In the last year alone, ladies’ watches have evolved significantly. This is not a bold statement to make. We’ve undoubtedly seen a variety of styles, from minimalism to bold colors, vintage revivals and smaller case sizes, albeit the latter with complications. 

For Parmigiani Fleurier, they’ve gone on to champion understated elegance in new rose gold editions in the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm lineup. Presented in three iterations — in sand gold, warm gray and white citrine dials — each timepiece centers on 18K rose gold as a central stylistic element, set with brilliant-cut diamonds or the latter mixed up in a different metal.

A new benchmark in ladies’ watches

Parmigiani Fleurier has long catered to its female clientele by developing watch lines specifically tailored for them. This meant breaking away from traditional stereotypes — that is, small and overly bejeweled — and thus introduced the Classic Ladies collection in 1996. Each watch featured a mechanical movement, sporting cases crafted from gold or platinum and set with diamonds in various versions, and dials with baguette-cut diamond hour markers.

28 years later, Parmigiani Fleurier’s commitment remains steadfast. Since its launch in 2021, the Tonda PF collection has since grown to include more compact case sizes, that is, introducing 36mm versions in 2022 and omitted the date window. This proved to work in their favor since at the 2022 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the rose gold model with diamond indexes won the Women’s Watch Prize.

Three new rose gold iterations 

This summer, the mid-year editions are designed for “a new generation of women who value both aesthetic purity and technical sophistication.” The first of two full 18K rose gold models feature the sand gold dial with brilliant-cut diamonds that trace along the bezel down to the bracelet’s outer edges. These precious stones vary in size in order to fit perfectly into the lugs and down to each tapered bracelet link. This opulence ends with a full pavé buckle, revealing only the brand logo in gilded letters.

The dial sports a dark nude color, which PF describes as “sand gold”. Against the Grain d’Orge pattern are 12 baguette diamond indices that provide a subtle contrast.

In the other model with a warm gray dial (which looks almost black), the baguette diamonds stand out in this case. Unlike the sand gold dial, the brilliant diamond setting is kept to the bezel, allowing one to adore the bracelet’s sheen in all its glory.

The two-tone steel-and-rose-gold makes a return, this time in a white citrine dial. This is the second iteration since introducing the two-tone steel and gold model last year, which debuted in a sandy gray dial. 

The beauty of these new Tonda PF 36s are that they are gorgeous watch-jewelry hybrids — dressy time-only pieces with all the beauty, brains and brawn.

Tech Specs: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic 36mm

Movement: Automatic-winding PF770; 60-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 36mm × 8.6mm; stainless steel; water-resistant to 100m
Dial: Sand gold, warm gray, or white citrine
Strap: 18K rose gold or two-tone steel and rose gold
Price: S$131,780 (sand gold); S$106,730 (warm gray); S$53,280 (white citrine)