By Meor Amri Meor Ayob
I love blue dial watches. The Tonda Métrographe Abyss Blue by Parmigiani Fleurier fits the bill nicely.
In my view, this chronograph is definitely very smart looking a dress watch instead of a sports watch. The size is a very acceptable 40 mm diameter with a watch casing in polished stainless steel. The use of titanium and stainless steel for the bracelet with alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces creates a very sublime looking timepiece. I like the way the lugs helps merge the bracelet and the watch casing seamlessly. Coupled with a thickness of just 11.7 mm, Tonda Métrographe Abyss Blue looks very sophisticated and complements the wearer.
The watch is very traditional. The large pusher buttons for the chronograph and the crown are set to the right of the watch casing. The small dots at the end of each hour markers are painted with Super-LumiNova. The seconds hand is thin whereas the hours and minutes hands are shaped like Roman daggers and painted with Super-LumiNova. On the dial are three sub-dials shaped like the silhouette of Mickey Mouse. The seconds sub-dial in at 3 o’clock, the 30 minute counter sub-dial is at 9 o’clock and the 12 hour counter sub-dial in at 6 o’clock. Within the 12 hour counter sub-dial, at the bottom, is a date window that shows a three-date series. A notable visual cue that is a Parmigiani theme is the figure “8” made out of the 30 minute counter sub-dial and the 12 hour counter sub-dial that are painted with Super-LumiNova.
It was reported that the special blue tone on the dial was created using a special electrolysis process that requires a perfectly controlled temperature and timing. As electricity flows into the electroplating bath, the colour starts changing from one colour to another until the desired colour appears. At this point, the whole electrolysis process must be stopped completely to stop any further colour changes.
The Tonda Métrographe Abyss Blue is powered by an in-house self-winding PF315 movement. This calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 42 hours.
If you are not particularly into the titanium and stainless steel bracelet, you can opt for a blue Hermès calf strap instead. The colour on the strap does compliment the blue dial elegantly.
Overall, I like the overall symmetry on the dial. The clever placement of the sub-dials as well as the location of the date window within the 12 hour counter sub-dial makes it look very balanced. I definitely don’t mind having it in my collection. For more info, please visit parmigiani.ch
MEOR AMRI MEOR AYOB – CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Meor Amri is a passionate watch collector from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Having bitten by the horology bug in 2010, he has written extensively about the watch scene and has assembled a large collection of watches (excessively!!!) on his own free time. His blogs on the same subject are: Eastern Watch & Western Watch Read his articles here
