Just released is this very lovely pair of limited-edition Parmigiani Tonda GT and Tondagraph GT watches done in collaboration with retailer Oliver Smith. I spent some time with these two sports watches released last year from Parmigiani and found them pretty impressive from a design, finishing, and horological standpoint. (You can read my in-depth thoughts on the Tonda GT here and the Tondagraph GT here.) Only fifteen pieces of Tonda GT and five pieces of the Tondagraph GT celebrating the 40th anniversary of Oliver Smith will be produced, and considering how attractive the designs are, I can’t imagine they will be around very long.
Both the Oliver Tonda GT and Tondagraph GT done with Oliver Smith feature a rich brown dial that looks absolutely beautiful judging from the photos. The warmth of the brown clou triangulaire guilloché matched with the tan accents is excellently done and is immediately reminiscent of a ski chalet complete with dark wooden finishes. Interestingly, these pieces go against the trend of demurely branded collaborations and have a double-stamped dial that features the Oliver Smith Jeweler logo just as prominently as the Parmigiani logo.
As with the standard production model, the Tonda GT comes in a 42mm-wide and 11.2mm-thick case with a hand-knurled bezel. Outfitted with the automatic PF044 calibre movement, it has a 45-hour power reserve and features the beautifully finished 22- gold rotor. There is also text reading “Edition Limitee de xx/15” engraved on the case back.
As for the Tondagraph GT, it comes in a 42mm-wide and 13.7mm-thick case also with a hand-knurled bezel. The automatic PF043 also has a 45-hour power reserve, as well as the 22k rotor, in addition to the annual calendar functionality of the Tondagraph GT. Just like the Tonda GT, it has “Edition Limitee de x/5” engraved on the caseback.
The sign of a really good limited-edition collaboration is when the resulting design is so good that it belongs in standard production. Both these Parmigiani limited-edition collaborations with Oliver Smith Jewelers do just that, and personally, I can see preferring these rich brown dials to the more typical colorway offerings.
Both these pieces come on a matching steel bracelet or a black rubber strap. The Parmigiani Tonda GT Steel Brown Oliver Smith is limited to 15 pieces, each with a price of $17,700 and the Tondagraph GT Steel Brown Oliver Smith is limited to five pieces, each with a price of $23,200. You can learn more at parmigianiamericas.com and oliversmithjeweler.com.