The Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde is the ultimate traveler’s timepiece. With its two time zones, it matches all pairs of locations to the minute, even those that are half an hour or a quarter of an hour out of sync with the Greenwich meridian. Featuring the knurled bezel that is the hallmark of the Toric family, the case of this timepiece represents the first creation conceived by Michel Parmigiani in 1996. This founding model now combines its elegant, classic aesthetic with the modern world of travel.
A WORLD PREMIERE INSPIRED BY A RESTORATION PIECE
The GMT complication found its place in the Parmigiani Fleurier collection thanks to the inspiration of a restored timepiece. A pocket watch with two movements in the same case, each responsible for a different time zone, was entrusted to the care of Parmigiani Fleurier’s restoration workshops. Thus was born the ambition to create a timepiece that would combine the same display precision despite the reduced space of a watch case, which does not allow two separate movements to be housed. Michel Parmigiani found an elegant solution to this constraint and built a single caliber that governs two time zones, each accurate to the minute. In 2010, when Parmigiani Fleurier introduced the Tonda Hémisphères, it was a world first. In 2017, the brand extended this exceptional movement to the Toric Collection, its founding model, to add the dimension of travel to its elegant, timeless aesthetic.
Parmigiani
THE CALIBRE PF317
The Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde features two time zones, each with one-minute precision. A module is indexed to the main movement to manage the second time zone. Pulling out the small crown at 2 o’clock disengages the module from the movement, allowing independent adjustment of the second time zone to the minute. When the crown is pressed, the movement and the module are coupled again, and the second time zone is re-indexed to the first, rotating in synchrony with the desired interval. The main crown at 4 o’clock winds the movement and sets the time in both time zones. Each time zone is linked to a day/night indicator, so you can see at a glance which phase of the day each time zone is in.
The PF 317 caliber also features an instantaneous retrograde calendar, indicated by the third central hand. As it advances towards the end-of-month digits, this hand arms a spring that pulls it all the more powerfully back towards the number 1 – a 240° translation so rapid that the movement of the hand cannot be observed by the naked eye when it occurs.
This self-winding movement has a double barrel fitted in series to improve its isochronism, ensuring a regular running time of 50 hours.
A SOBER AND ENCOURAGING DESIGN
The dial of the Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde is designed so that the most important functions stand out in a precise gradation. First and foremost, the main time zone hands are 4N gold-plated and coated with Super-LumiNova® to stand out luminously. The secondary time zone hands, meanwhile, are rhodium-plated and more subtly tinted. Last but not least, the date calendar stands out with fine numerals that are large enough to ensure good legibility. They are indicated by a red crescent-moon hand. The rest of the dial is sober, discreet and harmonious, so that nothing stands in the way of reading the key elements of the passage of time.
The Toric Hémisphère Rétrograde is available with a rose gold case and white grained dial. On the back, the movement is fully decorated with Côtes de Genève and circular-grained to the finest Haute Horlogerie standards. It features an 18ct rose gold guilloché oscillating weight, a prestigious feature befitting a timepiece dedicated to travel.
Cette publication est également disponible en :
