Parmigiani Fleurier presents the Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual calendar. A colorful variation on its previous Hegira perpetual calendar in platinum, awarded in 2020 at the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève.
Coinciding with Ramadan (this year from March 10 to April 9), a period of fasting marked by a number of exclusive edition luxury products celebrating Arab culture, last month Parmigiani Fleurier unveiled its Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar. This complex timepiece displays the Hegira calendar, a system of time measurement based on lunar cycles and dear to Muslim populations.
Featuring a stainless steel case, this self-winding PF009 caliber model offers a 48-hour power reserve and water resistance to 100 meters.
The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar model will enable the Swiss watchmaker, founded in 1996, to support its strong sales growth in the Middle East, particularly in Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, where it has numerous points of sale.
A calendar based on the Hegira
Introduced in 2019, the Tonda PF Hijri is directly inspired by a pocket watch featuring a Hegira – or Arabic – calendar, which founder Michel Parmigiani restored in 2011 and managed to adapt into a wristwatch. Awarded the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2020, the Tonda PF Hijri was reissued in 2023.
According to the Muslim religion, the day in 622 when the prophet Mohammed left Mecca for Medina symbolizes the starting point of the calendar. This episode, known as the Hegira – or exile – gives its name to the Hegira calendar. Based on lunar cycles, the Hegira calendar, developed in the 8th century by Muslim scholars and astronomers, contrasts sharply with the Gregorian calendar used in the West. It features alternating months of between 29 and 30 days, forming a 30-year cycle of 19 common years and 11 abundant years.
In addition to hours and minutes, the Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar features four sub-dials displaying information related to this measurement system. The counter at 12 o’clock shows the 30-year cycle. The counter at 3 o’clock displays the current month. It shows the four sacred months, during which all violence is forbidden and piety and good deeds are encouraged. The month of Ramadan, a period of fasting from sunrise to sunset, culminating in Eid al-Fitr, is indicated in red. Another sub-dial at 9 o’clock indicates the date. Finally, a display at 6 o’clock shows the different moon phases on an aventurine disc.
A new green hue
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Featured Photo: © Parmigiani Fleurier
