Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel Watch Review
Launched earlier this year, the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel is equipped with the ultimate calendar complication, the perpetual calendar. The hand-hammered dial is made of 18-carat rose gold, the same noble metal that’s used for the case and the hand-wound Caliber PF733. Recently, GPHG announced that the Toric Quantième Perpétuel has been nominated for the forthcoming 26th edition of the annual watch awards, scheduled to be held on 7 November. Angus Davies reviews this stunning timepiece, a model that’s destined to appeal to discerning horophiles.
Parmigiani Fleurier – Val-de-Travers
To truly appreciate Parmigiani Fleurier, one has to understand the eponymous founder of the brand, Michel Parmigiani. Born and raised in the Val-de-Travers, Michel has always had a deep connection to the region. It is in this location that he chose to embark on a career in watchmaking, gaining a reputation for restoring rare timepieces. In 1976, he founded Mesure et Art du Temps, opening a restoration workshop in the Val-de-Travers. Entrusted to restore automata, clocks and watches from the most prestigious museums from around the globe, Michel researches each piece in detail, preserving as much as possible and always respecting the work of the original creator.
In 1996, with the support of the Sandoz Family Foundation, Michel established Parmigiani Fleurier and unveiled his inaugural watch, the Toric QP. As well as drawing on his amassed experience restoring watches, Michel also knew some of the region’s finest artisans who helped him realise his creative vision. For instance, when producing the Toric QP, he engaged a local craftsman to produce the stepped bezel, endowed with alternating gadroons and knurling. This distinctive bezel involved displacing metal with a rotating wheel to create a series of fluted lines. Michel continued to work with this artisan for many years thereafter. He has also engaged other independent craftspeople, most recently when producing L’Armoriale pocket watch. On that occasion, he engaged Master Enameller Vanessage Lecci to decorate the caseback, Eddy Jaquet and Christophe Blandenier to engrave the case and Laurent Jolliet to produce the chain. When it comes to contacts, Michel’s black book is bigger than most.
Inspired by Le Corbusier
It is Michel Parmigiani’s background in restoration that influences the materials, design and execution of each PF model. He has always given much consideration to longevity and ease of restoration. In 2021, Guido Terreni, a veteran of the watch industry, was appointed CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier. His prowess for design wonderfully dovetails with Michel’s extraordinary skills.
Guido, like Michel, has found much inspiration within the region when imagining new models. La Chaux-de-Fonds, some 35 km from Fleurier, was the birthplace of Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (1887-1965), aka ‘Le Corbusier’. His influence on architecture and urban planning is world-renowned. Guido was drawn to Le Corbusier’s Architectural Polychromy, a palette of 63 colours that, when used together, deliver a harmonious appearance. When conceiving the dials of watches, Guido does not merely opt for regular black, blue, green or white. On the contrary, he employs various subtle shades inspired by Le Corbusier’s Architectural Polychromy and devotes much time observing the behaviour of the dial hues in different light conditions. Since arriving at the brand five years ago, Guido has been instrumental in creating a wonderful array of dials, executed in a variety of tones and imbued with extraordinary nuance.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel – introduction
Earlier this year, to coincide with the company’s 30th anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier unveiled a new model imbued with an array of artisanal crafts. Again subscribing to Le Corbusier’s sensitive use of colour, the Toric Quantième Perpétuel is endowed with a perpetual calendar (see later) and features a hand-hammered gold dial presented in ‘Bright Peony’. At the heart of this model ticks the hand-wound Caliber PF733. The movement is enriched with an array of refined finishes, with each element of its composition serving to perpetuate the Maison’s reputation for peerless watchmaking.
Recently, GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genéve) announced the nominated timepieces for 2026. The Toric Quantième Perpétuel is one of six nominated watches for the ‘Calendar and Astronomy Prize’. Incidentally, the members of GPHG Academy have also pre-selected three additional PF models, namely the Toric Petite Seconde, the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante Arctic Rose and the Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux. It seems this could prove to be an exceptional year for the Maison. Returning to the Toric Quantième Perpétuel, there are many details that distinguish this timepiece as special. Allow me to elaborate.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel – dial
Most wristwatches feature a dial formed of brass; however, the Fleurier-based brand opted for a far nobler approach, choosing to craft the dial of the Toric Quantième Perpétuel from 18-carat rose gold. As stated earlier, the surface of the dial is hand-hammered, imbuing its epidermis with bewitching ripples, reminiscent of a lake’s surface on a breezy day. This textured horological vista is achieved by an artisan deftly tapping the gold surface with a hammer, imparting indelible marks destined to last for generations. Parmigiani Fleurier states that the creation of ‘each hammered dial is a demanding process spanning around sixty individual operations’. The random indentations ensure no two dials are alike, delivering a uniqueness much prized by discerning horophiles.
The faceted hour and minute hands are, once again, formed of 18-carat rose gold and span the central hand-hammered surface. A recessed channel fringes the dial, playing host to faceted indexes. The hands and indexes successfully unite, clearly conveying meaning while still allowing the textured centre of the dial to sing in full voice.
Two smooth subdials peep from the dial’s rippled surface, succinctly showing the perpetual calendar indications (date, day, month and leap-year indication). The contrasting textures as well as the different depths (the subdials are recessed) ensure that despite displaying much information, everything proves simple to read.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel – case
Measuring 40.6 mm in diameter, the polished 18-carat rose gold case sits in concert with the dial, hands and indexes. The Toric Quantième Perpétuel has a thickness of 10.9 mm, a modest figure considering the complexity housed within the case.
The model’s monochromatic appearance serves to highlight the many lines, curves and textures gracing its torso. For instance, the fluted bezel, an historic Toric signature, plays with light, creating alternating slivers of brilliance and shade. The lugs, with their crisp arcing lines, straddle the carrure (case middle) and invite the strap to ergonomically envelop the wrist. The Toric Quantième Perpétuel affixes to the arm with a hand-stitched alligator leather strap, presented in sand gold, paired with an 18-carat gold pin buckle. Three correctors grace the vertical flanks of the case, allowing the wearer to easily adjust the calendar indications using a stylus.
To the rear of the watch, a pane of sapphire crystal affords sight of the hand-wound Caliber PF733. Interestingly, the golden section of the caseband, encircling said sapphire crystal, is also appointed with a fluted pattern, echoing the motif adorning the bezel.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel – Caliber PF733
The Caliber PF733 upholds the Maison’s reputation for peerless watchmaking and incorporates several outstanding features, some of which are discussed below:
Perpetual Calendar
In the esoteric world of Haute Horlogerie, the perpetual calendar sits at the summit of calendar watches. Employing a cam, the complication indicates the correct day, date and month, even taking into account leap years. Provided the watch is kept wound, it will not require manual correction until 2100, at which point it will need to be adjusted to stay in line with the Gregorian calendar. This is because the Gregorian calendar omits three leap years every 400 years to remain aligned with solar time.
A gold movement
Whereas most movement parts are made from steel or brass, the hand-wound Caliber PF733 is formed of 18-carat rose gold. Notoriously soft, the machining of the material is far more challenging. Moreover, the finisseurs tasked with decoration and the watchmakers charged with assembly and regulation must exercise great care not to sully the noble metal’s appearance. By creating the movement in gold, similar to the dial and case, it will not tarnish or corrode.
Finishing
The bridges are adorned with a combination of two hand-guilloché techniques – Clous de Paris and Filet sauté. The former motif comprises pyramidal structures, while the latter resembles vertical stitches, seemingly threading the gold. Once again, PF has masterfully united depths and textures, manipulating light to glorious effect.
Variable inertia balance
Most mainstream watches are fitted with an index-adjusted balance where the rate is altered by increasing/decreasing the effective length of the balance spring. However, Parmigiani Fleurier has chosen to equip the Toric Quantième Perpétuel with a superior means of regulation – the variable-inertia balance (aka ‘free-sprung balance’). With this type of regulation, the length of the balance spring is fixed and the rate is altered by adjusting inertia weights fitted to the balance wheel. The reason a variable-inertia balance is not universally employed is that regulation takes longer, heightening production costs. However, it proffers superior precision and, should the watch be subjected to a minor shock, it is less likely to require remedial regulation. With the Caliber PF733, the inertia weights have been positioned inboard on the spokes of the balance wheel, mitigating air turbulence and thereby augmenting precision.
Closing remarks
Most watch companies employ dial hues such as black, blue, white or green. Often the shades presented, irrespective of the brand, are near identical. Clearly, this is anathema to Guido Terreni and his team who draw inspiration from Le Corbusier’s Architectural Polychromy and spend much time carefully considering suitable colours for each PF dial, often selecting subtle, non-standard shades. The ‘Bright Peony’dial delightfully engages with light and delivers a wonderfully nuanced aesthetic.
Beyond its becoming dial colour, the model’s hand-hammered dial introduces texture. Similar to an oil painting, the dial’s many indentations impart character and add a three-dimensional allure rarely encountered in the watch world. Reassuringly, PF has not sacrificed readability on the altar of style. The hands and hour markers enunciate the prevailing time with no hint of ambiguity and, despite indicating much information, the QP’s indications prove effortlessly simple to read. Conversely, the play with light, texture and depths endows the dial with notable complexity, making the Toric Quantième Perpétuel feel special.
The Caliber PF733 is worthy of Mr Parmigiani’s name. It unites materials that promise longevity, incorporates much technical virtuosity and is finished to an exalted standard. As the Maison celebrates its 30th anniversary, the advent of the Toric Quantième Perpétuel serves as a reminder that PF watches are a product of the Val-de-Travers. Similar to a fine wine, where the terroir influences its character, the Val-de-Travers has imbued each PF watch with a rare blend of qualities and a distinctive flavour unlike any other.
Further reading
Technical specification
- Model: Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel
- Reference: PFH952-2010004-300181
- Case: 18-carat rose gold, diameter 40.60 mm, height 10.90 mm, water resistance 3 ATM (30 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, perpetual calendar
- Movement: Caliber PF733, hand-wound movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 29 jewels, power reserve 60 hours, 265 components.
- Strap: Sand gold hand-stitched alligator leather, double-sided closure with 18ct rose gold pin buckle
- Price: 113,000 CHF (RRP as of 10.9.2026)
- Limited Edition: 30 pieces