What happened to the Tonda collection last year is now happening to the Toric for the same purpose. First presented at the inception of the Parmigiani Fleurier brand in 1996, the Toric of old was ornate and loaded. The collection was a connoisseur favourite, but over time, it undeniably lost momentum and direction. The new Toric collection that made its debut earlier in the year is CEO Guido Terreni’s answer to the conundrum that has troubled the brand over the past decade. In a nutshell, the Toric is now streamlined, modernised, simplified, and yet still retains refined aesthetics. The new Toric is also committed to being precious-metal-only for its case, dial and movement, which is quite the breath of fresh air given the recent proliferation of utilitarian metals in ultra-luxury watchmaking.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronographe Rattrapante
For now, two models make up the latest generation of the Toric. The first, the Toric Petite Seconde, is set to be the brand’s resident dress watch, and is a piece that we have enjoyed reviewing in the past. However, it is the other new Toric model that is potentially more exciting: the Toric Chronographe Rattrapante. It’s no secret what Parmigiani Fleurier is capable of, but so much can go wrong when designing a watch that is typically display-heavy. Has the Chronographe Rattrapante been executed in accordance to the brand’s new vision of the Toric, or is it still the same old stuffy design? Here, we bring you the details and our honest thoughts on the highly complicated, freshly reimagined Toric Chronographe Rattrapante.
The Case, Dial, and Hands
Inspired originally by Doric columns and the geometry of the torus, the Toric had traversed the years with largely the same case design since the beginning. One of the most iconic elements of its design is the knurled bezel, which is also part of the latest generation of Toric watches. But knurled bezel aside, the 2024 Toric has no formal kinship with the founding generation. The cases of the new collection have been thoroughly modernised. The overall lines of the case are minimalist with no protrusions or aggressive angles, but a fluid softness. The Chronographe Rattrapante is crafted in rose gold and is fairly substantial in size: 42.5 mm x 14.4 mm. It is matched with an alligator leather strap with nubuck finish, secured with a sartorial stitch known as ‘punto a mano’, usually employed by the best Neapolitan tailors as an aesthetic signature. Its pastel shade is serene and contemporary and pairs well with the earthy tones of the case and dial.
Simple as it may be, the dial is a work of art in its own right. Creating its grained texture involves the careful application of a special paste onto the dial, composed of cream of tartar, crushed sea salt, and demineralised water. The application of this mixture, followed by delicate polishing with specific brushes, generates a regular and soft surface. Much like the dial, the hands and indices of the Toric Chronographe Rattrapante (and every Toric thereafter) are rendered in precious metal, rose gold in this case. Three simple sub-dials display chronograph hours, running seconds, and chronograph minutes at 9 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 3 o’clock, respectively. The four central hands indicate the time in hours and minutes, as well as chronograph seconds and split-seconds. Despite a wealth of information being conveyed when the chronograph is active, the dial of the Toric Chronographe Rattrapante exudes serenity rather than stress. Putting the lack of colour contrast aside, the displays are easy enough to read thanks to the uncluttered, minimalist design of the dial.
The Movement
Driving the new Toric Chronographe Rattrapante is the 254-part, 35-jewel Calibre PF361. The hand-wound movement has a 65-hour power reserve and operates at an unusually high frequency of 5 Hz. It stars an integrated split-seconds chronograph mechanism with double column wheels capable of measuring time down to one-tenth-of-a-second precision.
They say “form follows function”, but at Parmigiani Fleurier, form is prioritised as much as function, for the Calibre PF361 is absolutely gorgeous. Rendered mostly in rose gold, the movement features skeletonised bridges that offer an excellent view of the chronograph parts behind it. These bridges – openworked in an arabesque manner – are satin-finished on the top surface. Their many edges and angles are beveled and polished for contrast. Many sharp outward and inward angles can be found, hallmarks of a movement that has received plenty of attention and TLC.
The Competitive Landscape
Split-seconds chronographs are rare by virtue of their complexity. The rattrapante chronograph (which could really use better PR) is more complicated to assemble perfectly than the flashy tourbillon or even the minute repeater. The ones that are worthy of high horology, as one might imagine, are even rarer and often limited in production numbers; this includes the Toric Chronographe Rattrapante. Priced at a fair CHF135,000, the watch is a limited to 30 pieces only.
No conversation about dress chronographs is ever complete without mention of A. Lange & Söhne, creator of iconic wristwatches such as the Datograph and Double Split. Oddly enough, despite Lange’s comprehensive know-how in crafting the industry’s most beautiful and sophisticated chronograph movements, the brand did not have a split-seconds chronograph-only timepiece until 2020 when the 1815 Rattrapante was launched. Initially released only in honey gold, a platinum option soon became available in 2022. That said, the watches – like the Toric – are limited edition and, more likely than not, all accounted for. And similar to the Chronographe Rattrapante, the 1815 Rattrapante is exceptionally well-finished and refined. The 1815 Rattrapante in platinum is officially price-on-request, but is deduced to be priced at around EUR130,000, based on the previously known price of the honey gold variant, thus putting the piece in the same price bracket as the Toric.
Further driving home the point that haute horlogerie split-seconds chronograph watches are exclusive is Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph Ultra Thin Collection Excellence Platine. Yet, even among high-end split-seconds chronographs, this one is a doozy. The Calibre 3500 that drives the watch, first used in 2015 in the elusive Harmony collection, is simply breathtaking. Six years later in 2021, it finds a new home in a sub-zero, all-platinum Traditionnelle case, looking better than ever. It goes without saying that this 15-piece limited edition masterpiece is going to cost you, around the USD300,000 mark to be a bit more specific. The real question is: is it twice better than the Toric at twice the price?
Final Thoughts
The Toric Chronographe Rattrapante joins a special club of artisanal split-seconds chronograph wristwatches and can proudly claim to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many greats. In fact, it stands out just a little more than the rest with its modern, minimalist design and gilded movement. Things might be a little messy at Parmigiani Fleurier at the moment, but fans of the brand can take solace in the promising, new direction that the Toric and Tonda collections is heading.
