Parmigiani Fleurier Ref. C00450 Onyx Stone Toric Classic - Unpolished/Flawless Dial - Full Set
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- Specifications
In the 1970’s, watchmaker Michel Parmigiani opened a workshop to restore vintage timepieces, serving companies such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Breguet, and worked on some of the most important watches ever produced. His expertise as a classically trained watchmaker led him to begin making unique timepieces for clients and he founded his own brand in 1996, with the first watches being sold in 1999. Thus, Parmigiani Fleurier was born.
From the onset, Parmigiani Fleurier was deeply committed to the in-house production of nearly every component of its watches. In fact, they now only outsource the production of sapphire crystals and leather straps. Each and every component is made within their workshops, a testament to their quality control and commitment to producing high quality watches utilizing classical watchmaking techniques.
Parmigiani’s first line of watches, the Toric, was met with immediate success in the market as collectors championed the brand’s unique design. Michel Parmigiani drew inspiration from classical design, such as the Golden Ratio and Greco-Roman architecture to produce his first watches. From this inspiration, came the Toric’s most distinctive feature—its stepped bezel, which knurls around the case giving the impression of a Greco-Roman column head. These early Toric watches have become highly sought after by prominent collectors who appreciate Parmigiani’s important influence on horological design.
On offer here, the Toric Classic, one of Parmigiani’s first designs, is presented in an unpolished 36mm 18K rose gold case with open display caseback. The original purchase receipt dates the sale of this watch to 2000, only one year after Parmigiani’s first watches were retailed. The 36mm case wears perfectly and we believe that this 36mm case size is the best wearing and most desired case ever produced by Parmigiani. It can only be found on two early Parmigiani models: The Toric Classic and the Toric Memory Time. This Toric Classic showcases a beautiful guilloche engraved 22K rose gold rotor and high level of movement finishing. The watch dial is a flawless onyx stone encircled by a Greco-Roman inspired insignia engraved on the chapter ring, which helps to denote the time on the minimalist stone dial and gracefully carries Parmigiani’s design language across the watch. The watch comes complete with all of its original contents and is a collector’s dream-come-true full set with original purchase receipt from renowned Geneva retailer Gubelin.
Amongst the most coveted of the early Toric watches is the Toric Classic featuring a stone dial. The Toric Classic time-only design was produced in three different stones: onyx, lapis, and mother-of-pearl. Extraordinarily rare, collectors have long debated the total production numbers of these watches. In a 2023 interview with Hodinkee, Michel Parmigiani stated that he believes fewer than 30 of each stone dial Toric Classic were produced. That places the Toric Classic amongst the rarest watches ever produced by Parmigiani Fleurier. Considering the rarity of the stone dial, that this is one of the earliest designs, and one of only two designs produced in a 36mm case, this watch is one of the most historically significant Parmigiani watches. In the collecting community, it is widely agreed upon that a stone dial Toric Classic is one of the crowning gems of any collection as they virtually never come up for sale and are thus nearly impossible to acquire. As many prominent collectors and dealers have commented on vintage watch collecting, money can only get you so far as many of the world’s greatest timepieces are simply not for sale. This is, without a doubt, a unique opportunity to acquire an exceedingly rare and important watch that may not be seen again in the market for a long time.
Reference: C 00450
Model: Toric Classic
Movement: Automatic 25-jewel in-house Parmigiani caliber with 22K rose gold guilloche-engraved rotor and Côte de Genève finishing.
Year: Circa 1999-2000
Contents: The watch comes as a true complete set, including its original purchase receipt from renowned Geneva watch retailer Gubelin.
Case: Unpolished 36mm case in mint condition. It features an open caseback and cabochon crown.
Dial: Flawless onyx stone dial featuring engraved rose gold chapter ring.
Strap & Buckle: The watch comes with its original black alligator strap along with an additional Huntington Company green alligator strap and its original 18K rose gold Parmigiani signed buckle.
Parmigiani Fleurier Ref. C00450 Onyx Stone Toric Classic - Unpolished/Flawless Dial - Full Set
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