Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT

[simong800]

Hello all.

I last posted in the watch forum around December I think, when I picked up a blue dial GP Laureato. I quite like "under the radar" watches versus "please rob me because this is worth £100k" watches given the recent hype that has seen things like AP and PP go from WIS brands to absolutely everywhere.

My latest object of affection is the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT and Tondagraph GT range where they have some absolute beauties. It's a brand I am only becoming familiar with very lately, and was just keen to see if there are any other fans on here at all? My GP post bought a surprising number of responses, when I was broadly expecting "Girard who?"

Generally prefer rubber straps to stainless (most brands dont have micro adjustments on their stainless which makes getting a good fit near impossible), and both of these look amazing on rubber to me;





I'd be keen to hear of any experiences with the brand or these models.

Cheers!

[Guycord]

I agree,

I have a number of Rolex - which I no longer wear that much. Im starting to see them as rather vulgar.

I think Parmigiani, GP and UN on one level offer good bang for buck for style, technical excellence and price. I would also have Laurent Ferrier in preference to PP (unless it is a 5124G)

[gregs656]

The GMT rattrapante they released this year is absolutely awesome. They make some nice watches and seem to have their own design language.

[Louis Balfour]

si800 said:

Hello all.

I last posted in the watch forum around December I think, when I picked up a blue dial GP Laureato. I quite like "under the radar" watches versus "please rob me because this is worth £100k" watches given the recent hype that has seen things like AP and PP go from WIS brands to absolutely everywhere.

My latest object of affection is the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT and Tondagraph GT range where they have some absolute beauties. It's a brand I am only becoming familiar with very lately, and was just keen to see if there are any other fans on here at all? My GP post bought a surprising number of responses, when I was broadly expecting "Girard who?"

Generally prefer rubber straps to stainless (most brands dont have micro adjustments on their stainless which makes getting a good fit near impossible), and both of these look amazing on rubber to me;





I'd be keen to hear of any experiences with the brand or these models.

Cheers!

I had a Parmigiani Tonda Metrographe.

It was a stunning looking watch, but had some issues. So it went back to PF and returned with more issues.

I also found out that much of what I had been told by their boutique was nonsense. The factory too spun me a number of stories. My favourite was when I asked what their timekeeping tolerances were. "How accurate is yours?" came the reply. I told them and they said, "that is our timekeeping tolerance".

This was all against a backdrop of Parmigiani pulling out of the UK and downsizing their HQ operation.

So I rejected the watch and got my card provider to refund me.

In summary, some great designs but a shocking company to deal with even when they were still in the UK (just). I cannot believe that they would be a delight to deal with now, as a UK owner.

[53x11]

I also love this watch and was considering one in the future as I currently have a basic time and date Kalpa.

Just sent the Kalpa in for a service after much faffing and authorised dealers being a bit cagey.

Cost was £150 just to send the watch back to the manufacturer as there is nobody in the UK willing or able to service it.

Just got my quote. "That will be £1600 for a basic service please. Not including any replacement parts needed or any case polishing".

That is just taking the **** when a repair/service on my Tudor Advisor was £360. Its coming back un-serviced as it was working just fine and it was preventative maintenance rather than anything else.

[Louis Balfour]

53x11 said:

I also love this watch and was considering one in the future as I currently have a basic time and date Kalpa.

Just sent the Kalpa in for a service after much faffing and authorised dealers being a bit cagey.

Cost was £150 just to send the watch back to the manufacturer as there is nobody in the UK willing or able to service it.

Just got my quote. "That will be £1600 for a basic service please. Not including any replacement parts needed or any case polishing".

That is just taking the **** when a repair/service on my Tudor Advisor was £360. Its coming back un-serviced as it was working just fine and it was preventative maintenance rather than anything else.

You could take it to their “dedicated UK service centre”.

I went there myself. To anyone not in the know it would appear to be a bloke working from his dining room table. On multiple makes of watch.

Happily, he tutted and told me he couldn’t “do” my model, so he sent it back to Parmigiani without the strap, because he “couldn’t send sharkskin” despite the fact it was marked leather.

As far as I could tell, it’s a brand based upon smoke and mirrors.

[ARFBY]

Interesting comments regarding servicing.

I have read a number a positive reviews of PF watches, and of course servicing is never mentioned.

I think they look great: My only problem (well, apart from not having the spare cash) is that the name sounds too much like an Italian cheese. so for that reason "I'm out".

[Louis Balfour]

ARFBY said:

Interesting comments regarding servicing.

I have read a number a positive reviews of PF watches, and of course servicing is never mentioned.

I think they look great: My only problem (well, apart from not having the spare cash) is that the name sounds too much like an Italian cheese. so for that reason "I'm out".

I think they are probably good watches, though the design of mine was not that well thought through. The sub-dials were all luminous so in the dark all you could see was a glowing green mass.

If I had to guess at the root cause of the problems I had - I think they used to sell movements to other brands and that business was diminishing. They were pulling out of the UK, their boutique was I suspect under pressure and selling bugger all.

A lot of chains, e.g. Chisholm Hunter, were allegedly agents for them, despite never having seen one as far as anyone there knew.

The Swiss side of things didn't seem to know what they were talking about. I managed to get hold of one of their directors and he seemed not THAT bothered about their product.

For my money, I need to buy into a manufacturer and I need to have some faith in them. In the end, I had heard enough of Parmigiani's stories and wanted out.

[Joe Strummers Guitar]

I have been looking at the Tonda GT and thought it a beautiful watch, I had the GP Chronohawk until recently and like the idea of something that is a little different. That all said the servicing issues mentioned above are a big concern. Lot of money to drop on a watch no one wants to service.........

[simong800]

Thanks for the feedback here chaps.

I must admit I am surprised by the comments on poor servicing. I incorrectly assumed a small independent manufacturer would be top tier for customer service.

Generally speaking I've never once owned a watch that needed sending back for repairs and haven't ever kept anything long enough to need a service so perhaps won't effect me.

Currently deciding between the black vs panda whilst also working out how much I am comfortable with writing off as a complete loss as pre owned PF's look to completely tank but there aren't any pre owned/grey versions of these available. As such would likely be paying retail which means IF I did part company in future there's likely to be a massive hit.....

[Meeten-5dulx]

si800 said:

Thanks for the feedback here chaps.

Currently deciding between the black vs panda whilst also working out how much I am comfortable with writing off as a complete loss as pre owned PF's look to completely tank but there aren't any pre owned/grey versions of these available. As such would likely be paying retail which means IF I did part company in future there's likely to be a massive hit.....

Surely the above experiences are enough to make you look at another brand.

Paying 5 figures, taking the hit on depreciation and the lack of after sale care is a combination I wouldn’t be comfortable taking on

[simong800]

Meeten-5dulx said:

Surely the above experiences are enough to make you look at another brand.

Paying 5 figures, taking the hit on depreciation and the lack of after sale care is a combination I wouldn’t be comfortable taking on

Not at this stage I don't think.

The service cost doesn't bother me too much, I believe AP charge not dissimilar (£1300) for a Royal Oak Chrono with extra costs for polishing so that seems around par for a high end watch.

So really the main point of concern is one posters experience, which could of course be indicative of a terrible brand OR could be just one person who has had a bad experience versus many who have had a great one.

I wouldn't rule out the whole brand based on one person's experience, but will continue to research and granted if it's a recurring theme from multiple owners it will definitely give me something to think about. It's definitely helpful intel in terms of building a picture.

The depreciation is admittedly a bit of an unknown as there isn't really a used market for these watches to benchmark against. Unlike some I don't see watches an investment to make me money - I have stocks to do that for me - so some depreciation is absolutely acceptable. However I am also by nature quite tight and don't like throwing money away. If I was guaranteed to lose 80% say then I'd certainly be out!

The purchase cost makes it a compelling option, as the products you'd perhaps cross shop it with are at such insane pre owned prices that they aren't even comparable.

[Regbuser]

Deffo a second hand market > https://www.chrono24.co.uk/search/index.htm?query=...

[simong800]

Regbuser said:

Deffo a second hand market > https://www.chrono24.co.uk/search/index.htm?query=...

Yes sorry, the brand in general absolutely. But the specific models I am interested on is much more limited.

Panda Dial Tondagraph GT looks like there are 3 in the world (£14.2k cheapest but thats a private seller in Switzerland);

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/search/index.htm?query=...

Black Dial Tonda GT there is one advert but looks a ghost ad to me;

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/search/index.htm?query=...

There are only 250 of these being made so I guess there will never be a massive sample size.

On one hand if they tank in the same way a Kalpa does then that's something to take into consideration for sure!

But not all watches from the same brand are created equal - what a Patek 5711 does is very different to a Patek Complications for example (not saying they are similar to the PF in any way, just comparing depreciation of different lines in the same brand).

Hope that makes sense!

[simong800]

Just updating this thread with an "incoming" having picked this beauty up a few days ago.

I didn't manage to try on the Panda Tondagraph, but decided the slimness (11.2mm vs 13.7mm) of the Tonda GT meant it is more what I am looking for. This feels a special watch to wear, and is a very nice change from others in my collection;




FWIW the AD has advised me service cost £850 on this watch, not that it's a huge concern but know it was flagged by others (and again thanks for the helpful comments around this).

Really loving the recent PF releases and think they are onto a few clear winners! As cliche as it is, pictures dont do this justice, it really has to be seen in person to appreciate fully.

Cheers

[WhisperingWasp]

That looks absolutely stunning.

[NDA]

gregs656 said:

The GMT rattrapante they released this year is absolutely awesome. They make some nice watches and seem to have their own design language.

Yes, I have been looking at that one too. Very nice watch.

[simong800]

WhisperingWasp said:

That looks absolutely stunning.

Thank you! Really pleased with it

[NDA]

si800 said:

I last posted in the watch forum around December I think, when I picked up a blue dial GP Laureato.

My latest object of affection is the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda GT

You and I have similar tastes! I pick up my Laureato on Monday... also keen on the PF - but will resist.