Parmigiani fleurier design tonda xiali chinese calender

Original painting size: 78 x 115 cm

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Xiali Chinese Calendar is a highly complex mechanical wristwatch and a world-first, designed to fully display the intricate lunisolar Chinese calendar system. It seamlessly integrates ancient cultural elements with Swiss watchmaking excellence.

Design and Aesthetics

The watch features a sophisticated, elegant design consistent with the Tonda PF collection, with high-end materials and finishes.

• Case: A 42 mm diameter case made of either stainless steel or 18ct rose gold, featuring alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces. The bezel is finely knurled 950 platinum (for the steel version) or matching rose gold (for the gold version).
• Dial: An “Imperial Red” dial with a hand-finished Grain d’Orge guilloché pattern. The hour markers and skeletonized delta-shaped hour/minute hands are crafted from 18ct gold with rhodium plating.
• Bracelet: An integrated bracelet in matching case material (stainless steel or 950 platinum) with polished and satin finishes and a folding clasp.

Complications and Movement

The Tonda PF Xiali is powered by the in-house manufactured Calibre PF008, an automatic movement with 353 components that delivers a power reserve of 54 hours. It is mechanically programmed to cover a 12-year cycle of the Chinese calendar, displaying complex information through various subdials:

• 12 o’clock Subdial: A three-level display for the name of the year, its associated zodiac animal, and the corresponding natural element (e.g., Wood, Fire) with Yin or Yang variations.
• 3 o’clock Subdial: Indicates the day number of the month (1 to 29 or 1 to 30) and an aperture for whether it is a “long” or “short” month.
• 9 o’clock Subdial: Shows the month number and an aperture to indicate the presence of an intercalary month (added approximately every three years to synchronize the lunar and solar cycles).
• 6 o’clock Subdial: Features a captivating moon phase display set against a blue aventurine sky, functional for both northern and southern hemispheres.
• Dial Periphery: The 24 solar terms, or “solar breaths” (which dictate agricultural cycles and seasons), are displayed around the outer edge of the dial in Chinese characters.