Rosneathian
1471
There's something about Torics from 20 years ago...
Hello all,
My interest in their watches has of late focused on those released during the company's first five years or so. Many of these were watches with two-tiered knurled bezels and were mainly from the Toric line.
I now have three from that period, with the one pictured below being the latest. It's due in a few days time.
What - precisely - is the draw? I can put it down to the following:
1. The watches represent a first bloom of a new watchmaking enterprise. They have a purity of expression about them that has arguably faded through subsequent iterations
2. In that expression, we see the initial embodiment of Michel Parmigiani's well-documented watchmaking philosophy
3. The design and look of the watches are - as a result - nothing if not distinctive. This makes them evocative in a way that doesn't have any obvious comparators
4. Evocative of what, though? There's something intangibly classical about them, in spite of the fact that they didn't seek to obviously emulate wrist watches that preceded them
5. They sometimes showcased some breathtaking flourishes in case, dial and movement build and finishing
6. They are still available at good prices. I don't want to make light of the actual outlays involved - they are beyond most of humanity - but in the context of good watches the prices remain attractive
7. The combination of the above makes these early PFs compelling and - to me - more interesting than more typical fare
Of course these are the perspectives of someone discovering a trove after the fact, rather than of someone who was there first time around. As a person who could have had a career as a museum curator, then, the immersion in recent history is possibly the most enjoyable part of the process. There is so much to learn and appreciate.
Thanks for reading, and everyone have a good day.
There's something about Torics from 20 years ago...
Hello all, It's nice to see Parmigiani Fleurier enjoying a bump in interest across the watch community and market. I enjoy the occasional post from fellow WPS members presenting and discussing their own pieces. My interest in their watches has of late foc...
The stepped cases remind me of...
...ancient ziggurats or Mayan temples. They look incredibly well built.
Thanks for a typically nicely-written review — it’s always pleasant to see how a scholarly approach to a given subject develops…and the fact that it earned you as many as three pieces from this excellent brand is even more interesting!👍
Hope you’ll thoroughly enjoy this latest entry, and thanks again for sharing with the community!😉🥂
There may be two parallel things happening with PF right now. The first is an uptick in exposure owing to new watches delivered under the leadership of Guido Terreni. The second is interest in particular watches from across the last two decades.
Among the finer examples in the latter category are minute repeaters and tourbillons. Nothing remarkable here until we consider just how idiosyncratic PF's versions are. There's little else like them around. Then there are the watches that have caught my ...
Love the knurled cases
An Ionica or a simple Toric would be my choice, but there are many fine examples from this time period.
Such a beautiful watch .
I really would love to add a early Toric when possible. Just missed a very nice one a few weeks ago . Hope to get a new change in the future
Thanks. There do appear to be a few here and there. In this case I was fortunate through contacts here on WPS to snag the watch pictured before it was advertised.
I'm far from expert in these things, so that was pure chance. Hope things work out for you, because these are rare little beauties.
I know very little of the brand so...
... I'd like to thank you for taking the time to write this very informative post. Great watch, of course. Is the PC movement in-house?
Hello. Thank you for the kind words. It's always a treat to find a watch of this quality and in this condition at 27.67% of its last known list price :)
Yes, both the base movement and PC (PF332) were produced 'in house.' In the case of Parmigiani Fleurier, this meant that they were built, tested and finished by Vaucher, which at the time operated under direct line management at PF. Around the same time (...
Very well said, my friend.
I think these early Toric/Ionica pieces have an outstanding purity of design. They are flawless executions of Michel Parmigiani‘s vision of what his watches should be like. In this sense you could compare them to FPJ‘s first iterations of the Octo RDM, Re...
Thank you, Sir. I’ve retrieved some early reviews and catalogues, and this is what I’ve learnt:
1. MP worked for two years to build LUC’s first movement, the famous 1.96. His original intention was to use it in his own watches that were to follow. The Sandoz Foundation stepped in and offered him the resources to go do his own, so PF was born in 1996...
Thanks. You are quickly becoming the PF encyclopedia!
I wasn’t aware that the Basica came to be after the Toric/Torus. Seems like an outlier to me, in terms of design. I never saw one in the metal so I can’t comment on the overall quality.
These watches are timeless beauties.
I was always convinced that PF belongs to the very best and your Toric is a great example!
A quick correction...
I've just received an email from PF to advise that the year of production of this watch was 2003-2004, and not 2002 that I might have mentioned elsewhere.
Thanks for your thoughts/ pics
Absolutely love PF. From the case construction, movement finishing and sheer artistry these watches are a feast for the eyes and a joy to experience. I bagged a Pantographe lately and am still mesmerized by it! I’ve also lusted after a Toric...so who know...
What an extraordinary creation the Pantographe is: part watch part automaton, and all PF. A joy.
Good luck with your lookout for a nice Toric. To me they're the beating heart of PF and what makes them so distinctive.
Late to the club!
Thank you for this very interesting and inspiring post. I feel that Parmigiani becomes more and more interesting for us collectors. The PC you show looks amazing. May I ask what’s the case size? 39mm or 40mm? Do you also have a wristshot for us? Best Thom...
Hi, and thank. The case is 40.5mm in diameter and The watch is 40.5mm in diameter and 11.5mm thick.
Its movement is self-winding calibre PF 332 running at 28,800 Hz. It has 50 hours of power reserve, and 32 jewels. The sapphire cabochon corresponds to the heat-blued retrograde month hand, and the night sky plate in the moon phase window. I've stopped ta...