Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton Rose Gold

Tom Austin

• Parmigiani Fleurier gives the Tonda PF Skeleton pairs an 18k rose-gold case and bracelet, paired with a deep Milano Blue openworked dial.
• The 40mm case measures just 8.5mm thick and houses the manufacture PF777 automatic calibre, a 3.9mm-thick skeletonised movement delivering 60 hours of power reserve.
• The Tonda PF Skeleton Rose Gold Milano Blue is limited to just 30 individually numbered pieces.

Parmigiani Fleurier has developed a pretty recognisable relationship with colour over the past few years. Its blues, greens and muted mineral shades rarely feel chosen simply to make a watch more eye-catching, and Milano Blue has become one of the more familiar colours within the Tonda PF family. For its latest release, the manufacture has taken that deep blue and applied it to arguably the most visually involved member of the collection. This is the new Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton Rose Gold Milano Blue, a 30-piece limited edition that pairs an entirely rose-gold exterior with the openworked PF777 calibre beneath.

The basic proportions will be familiar to anyone who knows the Tonda PF Skeleton. Its 18k rose gold case measures 40mm in diameter and only 8.5mm thick, which remains an impressively slender figure for an automatic skeleton watch. The surfaces alternate between satin brushing and polishing, resulting in a finely knurled bezel that has become one of the defining details of the Tonda PF. Here, that knurling is also executed in rose gold, giving the whole case a warmth that works particularly well alongside the blue within. A screw-down crown provides 100 metres of water resistance, while an anti-reflective sapphire crystal covers the dial and another sapphire crystal protects the rear of the watch.

Of course, calling this a dial only tells part of the story. The Milano Blue structure is sandblasted and satin-finished, creating subtly different surfaces across the openworked architecture. Parmigiani Fleurier has always taken a fairly controlled approach to skeletonisation, and the PF777 is designed around maintaining clear forms as material is removed. The result feels architectural, with the bridges defining large sweeping shapes and the spaces between them revealing successive layers of the mechanism beneath. The blue makes those shapes considerably easier to read, too, giving the movement a visual framework rather than allowing the individual components to merge into one mass.

Rose gold is then used sparingly within that blue landscape. Hand-applied 18k rose gold indices sit around the perimeter, joined by the familiar skeletonised delta-shaped hour and minute hands. There is very little conventional dial furniture here, leaving the movement itself to provide most of the texture. The combination is also particularly good at emphasising depth. From the upper bridges through to the wheels, screws and components visible below, there is a surprising amount to explore inside a watch measuring less than 9mm from front to back.

That movement is Parmigiani Fleurier’s automatic manufacture calibre PF777. Measuring 30.6mm across and only 3.9mm thick, it comprises 192 components and 29 jewels, with a 60-hour power reserve while beating at 28,800 VPH. Its openworked bridges receive satin finishing and are bevelled by hand, giving the large blue surfaces a crisp edge that becomes especially noticeable as light moves across the movement.

Flip the watch over, and the PF777 remains almost completely exposed through the exhibition sapphire caseback. The centrepiece on this side is its skeletonised oscillating weight, made from 22k rose gold and finished with a mixture of polished and sandblasted surfaces. Its broad, open construction leaves plenty of the calibre visible underneath while bringing the same blue-and-rose-gold relationship from the front around to the back. The calibre itself is only hours and minutes, which feels entirely appropriate, and the mechanical interest comes from how those two indications are being delivered.

Then there is the bracelet, an increasingly important part of the Tonda PF’s integrated bracelet identity. This one is made entirely from solid 18k rose gold, with the familiar broad central links tapering down the wrist and alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces that continue directly from the case. It closes with an 18k rose gold folding clasp, and the integration is particularly effective on a watch this slim. The case, bezel and bracelet read as one continuous form, leaving that expanse of Milano Blue to command attention in the centre.

The combination of rose gold and Milano Blue feels especially well suited to the Tonda PF Skeleton. The warmth of the case and bracelet gives the watch considerably more presence, while the blue treatment makes the PF777’s openworked architecture much easier to distinguish and explore visually. At 40mm across and just 8.5mm thick, there is also an impressive amount of mechanical depth packed into a surprisingly slender watch. Limited to 30 pieces, this is one of the richer expressions of the Tonda PF Skeleton we’ve seen, but it’s so rare you’re not likely to see many in the wild, that’s for sure.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton pricing and availability

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton is limited to 30 pieces and is now available at Parmigiani Fleurier boutiques. Price: XXXX