PRE-SIHH 2017: Tonda 1950 Set Galaxy: born from the skies of Fleurier
PRE-SIHH 2017: Tonda 1950 Set Galaxy: born from the skies of Fleurier
In the Val-de-Travers, where Parmigiani Fleurier is based, there is virtually no light polluting the night sky, and nothing obstructing the millions of stars it contains. This feeling of vertigo was the inspiration behind the creation of the Tonda 1950 Galaxy. A challenge, but one which has met with great success.
The dial-makers are the sorcerers of the watchmaking world. They prefer to swap the sterile rooms of the watchmaker for the lair of the modern-day alchemist. Parmigiani Fleurier is lucky enough to have some truly inspired master dial-makers working in its Manufacture. At their benches filled with secret potions, they are continuously experimenting, testing and inventing, ensuring that every dial that passes through their hands is a masterpiece of depth and intensity.
Once again, they have worked their magic on the Tonda 1950 Galaxy, imbuing its dial with a colour that seems to have been cut straight from the night sky. This sombre midnight blue is one of the most complicated shades to reproduce, as it represents the link between our dreams and our imaginations. It needed a material created by a chance encounter to bring it to life: aventurine glass. In 18th-century Murano, a glass blower made a fortuitous discovery when he dropped a sliver of copper into melted glass. He christened this new material "aventurine" (per aventura meaning by chance in Italian).
Crushed then recomposed, aventurine glass contains copper inclusions which give it an unmistakable sparkle, like infinite particles of gold. The gaze is drawn to this starlit sky, showcased by the bezel and case set with diamonds, forming a halo of light around it. On the crown, a milky white opal, like a precious miniature nebula, provides the finishing touch.
The Tonda 1950 Galaxy is driven by the PF702 proprietary movement, decorated with Côtes de Genève and bevelled bridges. This self-winding mechanical movement and its beautiful finishes can be admired through the watch's sapphire case-back. The case and the appliques are made from rose gold. This special edition comes with a black Hermès alligator strap.