Seldom do Italy and the United States synchronize quite so perfectly as they did at the close of October, when Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier introduced its latest horological offering, the Tonda 1950 Tourbillon, on both sides of the Atlantic, just days apart.
While the Italian fête garnered the likes of photographer Massimo Sestini and the artist Giacomo Costa, the stateside affair held in the Miami Design District had extra significance, as it marked the luxury timepiece brand’s first US flagship.
“Miami was the perfect location for their first US stand-alone store,” said Parmigiani Fleurier President Thierry Collot. “The Design District is [not only] a shopping destination, but [it] also serves as a crossroads of continents.” So it’s no wonder that the brand would choose Miami to launch the Tonda, currently the world’s thinnest self-winding microrotor flying tourbillon. This technological feat required two years of research and development by designers, engineers and watchmakers, who pored over every detail from design to production.
Available with a white gold or rose gold dial—which can also be set with diamonds—and choice of alligator or calf leather strap made by Hermès, one would argue that options for the incredibly thin Tonda 1950 are hardly slim pickings.
Parmigiani Fleurier, 140 N.E. 39th Street, Miami, FL 33137, 786-615-9656
