Watches & Wonders 2026: Parmigiani Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux

Parmigiani is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026. In the world of watchmaking, that may seem like the blink of an eye, but in this short time the manufacture has managed to be mentioned in the same breath as the industry’s true giants. This is down to its exceptional watchmaking expertise, high quality and its own distinctive aesthetic style.

Innovative chronograph

All of this comes together in the new Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux. A chronograph unlike any seen before: by default, none of the chronograph functions are visible. The rhodium-plated hands indicate the hours, minutes and seconds, displaying the time as usual, with no sub-dials to disrupt the minimalist dial. Only when the wearer presses the single pusher does the function reveal itself: the three rhodium-plated hands spring back to zero and immediately begin their measurement. Hidden beneath them were an hour and minute hand in rose gold, which now continue to indicate the time.

Pressing the pusher a second time stops the three rhodium-plated hands. The stop time can now be read like a time in hours, minutes and seconds, whilst the rose gold hands continue to indicate the current time. When the push-button is pressed a third time, the rhodium-plated hour and minute stop hands jump back over the rose gold hands, causing them to disappear, and are now once again responsible for indicating the time. The stop seconds hand also does not jump to zero and remain there, but continues to run as a permanent seconds hand. The watch looks like a three-hand watch again.

The innovative chronograph developed by Parmigiani, the first of its kind, offers several advantages: it allows for the purist design typical of the Tonda PF, which showcases the mineral-blue dial with its hand-guilloché barley-grain pattern to its full advantage. It also improves the legibility of both the time and the stopwatch reading. And it simplifies the operation of the chronograph by using just a single pusher.

Hidden complications 

The watch is part of a small series of models featuring hidden complications that only appear when needed. The Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante kicked things off in 2022: at the push of a button, the hand for the second time zone disappears beneath the hour hand. This was followed in 2023 by the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. It features a second minute hand that emerges from beneath the first when required, can be adjusted in five-minute increments, and then remains in the selected position to mark future events or measure intervals of up to 60 minutes. 

With the Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux, Parmigiani, under CEO Guido Terreni, has now created the most elaborate and technically sophisticated model in this range, taking the concept to the extreme: instead of concealing one hand, the watch hides two additional hands, reimagines the function of a third hand, and manages with a single pusher instead of the previous two. So whilst Parmigiani has further streamlined its appearance, its functionality and complexity have increased significantly.

New in-house calibre

This is because, in addition to a full chronograph, this new model requires a split-seconds function for both the hour and minute counters, similar to the simpler version found in a rattrapante chronograph for the second stop-second hand.

The fact that all five hands are aligned on a single axis further complicates matters. Furthermore, the watchmakers had to develop a new gear train control mechanism for the single-push-button chronograph, as it essentially starts with a flyback function, stops normally when the button is pressed a second time, and activates the double rattrapante function when pressed a third time.

It is all the more impressive that the new in-house calibre PF053, at 6.8 millimetres, is remarkably slim given its complex mechanics. The developers had to fit in no fewer than 362 components, and with a power reserve of 60 hours, no corners were cut in this regard either. The movement also operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, a frequency that enhances precision.

As is customary with Parmigiani, the brand pays meticulous attention to the finishing of the movement: through the sapphire crystal case back, one can see the 22-carat rose gold rotor with alternating sandblasted and polished surfaces, the skeletonised, satin-finished bridges, and their hand-beveled and polished edges.

Stainless steel and platinum 

The 40-millimetre-wide and 13-millimetre-high stainless steel case features the timeless architectural lines of the Tonda PF. The knurled platinum bezel frames the dial, whilst the integrated steel bracelet tapers organically and the teardrop-shaped push-piece harmonises with the design of the lugs. 

The Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux features a hidden chronograph, a fascinating and unique complication that Parmigiani has specifically developed to complement the line’s minimalist design.

This new model, housed in a stainless steel case with a platinum bezel, is priced at €41,700.

parmigiani.com