No need for a double take—what you’re seeing isn’t the case back of the L'Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse but rather its face (or lack thereof). Parmigiani Fleurier's decision to omit the key components of what typically defines a watch—hands, markers, and the like—is a bold one, but it’s not without reason. This is the house’s dedication to preserving the purity of minute repeaters.
Amidst a symphony of hammers and gongs within the watch, a manual winding movement by Renaud Papi, offering a 72-hour power reserve, allows the L'Armoriale to tell time intimately through the resonant chime of cathedral gongs. Once you’ve understood that it’s a timepiece that prioritises auditory elegance, the absence of a traditional face begins to make perfect sense. It forces the user to treat the repeater as a core feature instead of a gimmick. Even then, the dial is far from an afterthought.
“In nature, every form, every pattern bears the imprint of perfection”
– Michel Parmigiani, founder and master watchmaker
From the elegant spirals of a pinecone to the precise proportions of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and even in the harmonious ratios of the human body—there are Fibonacci sequences everywhere for all with eyes to see. The L'Armoriale pays homage to this mathematical beauty on its faceless dial, which features a pastel green translucent enamel grand feu as its canvas for a meticulous guilloché pattern. Delicate engravings transpose the golden ratio of a pinecone onto the dial, creating a tangible manifestation of the Fibonacci sequence. A 42mm white gold case completes this ode to perfection, designed exclusively for this one-off model.
Turning the watch over reveals an unexpected surprise—instead of a traditional caseback, you'll find a secret dial. Rose gold hour and minute markers, denoted by "H" and "M", frame a disk of Guatemalan white jade. Its circular indices evoke the timeless elegance of an ancient Roman coin, an impression heightened by a taupe hand-stitched alligator leather strap. It might seem like a waste relegating such beauty to the back of the watch, but we feel this design choice imbues the piece with a sense of quiet introspection.
It’s not often that a watch packaging warrants discussion, but in this case, the box demands it. Offering more than mere protection, the box is engineered to enhance the minute repeater's acoustic properties, allowing owners to modulate the watch's resonance. By placing the timepiece at different points within the box, one can create a uniquely immersive sensory journey that goes beyond mere timekeeping.
If I had to compare Parmigiani Fleurier's Tonda PF Automatic 36mm to a film, it would be Legally Blonde. In case you're unfamiliar with it (ask to watch it with your partner, you're welcome), in the film, Elle Woods—played by Reese Witherspoon—is dumped by her boyfriend because he needs a serious, elegant and book-smart woman to be his wife. In an effort to prove that blondes have brains too, she applies to Harvard’s law school. Her admittance essay-video is sparkly and bubbly, her resume is pink and perfumed, and her outfits to court are unapologetically flamboyant and effervescent. By the movie's end, she’s delivering the commencement speech at graduation as a top student in her class, her identity still intact.
Besides the obvious connection between Elle's blonde hair and the watch's gold colour, I spy much of the film’s themes reflected in the new collection of timepieces from Parmigiani Fleurier. A major gripe I often hear about “women’s” watches is that they’re too wrapped up in how they look, as opposed to how they really function—I hope you see where this is going. Parmigiani believes, however, that a woman’s watch can be many things at once—sparkly, pragmatic, and powerful. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève affirmed this belief by awarding the Women’s Watch Prize to the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm in 2022. Given its impressive pedigree and the values it represents, this timepiece could make a meaningful gift for your partner.
The Tonda PF Automatic 36mm challenges the notion that women's watches prioritise aesthetics over functionality. The PF770 calibre powers the watch, boasting a 60-hour power reserve with its automatic winding movement. A skeletonised oscillating weight ticks at a smooth 4Hz above the calibre, with its beautiful Côtes de Genève visible through the sapphire caseback. More impressively, they’ve managed to squeeze all this into a slender 36mm case, greatly reduced from the typical 40mm that the house has stuck to for many of their Tonda PF models. This blonde's packing some serious precision.
Now that the technical stuff's out of the way, we can get to the part that will really get your partner going.
The collection will feature three different iterations: Sand Gold, Warm Grey, and White Citrine. The Sand Gold Dial materialises from 18-carat pink gold and 232 precious diamonds, embellishing everything from the indexes and bezel to the bracelet's edge. A grainy textured dial creates an intriguing juxtaposition against the delicate and silky exterior of the watch.
The Warm Grey Dial cater to the purists; crafted entirely from 18-carat pink gold, this model rocks a dark dial that spotlights the baguette-cut diamond hour markers, which also trace the bezel. For something with slightly more finesse, the White Citrine Dial artfully marries stainless steel with rose gold, creating a contrast that magnifies the warmth of the precious metal. Usually I'd apply the adage "less is more" here, but the addition of baguette-cut diamond hour markers suggests otherwise. After all, in a collection like the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm, less is never really quite an option—but it never is when it comes to your partner, wouldn't you agree?