Hodinkee
Introducing: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton 'Milano Blue' in Rose Gold
What We Know This morning, just ahead of Geneva Watch Days, Parmigiani Fleurier has unveiled a new limited-edition take on its Tonda PF Skeleton. This new watch does something so many Parmigiani watches do so well, blending several existing elements to create something just a little bit new. In this instance, Parmigiani Fleurier has taken its Milano Blue skeletonized Tonda PF dial and movement—which had previously been available only in platinum—and fitted them to a rose gold Tonda PF case (and bracelet). The Tonda PF case is one of the key arguments in favor of modern Parmigiani Fleurier. At 40mm across and just 8.5mm thick, it's well-sized and thin without feeling slight. Still, for as good as the Tonda PF is, the star of the show here is the movement. The PF777 (which you can read a bit more about here) is an automatic winding caliber developed in-house by Parmigiani Fleurier. Unlike many movements that find their way into skeletonized watches, the PF777 was purpose-built and designed from first principles with skeletonization in mind. The result of this — and of Parmigiani's willingness to not take skeletonization to the absolute extreme, but rather to implement the concept with some modicum of consideration — is a movement that balances aesthetic concerns with practical ones and is all the better for it. A blend of polished, satin-finished, and sandblasted surfaces keeps the PF777 feeling contemporary, and the ground-up design means the watch avoids many of th...