Dual Timer

Parmigiani Fleurier reinvents the GMT function for the post-pandemic age.

Words: Victoria Gomelsky

DON’T LET ITS simple facade fool you: beneath the minimalist Milano Blue dial of Parmigiani Fleurier’s new Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante ticks an incredibly complex world-premiere automatic movement, one that allows for the simultaneous tracking of two time zones – that is, a GMT – paired with a split-seconds chronograph function, also known as a rattrapante.

One of watchmaking’s most difficult to construct (and therefore rarest) complications, a rattrapante model is typically equipped with an extra seconds hand that sits atop the first, as well as an additional pusher, essentially creating two chronographs from one and allowing for the simultaneous timing of separate events.

In the case of the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante, though, Parmigiani has repurposed the function as a flyback accessory to the GMT. Its two skeletonised, delta-shaped hour hands – the upper in rhodium-plated 18-carat gold, the lower in 18-carat rose gold – remain superimposed until a press of the rose-gold pusher at eight o’clock sends the top hand, indicating local time, one hour forward while revealing the rose-gold ‘home time’ hand, below. Push the button in the crown to reset the hands. “What makes it special is that never before has the rattrapante function been used outside chronographs,” says Guido Terreni, Parmigiani’s CEO.

In combining split-timing with GMT, the watchmaker has embraced the former’s literal translation. “In French, rattraper means ‘to catch up’, ‘to reunite’,” Terreni says. “In the pandemic, the GMT reinvented its role – it was not linked to travelling but to being connected to someone living in a different time zone. Now that we are exiting the pandemic, we all want to travel, discover places and culture and be reunited again.”

The 40mm stainless steel model, which retails for about US$28,000, made its debut in late March at the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva. It belongs to the Tonda PF collection of pared-down timepieces on integrated steel bracelets that the brand introduced in September. In addition to a knurled bezel fashioned from platinum, the watch features a dial adorned with Grain d’Orge guilloche and hand-applied, rhodium-plated 18-carat-gold indices.

According to Terreni, the new GMT epitomises Parmigiani’s creative approach to the future of watchmaking – and of the brand.

“Being a world premiere, of course it sets a new direction and it is not linked to the past,” he says. The rest of the industry, in other words, now needs to play catch-up.

Going Green

Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces a special, green-dialled edition of the Polaris Date.

IN TERMS OF sporty-chic watches – that is, robust timepieces that can stand up to everyday activities while being elegant enough to be worn to meetings and formal dinners – Jaeger-LeCoultre has long had a distinctive, unique approach. This is thanks to the Polaris collection, which began in 1968 with the alarm-equipped, diving capable Polaris Memovox. Back then, its 300m water resistance was no mean feat, and its 42mm diameter, uncommonly large and bold.

The modern Polaris Date was launched in 2018 and maintains the original’s aesthetics albeit without the alarm function, which is far more of a novelty than a practicality in today’s context. As such, the diver’s internal rotating bezel remains, as does the 42mm diameter steel case and practical, highly legible markers and numerals. New for 2022 is a doublegradient deep green dial, with a mix of opaline, grained and sunray textures that demarcate the different dial segments. This grants it exceptional depth and character when it comes to the play of light; this is enhanced by the gradient, which ranges from light olive to dark, lush rainforest, and the layer of translucent lacquer that tops it. The lumed markers are vanilla-tinted, suggesting its retro inspirations, while the glass-box sapphire crystal is a throwback to the style of midcentury watches.

It houses the latest-generation automatic Calibre 899AB, which boasts of a worry-free 70 hours of power reserve, as well as a 200m water resistance rating for the nautically inclined. The green rubber strap pushes it into casual territory, but thanks to the quick-change system, it can be dressed up in moments via a wide range of bracelet and strap options.

The Polaris Date is a boutique edition and will be available exclusively on the Jaeger-LeCoultre website for a month.

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This and facing pages: the new Polaris Date continues to evoke the collection’s sophistication and elegance, with every aspect designed, manufactured and assembled at Jaeger‑LeCoultre’s manufacture in Vallee de Joux.

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