Small inclusions of metal give aventurine its characteristic textured appearance. Taking advantage of the natural composition of aventurine – which contains small inclusions of metal – Parmigiani is presenting a midnight-blue aventurine dial whose surface looks like stars sparkling in the night sky. The hands are skeletonised so as not to obscure the beauty of the dial and the appliques are made from white gold – gold being the distinctive feature of the indices on aventurine dials. The steel bezel is set with 72 brilliant-cut diamonds, totalling ~0.51 carat, which extend the brilliance of the aventurine all the way to the case. At 6 o’clock, the small seconds stands out on a midnight blue background, revealing the date on a matching date disc, which is half a shade darker.
The Métro collection of round, steel models features a contemporary, urban design which is more refined than the brand’s other classics in the Tonda 1950 line. The subtlety of the design comes from the watch’s two asymmetric profiles. While its left-hand profile is conventional, with its two iconic teardrop-shaped lugs,its right-hand profile, however, features elongated lugs that extend to the crown, hugging it tightly. This asymmetry gives the watch its stylish identity and a touch of modernity.
Tonda Métropolitaine Galaxy © Parmigiani Fleurier
In 2014, Parmigiani Enrico launched the Métro collection and, in particular, the Tonda Métropolitaine’s PF310 caliber, an automatic movement beating at 28’800 vph and offering a 50-hour power reserve. This new range of movements, entirely manufactured by the Parmigiani Fleurier Watchmaking Centre, represented an industrial feat for the manufacture, which developed optimised production processes specifically to create it.
Additionally, all the Watchmaking Centre’s combined expertise has been focussed on perfecting the precision of the movement. This is the case, for example, for the variable-inertia balance, which now eliminates the need for the standard index-assembly. This innovation makes it possible to adjust the moment of inertia by rotating the inertia blocks rather than adjusting the active length of the balance-spring as required with a standard adjustment. It also functions stably over the long term, makes the watch shock-resistant and, as the counting-point is maintained, guarantees outstanding isochronism. This consistency is reinforced by the double barrel which enables a more stable, linear distribution of power than a single barrel in the calibre.
On this note, you will know what I mean when I say this Parmigiani Tonda 1950 Meteorite white dial (debuted on aBlogtoWatch here) will be considered a future (in addition to a modern) exotic dial to get the Tonda 1950 collection. Parmigiani overall is excellent at making piece unique or uncommon versions of the watches, gradually seeding the world with more and more exotic watch dials (and they do make some of the coolest ones on the market). This view already understands its future (the one it hopes for) since it says “Edition Speciale” on the rear of this case, just as a good bottle of tequila might.Forget not that Parmigiani also makes this titanium-cased version of this 39mm wide Tonda 1950 with other meteorite dial colours such as black and a metallic blue (which also comes in a gold case if you prefer). White-colored meteorite isn’t common probably because seeing the dial details isn’t as simple with the lower-contrasting colors of a white dial. Therefore, it may be reasonable for a watchmaker to not expect just as much need for a subtle version of a dial that people buy because of its visual pattern.If there is just another matter Grand Seiko has taught us, it is that watch fans, even now, love subtle information on a dial which aren’t always apparent from afar. I am speaking of course of the Grand Seiko “Snowflake” dial, which is white with a light feel that is imperceptible from a few feet off. There are going to be those collectors who love the appealing geometric geography of chopped meteorite, but who at the exact same time value a little bit of discretion and privacy. I’m not sure I could select that type of person from a crowd, but I know them to be out there.
Calibre PF310 © Parmigiani Fleurier
At the end of the production process, the master craftsmen finish each component by hand. The bridges are bevelled on a bench grinder, all the visible parts of the movement are circular-grained and the Côtes de Genève decorations add the finishing touch to the piece.
The watch is complemented with a blue or indigo blue alligator or fabric strap, equipped with a pin buckle.
