Parmigiani Tonda Transforma Chronograph

Parmigiani Fleurier presents a new watch, or is it a new pocket watch… or maybe a desk-clock? The new Tonda Transforma Chronograph is all of the above!

The idea is very cool, during the day you’re wearing your wrist watch. Late at night you take it out of it’s holder and insert it into a holder made of macassar (ebony wood) and it becomes your table or nightstand clock. Fancy to wear a pocket watch on a chain? That’s possible as well with the Parmigiani Tonda Transforma Chronograph.

Inside ticks the same movement as in the Kalpagraph and in the Pershing Chronograph, calibre PF 334, an in-house developed and produced chronograph caliber with automatic winding. Calibre PF 334 has a power reserve of 55 hours. Besides the chronograph, it also has a date function that is visible in a large aperture at the 6 o’clock position.

The two chronograph function is visible on the raised graphite-colored hour and minute counters (30 minutes and 12 hours), which are positioned at the 9 and 6 o’clock position. The silvered dial features a Côtes de Genève decoration, that is applied in Parmigiani’s own workshops. On the outside of the dial, is a relatively wide ring with tachymeter scale.

The actual watch is fitted inside a steel holder, that can be opened by simply pressing the two lateral push-pieces on the two lower lugs. By pushing the push-pieces the jaw-like holder opens up and the actual watch can be taken out. That can be clipped into the rounded steel fob watch holder, that also provides access to the chronograph pushers as well as the crown (for winding and setting). The steel fob watch holder can be extended by a steel chain, so that the Transforma becomes one of the classics of the watchmaking world.

A third way of enjoying the Parmigiani Tonda Transforma is to place it in a table clock holder made from macassar wood. Once the timepiece is positioned, the rotating presentation case starts up the winding mechanism automatically. At the end of the process, the table clock places the Transforma in a vertical position to make the time readable. Three small compartments on the side have been designed to hold the fob watch and its chain, the warranty card or any other Transforma components.

The steel Transforma is equipped with an Hermès alligator leather strap with deployant buckle and is available for € 24,500 Euro (including tax/VAT). More info through the Parmigiani website.

This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor for Monochrome Watches.