seen tremendous success from their 2021 release of the Tonda PF collection. With the brand being so visible as of late, I thought it would be a great time to get a modern Parmigiani Fleurier in for review and see how far the brand has come in the last two decades.



Before we get into the watch that Parmigiani Fleurier sent us to review, let's first go over the history of the brand. Parmigiani Fleurier was founded by Michel Parmigiani in Fleurier, Switzerland on May 29, 1996. Parmigiani was helped significantly in the creation of his brand by backing from the Sandoz Family Foundation for which he maintained their extensive collection of automatons and clocks. The Sandoz Family Foundation is behind the pharmaceutical giant Novartis and once seeing the genius and dedication Michel Parmigiani had for his craft, they provided the crucial financial backing for the foundation of his own brand.

Michel Parmigiani was born in Couvet, Switzerland in 1950 and developed a passion for mechanics and timepieces at a young age. Michel studied at the Val-de-Travers School of Watchmaking as well as the Technicum in La Chaux-de-Fonds to further his knowledge of watchmaking. In 1976 during the height of the quartz crisis, Michel opened his own timepiece restoration workshop named "Mesure et Art du Temps". His shop focused on restoring historically important timepieces including many found inside of the Patek Philippe Museum. In short time the skill that Michel showed became noticed by both serious collectors as well as the most important watch manufactures.



Brands would also request Michel's services in developing new calibers, with one important example being the Caliber 1.96 developed for Chopard in the mid 90s. The Caliber 1.96 was the first movement ever created by Chopard in-house. Even though the movement and watches it was placed in were not a commercial success, the movement is looked back upon as being one of the finest automatic movements even created. The development of the Caliber 1.96 in 1995 was also the direct precursor to Michel founding Parmigiani Fleurier just a year later.

From the start of Parmigiani Fleurier the brand has focused on creating timepieces that would withstand the passage of time and trends while also respecting the traditional roots of watchmaking. One key to the success of Parmigiani Fleurier was their move to becoming a vertical manufacture. The first key to this puzzle was the 2000 acquisitions of component manufacture Atokalpa and case producer Les Artisans Boitiers. Finally in 2003 Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier was established with the ability to completely manufacture high-end movements in-house. Vaucher would also go on to provide movements for some of the finest watch brands currently operating. At this point Parmigiani Fleurier was able to produce everything from balance springs to complete cases.



Over the years Parmigiani Fleurier has released some truly special creations starting with their first release, the Toric QP Retrograde in 1999. In 2006, the Bugatti Type 370 featuring its groundbreaking transverse movement was released and went on to win many industry awards. 2020 brought the Hijri Perpetual Calendar which won the Innovation Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG). Most recently the Tonda PF collection was launched under new CEO Guido Terreni which is a minimalistic yet rich approach to the integrated sports watch market. Today Parmigiani Fleurier produces timepieces which uphold the values of its founder and provided true watch connoisseurs with masterpieces that respect traditional watchmaking.

Initial Thoughts

Now that we've gone over the history of Parmigiani Fleurier, let's take a look at the watch the brand sent over for us to review. The watch in question is the Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour. The Toric collection is Parmigiani Fleurier's link to the past, traditional dress watches which are re-imaginedfor today's world while still reflecting horology's rich past.



When the Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour arrived, the first thing I noticed about the watch was its weight. I'm not saying the Toric is a heavy watch, it's far from that at just 111 grams on our scale. While the Toric isn't a large watch, the case of the watch is just dense. It has been a few years since I've had a platinum watch in my hands and I forgot just how weighty they are. This truly reflects the view of some collectors equating heft with luxury. In this case the link between the two is truly evident.

The next thing I noticed during my initial time with the Toric Petite Seconde was the awesome dial. Parmigiani Fleurier calls the dial's color "Golden Hour" but there are some salmon and rose gold tones to it. This dial is actually solid gold which is hand-grained by a method dating back to the 1600s which Michel Parmigiani had rediscovered. The dial is completely anti-reflective and has a subtle texture to it somewhat resembling rough plaster or concrete.



The final thing I took note of during my first moments spent with the Toric was the movement. While the manually wound PF780 isn't the flashiest movement I've seen, it truly is stunning to take some time to look over. The PF780 uses two bridges made out of 18 ct rose gold which are then open worked to reveal the twin barrels along with the beating balance. Parmigiani Fleurier then completes the movement with their Cotes de Fleurier finish which creates a 3D texture that really catches the light and brings the movement to life.

Technical Specifications

Now that we've gone over my initial impressions of the Toric Petite Seconde let's now take a look at the technical specifications of the watch. The watch is crafted out of 950 platinum and has a case diameter of 40.5 mm with a lug to lug length of 44 mm. As mentioned earlier the watch has a weight of 111 grams when paired with the leather strap and platinum pin buckle. At its thickest point the Toric Petite Seconde is only 9.1 mm tall.



Parmigiani Fleurier uses an ARunic Sapphire crystal that is anti-reflective on both sides. The crystal sits flat with the bezel and gives an amazing view of the gold dial beneath. As I touched upon earlier in the review the dial on the Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour is crafted out of solid 18 ct gold. Parmigiani Fleurier takes each gold dial and coats it with a natural compound of cream of tartar, sea salt and silver. This mixture is then hand brushed with specialized tools that produce the unique texture seen on the dial. The result is a matte texture that is both visually interesting and wards off reflections.

Around the outside of the dial is a recessed disc that features small hand polished white gold bars that serve as the hour markers. At 12 o'clock is the applied hand polished gold Parmigiani Fleurier logo. At 6 o'clock you find the small seconds subdial which has a polished gold surround. The small seconds hand is also done in polished white gold. There are two centrally mounted hands on the Toric Petite Seconde being the hour and minute hands, once again done in rhodium-plated polished white gold. As is expected on a timepiece like this, there are no lumed elements on the dial.



The Toric uses a knurled bezel to nicely frame the sapphire crystal and add some visual interest instead of just going with a standard polished bezel. Looking at the profile of the watch, you can see that the case has a slight flare out to it. All surfaces of the Toric Petite Seconde are done in a high polish by hand. The profile view also shows just how slim the watch is and you can see that the lugs have a gentle curve to form nicely to your wrist.

On the right hand side of the watch is an aggressively scalloped non-screw down crown which provides ample grip. Without a screw down crown, the Toric Petite Seconde provides only 30 meters of water resistance, which pretty much means its splash proof and can survive getting rained on. On top of the crown is an engraving of the Parmigiani Fleurier logo as well. The movement is wound in the resting position and pulling the crown out to its only position lets you set the time and does not stop the seconds hand. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minutes hand either.



The lug width of the Toric Petite Seconde is right around 21 mm and the watch comes on a stunning Akoya Grey hand-stitched nubuck alligator leather strap. The feel of the top of the strap is actually close to the texture of suede. The backing of the strap is done in smooth beige leather and offers an interesting contrast to the grey on top of the strap. The strap tapers down to 19 mm where there is a polished 950 platinum pin buckle complete with the Parmigiani Fleurier logo. The strap is also extremely supple and required zero break in to be comfortable.

Flipping the watch over shows off the polished screwed in case back complete with a sapphire display window. The important information about the watch like its case number are engraved along the small bezel of the case back. Oddly the edition number of the 50 piece limited edition is not displayed here or on the movement. Through the crystal clear sapphire you can see the in-house Parmigiani Fleurier caliber PF780 hand wound movement. The two large bridges of the movement are crafted out of 18 ct rose gold and finished with Parmigiani Fleurier's Cotes de Fleurier pattern which is three dimensional and creates a pyramid like design on the bridges. These bridges are then open worked to display the twin barrels at the upper right of the movement and the balance at the lower left. The twin barrels are also finished with a sunray pattern that contrasts nicely to the Cotes de Fleurier.



The PF780 beats away at 28,800 vph (4Hz) and has a power reserve of 60 hours. The PF780 was designed specifically for the Toric Petite Seconde collection and is only 3.15 mm thick. On our timegrapher the watch showed an accuracy of +1 second per day when averaged out over several positions. This is an amazing result and amongst one of the most accurate movements we have tested.

On The Wrist

While most of my experience with platinum watches come in the form of platinum Royal Oak Offshores, wearing the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour was a completely different experience. These older Offshores were big and bulky watches, so you really felt the difference between the titanium, gold and platinum models. At just 111 grams, the Toric is bordering on what I consider to be a lightweight watch. The one thing you really do notice is just how dense the head of the watch is while in your hand. On wrist the watch also feels a bit top heavy, but the strap actually does a nice job of keeping the watch put on your wrist.



One thing I like to see on watches this well into the five figure range is a deployant clasp. While I know pin buckles are more traditional and expected on dress pieces, I really prefer the added security a deployant clasp provides when putting on and taking off a watch that cost as much as a car. Once on your wrist the Toric wears very well and never really disappears on your wrist. The heft of the platinum always makes itself well known, but it doesn't cause any wrist fatigue either.

The mute grey of the alligator leather strap along with the warm rose hue of the dial did a good job of keeping the watch from clashing with my rather relaxed typical dress of a black t-shirt, shorts and sneakers. I feel if the watch was on a more dress appropriate shiny brown or black leather strap it would have looked out of place on me. The strap and dial colors do wonders in making the watch seem more acceptable in more casual situations. I'd imagine the watch would be just as at home in formal scenarios as well, maybe switching the strap out to a black leather strap would make it that bit more dressy.



To test the legibility of a watch I use a very simple test of seeing how easy it is to tell them time while driving at just a glance. By running a lot of watches through this test I've found that dive watches with large hour markers and hands do the best while skeleton watches do the worst. I wasn't sure what to expect with the Toric Petite Seconde in this test and in the end if did a passable job. The polished gold hands and rose colored dial provide decent contrast with each other, but what gave me pause when telling the time at a glance was the small hour markers. The hour markers are rather recessed on the dial and locating them can take an extra moment. Also telling the time in low light situations is rather tough since there are no lumed markers on the dial. Basically you have to get lucky and have some bit of light reflect off of the polished hands and markers to make out the time in the dark. This type of legibility isn't that important when it comes to dress watches, so this can't really be seen as too much of a negative for the Toric Petite Seconde.

I wore the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour out while running both boring everyday errands as well as going out to dinner and drinks. The watch was very comfortable while running around dropping off packages to ship and going to the grocery store. While being worn out to restaurants the watch was also a great wrist companion. I didn't see many people checking the watch out though, which I guess is understandable since the watch isn't large and platinum doesn't have the same flash as a colored gold does. Also most people only care about stainless steel sports watches in our area, so it would be impressive to see a dress watch catch people's eyes.



I did show the Toric Petite Seconde to a few friends of mine while out and they all loved the dial as well as the weight of the platinum. They also were really impressed with the look of the movement. Most of my friends have a pretty limited knowledge of watches, so I had to explain Parmigiani Fleurier to them and what makes this watch special and able to justify its price.

Value and Position in the Market

Speaking of price, the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour has a retail price of $58,400. For that price you're getting a solid platinum case, which always carries a premium, and a solid gold hand grained dial. You are also getting a high horology in-house movement that is both expertly finished and deadly accurate. Now is the time with all of our reviews that we take a look at other watches that offer similar specs and features and see how the Toric Petite Seconde compares.



First up we have the Calatrava 6196P-001 from Patek Philippe which has a 38 mm case crafted out of platinum. The Calatrava has a salmon colored dial which somewhat resembles the look of the dial on the Toric Petite Seconde. The Calatrava is powered by an in-house hand wound movement with 65 hours of power reserve and the same 30 meters of water resistance. In terms of finishing, both the dial and movement of the Calatrava are behind that of the Toric. The Patek Philippe is a bit less expensive than the Parmigiani Fleurier at $49,444.

Next up is the Traditionnelle Manual-Winding 82172/000P-H062 from Vacheron Constantin which has a case diameter of 38 mm and is also made out of platinum. The Traditionnelle has a stunning silver dial with a special Maltese Cross design for the brands anniversary. It is powered by an in-house hand wound movement with 65 hours of power reserve and once again 30 meters of water resistance. Like the Patek Philippe the level of finishing found on the dial and movement just are not to the same level as what is seen on the Parmigiani Fleurier. The Vacheron Constantin is also less expensive than the Parmigiani Fleurier at $37,800.



Moving on is the G.F.J. Calibre 135 from Zenith which has a case diameter of 39 mm and is made from platinum. The dial of the G.F.J. Calibre 135 is comprised of a guilloche brick pattern, lapis lazuli and mother of pearl. The watch runs on an in-house hand wound movement with 72 hours of power reserve and has 50 meters of water resistance. The finishing of the dial and movement are a step above that found on the Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin models as well. The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 is priced fairly close to the Toric Petite Seconde at $49,900.

Finally we have the Chronometre Souvenrain CS from F.P. Journe which is crafted out of platinum and has a 40 mm case diameter. The Chronometre Souverain also uses traditional methods in both dial and movement finishing like the Parmigiani Fleurier. The watch is powered by an in-house hand wound movement with around 56 hours of power reserve and also has 30 meters of water resistance. The Chronometre Souvenrain has a retail price near that of the Toric Petite Seconde, but they are extremely hard to get at retail and go for a premium on the secondhand market.



Looking at the above four watches you can see that they are all in the same general ballpark as the Toric Petite Seconde, but the Parmigiani Fleurier for the most part has superior dial and movement finishing. The truth is that you really can't go wrong with any of these five watches, it comes down to what is most important to you. With the Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin you are getting watches from one of the holy trinity brands of Swiss watchmaking but aren't getting the same levels of hand finishing. The Zenith has a good blend of finishing and brand heritage while the F.P. Journe offers amazing finishing but is also rather un-obtainable. The Parmigiani Fleurier puts movement architecture and hand finishing first and foremost and in the end the watch's retail price reflects the time it spends being worked on by hand. The value of this ultimately comes down to the individual collector and it's not something that can be logically broken down.

Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour for me? You know it's really one of those situations where I'm just not cool enough for the watch. The PR photographs for the watch show people in dress shirts and slacks and I can honestly not remember the last time I wore either. Living in Austin and working from home for over 20 years has given me pretty much zero reasons to get dressed up. It's for people like me that the Tonda PF Sport line appeals much more to.

I'm a huge fan of lightweight watches as well, so materials like titanium, carbon and ceramic make up most of my personal collection. I am a fan of platinum as well, but to this point have not added a precious metal watch to my collection. I've always liked the heft and density of platinum even though it goes against my personal preferences. The excellent grey alligator strap does do a lot to make the Toric Petite Seconde a bit more casual as does the rose colored dial. The 44 mm lug to lug length is also much smaller than my preferred 50 mm lug to lug length, so I did also feel the watch wore a bit small for my personal tastes.



With that all being said, I would recommend that somebody looking for a unique and expertly crafted dress watch give the Toric Petite Seconde a good hard look while trying to narrow down a watch. Like I mentioned earlier, the watch is really a master class in movement manufacturing as well as hand finishing. If that is more important to you than having a less finished watch from a more well known manufacture then the Toric Petite Seconde would make a great addition to your collection.

I'd really like to thank Parmigiani Fleurier for sending us this watch as it served as a great re-introduction to the brand. Even though the Toric Petite Seconde didn't align perfectly with my personal tastes I can totally see the value in the watchmaking behind it. It also served as a nice reminder to the luxury and heft that platinum brings to a watch. Hopefully in the near future we can get in one of the Tonda PF Sport pieces and see how a watch from Parmigiani Fleurier that better fits in my tastes wears.

For more information about the Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour please visit : Parmigiani Fleurier

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: PFC940-2010003-300181

Retail Price: $58,400

Case Size: 40.5 mm

Lug to Lug: 44 mm

Thickness: 9.1 mm

Weight: 111 grams

Case Material: 950 Platinum

Bezel: 950 Platinum

Strap: Akoya Grey Hand-Stitched Nubuck Alligator Leather Strap with Platinum Pin Buckle

Movement: Swiss Made In-House PF780 Hand Wound Movement

Functions: Hours, Minutes and Small Seconds

Power Reserve: 60 Hours

Water Resistance: 30 Meters