Parmigiani Fleurier returns to its founding collection with the TORIC Petite Seconde Platinum in Morning Blue: a 40.6 mm platinum case, a dial grained by hand and a calibre built in rose gold.
Three decades after TORIC appeared in 1996 as the founding collection of Parmigiani Fleurier, the Maison gives it a dress watch of deliberate economy. The TORIC Petite Seconde Platinum in Morning Blue shows hours, minutes and small seconds, nothing more. Its interest lies in execution: a polished 950 platinum case, an 18-carat white-gold dial grained entirely by hand, and the manually wound calibre PF780, constructed in 18-carat rose gold. The watch was unveiled at Milano Watch Week, where Guido Terreni, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier, spoke with WATCHESPEDIA.
The Dial and Its Grenage
Grenage is a dial-finishing technique Michel Parmigiani encountered and preserved during his years as a restorer. Its recipe dates back to the seventeenth century: cream of tartar, sea salt ground with a glass pestle, silver and demineralised water. For the contemporary TORIC, the Maison wanted a surface that would look almost smooth from a distance yet reveal its complexity up close, and Michel Parmigiani personally passed the forgotten technique on to the dial-makers.
The paste is spread across the gold and worked in circular movements, first with a stiff brush, then with finer and softer ones that build a denser grain. Because silver is photosensitive, the artisan works in semi-darkness, feeling through the brush the moment the silver particles begin to adhere. No two dials are identical.
The dial is also chevé: it descends towards its outer edge, with a defined step between the central surface, the minute track and the case. Slender alpha-shaped hands, applied indexes and the small seconds keep the composition calm, and the PF emblem at twelve o’clock replaces a written signature.
Morning Blue, in the Maison’s words, evokes the moment the morning sky begins to acquire light. On grained white gold it diffuses light rather than reflecting it, moving between cooler and brighter nuances with the angle of the wrist. Guido Terreni told WATCHESPEDIA that the shade began with a prototype meant to be slightly darker and greyer, kept because “it holds the crisp light of the sky in the morning: neither heavy nor showy”.
Case and Movement
The polished 950 platinum case measures 40.6 mm in diameter and 8.8 mm in thickness, framed by the finely knurled bezel that has defined TORIC from the start, a motif informed by classical architectural mouldings. The soft white tone of platinum stays discreet; its weight is felt rather than seen.
Through the sapphire case back, the PF780 reveals an unusual choice of material. Rose gold is rarely used for the structural parts of a movement and is demanding to finish. Two broad bridges and two visible barrels organise the architecture; the double barrel, a principle drawn from Michel Parmigiani’s restoration work, delivers energy more consistently and reduces wear along the transmission. The bridges carry Côtes de Fleurier, incised on an antique cam-operated guilloché machine.
The calibre comprises 157 components and 27 jewels, measures 3.15 mm thick, beats at 4 Hz and holds a 60-hour power reserve. Without an oscillating weight, the finishing stays fully visible, and each turn of the crown keeps a direct contact between wearer and mechanism.
Strap and Finishing
The Akoya Grey strap is cut from nubuck alligator, its matte surface chosen to answer the grain of the dial rather than contrast with it. It takes around twenty manual operations and two days of work; its six layers are shaped and assembled by hand. The visible stitching follows the Italian punto a mano tradition, a minute stitch followed by a longer interval, as in fine Neapolitan tailoring.
A 950 platinum pin buckle closes the strap. The Maison preferred it to a folding clasp so that the strap opens fully and no metal blade interrupts the view of the movement.
The TORIC Lineage
TORIC was conceived when the quartz crisis had weakened mechanical watchmaking, as a declaration of intent to preserve the proportions and crafts of Haute Horlogerie. Its proportions reflected Michel Parmigiani’s interest in natural geometry and mathematical harmony. The contemporary TORIC asks a different question: what a dress watch should mean today. “With TORIC, we did not seek to revive the past, but to reformulate it,” says Guido Terreni.
The watch arrives as the Maison marks its thirtieth anniversary, also celebrated with the Mechanical Wonders exhibition in Tokyo, while the TONDA PF Skeleton in rose gold shows another side of its current work. In the Middle East, Guido Terreni told WATCHESPEDIA that the Maison opened with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons last year and with 10Ten Labs in Riyadh, and is present in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. On the Maison’s website, as viewed from Switzerland, the reference is listed at CHF 56,500.
| Reference | PFC940-2010008-300181 |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds |
| Case | Polished 950 platinum, knurled bezel, 40.6 mm diameter, 8.8 mm thick, sapphire crystal and case back, 30 m water resistance |
| Dial | Morning Blue, 18-carat white gold, hand-grained, applied rhodium-plated gold indexes |
| Movement | Calibre PF780, manual winding, 18-carat rose gold, 157 components, 27 jewels, 4 Hz, 3.15 mm thick |
| Power reserve | 60 hours |
| Strap | Akoya Grey nubuck alligator, hand-stitched, 950 platinum pin buckle |
| Price | CHF 56,500 (Parmigiani Fleurier website, Switzerland) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is grenage and how is it used on the TORIC Petite Seconde dial?
Grenage is a seventeenth-century dial-finishing technique that Michel Parmigiani learned during his restoration work and personally passed on to the dial-makers. A paste made from cream of tartar, sea salt, silver and demineralised water is spread across the white gold and worked in circular movements with brushes of varying stiffness to create a hand-grained surface that appears smooth from a distance but reveals complex texture up close.
Why is rose gold used for the PF780 movement in this watch?
Rose gold is rarely used for the structural parts of a movement because it is demanding to finish, but Parmigiani Fleurier chose it for the PF780 to ensure all finishing remains fully visible without the obstruction of an oscillating weight. This design choice also maintains direct contact between the wearer and mechanism with each turn of the crown.
What does the Morning Blue colour represent on the TORIC Petite Seconde?
Morning Blue evokes the moment the morning sky begins to acquire light, and on the grained white gold dial it diffuses light rather than reflecting it, moving between cooler and brighter nuances depending on the angle of the wrist. According to CEO Guido Terreni, the shade holds the crisp light of the sky in the morning, neither heavy nor showy.
