A piece of striking beauty, elegance and technical complexity, the Toric Hemispheres Retrograde by independent Swiss watch manufacturer Parmigiani Fleurier is a superb hand finished wristwatch, which combines the brand’s classical and distinctive styling with state of the art contemporary haute horlogerie, in a new blue dial.

Featuring two independently adjusted time zones, each with its own with day and night display, as well as a retrograde date indication, the Toric Hemispheres Retrograde is designed to be a companion to the sophisticated world traveller, for whom individuality, distinguished good looks and exclusivity are key sartorial elements.

Measuring 42.8mm across and just under 12mm in height, the round case is manufactured in stainless steel, with a high polish finish, and features the Parmigiani Fleurier hallmark of a stepped coin-edge knurled bezel. There are two crowns, above and below the three o’clock position, via which the ‘home’ and ‘local’ time can be set to the minute.

The blue dial is decorated with a Grain de Riz guilloché, and has an asymmetric layout, with the central hours and minutes displaying the local time, while the home time is displayed on the slightly recessed subdial beneath the twelve. An unusual feature is how each can be adjusted, independent of the other, to the minute, which makes it one of the very few watches which can accommodate not only the twenty-four recognised time zones, but also regional variations, of which there are estimated to be in excess of two hundred. The small black and white displays indicate both day and night and twenty-four hour time, with the small constant seconds also shown at the six.

The date numerals are configured in an arc which spans the outer dial between the two and ten o’clock positions, and the red crescent-tipped pointer which indicates the date has a retrograde function. The hour and minute hands are tipped with Super-LumiNova, providing excellent legibility in low light environs.

Underneath, a sapphire caseback reveals the proprietary PF317 self-winding mechanism. Developed with independent movement specialist Agenhor, this movement features a reduced, off-centre oscillating weight of 22ct gold, with immaculate Côtes de Genève ribbing, polished anglage and perlage decoration applied by hand to the exacting standards of haute horlogerie. Beating at 28’800 vib/h (4Hz) it delivers a minimum of fifty hours of power reserve.

A wonderful wristwatch from one of independent watchmaking’s pioneering and respected manufacturers, the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemispheres Retrograde offers exceptional practicality to the connoisseur traveller, and is presented on a blue alligator leather strap with folding deployant clasp.