Parmigiani Fleurier Premiers Minute Rattrapante Within Tonda PF Collection

One of our favorite releases from Watches & Wonders 2022 last year was the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante, a watch that presented a unique hidden 2nd hour hand that could be adjusted to a different time zone with a press of a button in the lug. For 2023, Parmigiani returns to this concept in a slightly different manner, with the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. Instead of offering a second 12 hour hand, this latest Tonda brings us a second, independently adjustable minute hand, offering the functionality we’d typically see in a rotating bezel, only, you know, without the bezel. As fun as bezels are to turn, pressing buttons might even be more fun, and this Parmigiani is about as entertaining as they come from a functional point of view. A bit less so in the visual department, but this is still a Tonda through and through. 

The Minute Rattrapante presents not one, but two buttons in both lugs along the 9 o’clock side of the case. These are used to adjust the second minute hand in 5 minute, and 1 minute increments. If you’ve just plugged your parking meter for 24 minutes, and you need to keep tabs on it, you’d press the button on the bottom four times to place the hand 20 minutes out, and the button at the top 4 times to bring it the full 24 minutes out. That will remain parked at that spot, while the regular minute hand catches up to it, eventually surpassing it to let you know how far you’ve gone over. Exactly the same as rotating the triangle of your bezel 24 minutes beyond your minute hand. Once you’ve finished your timing, a press of the button nested in the crown will return (hence the rattrapante) to its place hidden underneath the working minute hand.

Unlike most watches sporting a bezel, you won’t find oversized, lume filled markers and hands, rather the simple elegant shaped we’re accustomed to seeing from Parmigiani. This is a classy looking watch. The dial remains nearly sterile, save for polished hour markers sneaking into the dial at the perimeter, and a subtle minute chapter ring framing the grain d’orge guilloché textured dial. That means legibility of the timing hands and minute markers will not be on par with something a Tudor diver, but the Parmigiani isn’t exactly meant for extreme situations, either. Ironically, both would likely end up being used in similar day to day situations for most of us, so it really boils down to taste (and budget). 

The GMT Rattrapante featured a beautiful blue dial, offering a lovely bit of contrast with the gold GMT components. This year, the Minute Rattrapante gets a somewhat monotone color scheme with the same sandy gray dial color that we saw in the new 36mm Tonda, a watch we went hands-on with here. As chic as this colorway is, some contrast would have been a welcome addition to the watch, ideally in the form of color to bring some vibrancy to the design, not to mention aid in the practical department, as well. 

The steel 40mm case falls very much in line with what we saw in the GMT Rattrapante, and even manages to remain under 11mm in total thickness. There is an exhibition caseback offering a view to Parmigiani’s PF052 micro-rotor automatic movement, which is finished beautifully. 

Overall, this is a fun complication that’s been executed in a rather entertaining and innovative manner. An equally exciting colorway would have been welcome, but I wouldn’t rule anything out, given the updates seen across the Tonda collection that embrace vibrant reds and blues, not to mention different materials such as rose gold. As it sits here, the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante is priced at CHF 28,000. Parmigiani Fleurier