Last year’s Toric Chronometre was a simple but high quality timepiece in typical Parmigiani style. Now it’s been upgraded – the Qualité Fleurier certification has been bestowed on the movement while the dial is decorated with guilloche that’s been engine-turned by hand.

The square Qualité Fleurier seal on the wheel train bridge indicates the movement has passed the Fleurier Quality test. Arguably the most rigorous watch testing and certification process in Switzerland – but unfortunately only used by a handful of brands with factories in the town of Fleurier – the certification demands good finishing as well as performance in areas like timekeeping and shock resistance. Its final stage is the Fleuritest, strapping the finished watch to a machine that simulates the movements of a wearer’s arm throughout the day.

While mechanically identical to the stock version of the movement, the PF331-QF inside is visually distinct. Instead of the conventional, linear Cotes de Geneve found on the ordinary version, this has a diamond-shaped damascening.

On the front the watch is immediately identifiable by the barleycorn guilloche dial. It’s engraved on the dial by a hand-operated rose engine, which the most traditional and time-consuming manner of producing guilloche. Add to the applied hour markers and hands in 18k rose gold, and the result is an expensively and elaborately made dial.

Available only in 18k gold, the Toric case is elegantly proportioned at 40.8mm in diameter and 9.5mm high. Its bezel is finished with a hand-executed fluting – done by pressing a stamp against a blank bezel mounted a turning wheel – that’s a signature of the Toric range.

Price and availability 

The Toric Qualité Fleurier is available in 18k red or white gold (refs. PFC422-1200100-HA1441 and PFC422-1600100-HA1441 respectively), both priced at SFr24,500 or S$40,400.