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The Almost-Perfect PF Tonda
I owned the Parmigiani Fleurier PF Micro-Rotor Tonda for a while, and recently parted ways with it due to a couple of flaws that impacted my experience with it. Here’s my honest owner review.
- Dial: the warm gray hand-guilloched dial is subtle. The closer you look, the more impressive it gets. Sometimes, it looks a bit too monotone if you’re not up close. The only branding/writing on it is the modern minimalistic PF logo and a “Swiss made” at the bottom, which leaves most of the real estate unobstructed. The skeletonized delta-shaped hands also add to the modern minimalist look. The lack of a seconds hand could be an issue for some, but I actually like the direction here. It makes the dial more serene, which ties to the whole design language PF is going for. The 18-ct gold indices are rhodium-plated and reflect quite a bit of light. Another potential downside for some is the lack of lume. I’d have preferred for it to have some of it, but this is not a dealbreaker for me. I have other pieces that have plenty of lume, and I don’t need it in most situations myself.
- Case and Bracelet: The tear-shaped lugs, platinum coin-shaped bezel, and beautifully-integrated bracelet are instantly recognizable for those who know the maison. The watch is incredibly thin at 7.8mm, and the 40mm diameter is deceiving. The lugs curvature make this one wearable for much smaller wrist sizes.
The bracelet is very well done, but there are a couple of points that really impacted wearability for me. For one, I could never find a perfect fit, even after buying a half-link from PF. It was either a bit too tight, which caused the clasp to open unintentionally (serious issue), or too loose, which caused the watch to slide down my wrist throughout the day. These problems could have been rectified if there was a micro-adjustment mechanism, and if the clasp was of higher quality. At this price point, those should be expected.
The crown is another low point for me. I get why they chose a small crown to keep with the design language, but that comes with some real downsides. It is unusually difficult to pull the crown to the second and third positions, requiring an uncomfortable amount of force. The tactile feel of date changes also left something to be desired. Those aspects are not captured in a picture, but they are a real part of an ownership experience. I dreaded having to set my PF, whereas I get excitement out of setting every other piece I own. I hear these crown issues are not present in the GMT and Minute Rattrapante variants due to the larger crown.
- Movement: The micro-rotor architecture allows for a much more svelte profile and unobstructed views of the haute horlogerie finishes applied throughout the in-house movement. PF punches above its weight in this category with highly accurate and beautifully decorated movements.
- Specs: 100m of water resistance is great, and the screw-down crown gives anyone the extra assurance that it can handle it. The 48-hour quoted power reserve is on the low-end of what I’ve come to expect, but that’s also what allows the piece to be this thin.
Ultimately, I loved the look, and wanted to absolutely love the piece, but the quirks really impacted wearability for me, which caused me to cut the ownerships journey short. Perhaps I’ll venture into the lovely GMT Rattrapante at some point, especially if they introduce a bracelet with micro-adjustment at some point. 
The Almost-Perfect PF Tonda
