The elegant new timepiece by the Swiss watchmaker is a fine contemporary interpretation of the first watch designed by Michel Parmigiani.

Fans of watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier will be happy to discover the latest offering by the brand based in Fleurier, Switzerland. The new Toric Chronomètre pays homage to the first model by Michel Parmigiani that essentially founded the brand back in 1996.

Since then, the Toric family of timepieces has boasted some of the watchmaker’s most impressive complications. But this model represents a return to basics, a return to the foundational days for the young company.

Hours, minutes, seconds and date is all we get with this timepiece in terms of complications. But to say “that’s all we get” is a big understatement, because this is a beautifully crafted timepiece.

Even the earliest of Toric models were distinctive watches, largely thanks to their bezels, which alternated with gadroons and knurling. Michel Parmigiani based this design on what he understood as the convergence of the bonds that unite nature, mathematics and architectural geometry.

As a result, in the bezel of this watch we can see design elements from the structure of a Doric column – a symbol of ancient Greek architecture – as well as pointed sea shells that take the shape of a spiral.

Achieving this distinctive look is no small task. In fact, the bezel’s knurling has been created by the only craftsman in Val-de-Travers area of Switzerland known to possess this skill. It’s no surprise then, that he’s been collaborating with Parmigiani since 1996.

The case of the Toric Chronomètre has also been redesigned, taking on a slimmer and more ergonomic shape thanks to curved contours and redesigned lugs. The elegant case is just a hair under 41mm wide and 9.5mm thick, and is available in white or red gold.

While the case has been streamlined, the crown has been made a more imposing feature in this iteration. Still, the design retains the collection’s signature codes, which offer an appealing yet understated appearance.

On the inside we have the COSC-certified PF331 calibre, which hums at a relatively high 4 Hz and delivers up to 55 hours of power reserve. Through the display case back we can fully appreciate the movement, whose components have all been finely decorated.

The Toric Chronomètre has been made available in two dial options: a black opaline or my preferred option, the more textured white grained version. The clean and well-proportioned dials are brought to life by two slender javelin-style hands, which are one of the most distinctive aspects of this watch.