This Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar is brighter and bolder than its monochromatic predecessor
One of Parmigiani Fleurier’s most innovative models has received some small but significant updates.
The Swiss watchmaker just released a third Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar with a new dial and case. For the unversed, Michel Parmigiani created a table clock featuring the Islamic lunar calendar (the Hijri) in 2011 before releasing wristwatch equivalents in 2020 and 2023, respectively. The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar unveiled at Watches and Wonders last year was minimalist and monochromatic in design, with a sleek platinum case and matching platinum dial. The successor is far brighter and bolder, though.
The newcomer features a 42 mm stainless steel case with alternating satin and polished finishes. The bracelet is also stainless steel, while the fluted bezel is made of 950 platinum. Those shiny metal parts are contrasted by a gorgeous green centrepiece. The verdant Viridian dial is hand-finished with a Grain d’Orge guilloche. The applied hour markers and the skeletonized delta hour and minute hands are all made of 18k gold and topped with rhodium plating. The hands for the subdials are made of rhodium-plated steel, as is the second hand.
The Hijri calendar is based on lunar cycles, whereas the Gregorian calendar is based on the movement of the Earth around the sun. This makes for a 30-year cycle, with each year consisting of 12 months that are 29 or 30 days long. The Tonda is a horological expression of the Islamic calendar, according to Parmigiani.
The 12-hour subdial shows the 30-year cycle, with the abundant 355-day years in beige and the standard 354-day years in white. The 3 o’clock subdial indicates the numbered months of the year and the ninth month of Ramadan highlighted in bright red. The 9 o’clock subdial shows the days of the month with an aperture indicating whether it is a 30- or 29-day month. Finally, the moon phase display at 6 o’clock shows the position of the moon in the northern and southern hemispheres. Only Arabic characters adorn the face, of course.
As with the 2023 edition, the timepiece is equipped with an in-house automatic movement (Caliber PF009) that operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and has a power reserve of 48 hours. Meticulously finished, it of course showcases the Côtes de Genève decoration.
As you might expect, that level of horological intricacy doesn’t come: The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar is priced at US$67,200.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
