The art of the skeleton watch remains a delicate exercise, as illustrated by the two new Tonda PF Skeleton watches in 18ct rose gold and steel/platinum. They reflect the spirit driving the Maison when it comes to watchmaking creativity, guided by a careful thought process overriding any other considerations: purity and restraint reign supreme, while the smallest details are explored in depth until the perfection of volumes, aesthetics and added value form a pleasing whole.
Skeletonization generally consists of opening up the movement as much as possible in order to offer the eye a visual perspective through which to gaze. Parmigiani Fleurier takes a different approach: the artistic openworking of the Tonda PF Skeleton must reveal the organic life of the movement and its architecture while preserving its balance and volume.
The artisans have made the most of the solid parts and used the voids to allow light to pour into the very heart of the PF777 calibre. This meticulously hand-chamfered latticework draws the purist's eye in order to grasp some of the mysteries of its kinematics.
Airy Overall Structure
To ensure the best possible performance, the oscillating weight visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback is artistically crafted in 22ct rose gold to become a masterpiece blending in with the airy overall structure comprised of 187 components. The oscillations generated by the wearer's movements help wind the barrel, which is also openworked and reveals the steady contracting and relaxing of the mainspring driving its balance at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
Parmigiani Fleurier's aesthetic and chromatic choices also remain uncompromising in their respect for the strict codes guiding the brand. Alternating sandblasted and satin-brushed surfaces and punctuated by suspended hour markers, the graphite-coloured openworked dial of this 40 mm diameter watch perpetuates the creative touch of the artists who designed the Tonda PF collection, which is at the same time complex and minimalist. The two openworked hands glide over the large dial opening, which retains only a chapter ring to facilitate the reading of the time.
Sober and Essential
The Tonda PF Skeleton’s understated elegance underlines Parmigiani Fleurier's attachment to the finest watchmaking traditions, revisited in a very contemporary overall approach. The restrained and quintessential architecture highlights the knurled and polished bezel that beautifully catches the light and the gaze, as well as the supple, smooth-flowing bracelet design.
The fundamentally pared-down Tonda PF Skeleton is in essence for individuals whose vision of watchmaking perfection confers on them the status of purists with a keen sense of style and refinement.
