While Parmigiani Fleurier’s re-launch of its Toric collection has garnered most of the attention at this year’s Watches & Wonders show, the brand has also made a notable addition to the Tonda PF collection with an all-platinum skeletonized version featuring a novel blue-colored dial. Following on the heels of the steel and rose gold versions from previous years, the timepiece joins a club of new watches from Rolex, Patek, Czapek, and JLC that make it seem platinum is the materiel du jour for high-end watchmakers. Beyond the incorporation of this new metal not much is new for the Tonda PF Skeleton. Yet it’s still a compelling release and one we’re excited to get our hands on.
Like its steel and gold brethren, the new 950 platinum Tonda PF Skeleton features a time-only, open-worked dial that’s befittingly elegant and somehow more readable than many skeletonized timepieces. The key here lies in contrasting metals and textures. With what the brand is calling a Milano Blue metal dial that’s been sandblasted then satin-finished, the main visual real estate is clearly delineated from the high-polish 18kt gold hands and indices. To help match the overall silvery look of the watch, these have been coated in rhodium, giving lots of shine. This makes them stand apart from the blue dial and its apertures to the movement below. Normally, skeletonized hands on a skeletonized dial mean trouble for readability, but here it seems to work. Another helpful visual dimension is – well – the dial’s dimensions. This is a 40mm watch with a pretty big bezel, so the dial is a fair bit smaller than it otherwise might be. While everything is still in proportion, the markers aren’t so far from one another as to get lost. That’s a good thing as it means seeing where the hands are pointing along the outer minute track is a lot easier.
Dial color aside, the main update to the Tonda PF Skeleton for 2024 is the case, specifically its material. When the Tonda PF Skeleton launched in 2022, it carried a price tag of $65,300 USD and featured a steel case. Two years and at least one price increase later, that number has edged closer to $68,000 USD. While I’m no commodities expert (and far be it from me to speculate on the intricacies of casemaking with steel versus platinum) the price leap from that version to this is… profound. The new platinum variant rings up at $130,000 USD which is a truly eye-watering sum for a watch with zero complications. But as wise watch geeks know, attempting to comprehend most brand’s pricing logic is a fairly useless endeavor. Instead of more conjecture, I’ll conclude by saying the market will determine if Parmigiani got the pricing right or not.
Specifically speaking, the case is dimensionally identical to the gold and steel variants. Its 40mm diameter and 8.5mm thickness make it well-proportioned for many wrists, and the way the lugs affix to the case give it a distinct character. The aforementioned bezel is knurled and is a good visual match for the 3 o’clock crown. An ultra-clear sapphire caseback affixes with four proprietary screws and gives a terrific view of the reverse side of the PF777 automatic movement, including its platinum oscillating weight. In case there was any doubt about who made this watch, Parmigiani’s branding appears in no fewer than four places on the reverse alone. Maybe it’s okay to brag, as it’s a beautiful movement offering 60 hours of power reserve at 4Hz frequency.
Altogether, the newest Tonda PF Skeleton, for my money, is the best looking of the bunch. For someone else’s money, the high-end price tag may or may not befit a watch of this nature. Either way, Parmigiani has demonstrated once again that under Guido Terrini’s leadership, it has yet to make a design misstep. Its mastery of materials paired with unified style across collections puts it in rare air and this watch is one to admire.
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton in platinum (reference PFC912-2020003-200182-EN) will be available from authorized retailers and is priced at $130,000 USD. Learn more at the brand’s website.