The ultimate sleeper sports chronograph steps out of the shadows

For a brand whose reputation is centered on impossibly beautiful dress watches and intricately finished movements, Parmigiani Fleurier sure knows its way around a sports watch.

In recent years, the Tonda PF line has become Parmigiani’s flagship, expanding to feature time-only models, GMTs and chronographs, along with the even sportier Tonda PF Sport line, which includes three-handers and chronographs.

The Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is especially interesting, as it boasts all of the beauty, elegance and exquisite finishing we associate with Parmigiani, but in a surprisingly sporty package featuring panda dials, rubber straps and advanced case materials.

A lot of people sleep on this chronograph, as it really should be talked about among the best sports chronographs in its class. And the latest edition is so gorgeous that it might just bring it into the limelight.

Brighten up

The latest Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is the brand’s third to be crafted from Ultra-Cermet, Parmigiani’s proprietary composite metal made from a mix of titanium and titanium carbide ceramic. It’s extremely strong and highly resistant to damage, while remaining lightweight and looking cool as hell with its anthracite metallic appearance.

PF utilizes this next-gen material for the case, knurled bezel, crown, chronograph pushers and the buckle on the strap, making it the only watch in the world with all these components crafted from a form of cermet (composite ceramic-metal hybrid).

The two previous Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet models both had very toned-down styling to match the cermet’s dark coloring. Both had vertically brushed Blackor dials, with one pairing this with gray subdials and a beige strap, and the other using navy for both elements.

The new reference, however, offers a lot more pop by juxtaposing its Ultra-Cermet case and Blackor-treated dial with Mineral Blue subdials and an integrated rubber strap in the same shade. The blue is akin to sky blue, and offers bright, summery contrast against the cold, dark metal vibes of the Ultra-Cermet. It seems to pull the watch from the shadows, demanding attention with its more striking design.

Outside of the color swap, this is the same watch as before. And that’s good, because this thing is a killer. It’s powered by PF’s in-house Calibre PF070-CSND, which is a COSC-certified, high-beat automatic chronograph oscillating at 5Hz with a power reserve of 65 hours. It’s beautifully decorated, as expected, and visible through a sapphire caseback.

The front crystal is also a sapphire, of course, and features anti-reflective coating. It protects the Blackor-treated dial adorned with 18K gold indices, which are also treated with Blackor for a dark finish.

The indices and hands are filled with Super-LumiNova for nighttime legibility, and the watch is water resistant to 100m; two features that bolster its status as a true sports watch. The sizing screams sports watch, too, as the chrono clocks in at a substantial but wearable 42.5mm across and 13.3mm thick.

Availability and pricing

Since its debut last year, the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet has always been a cool watch. But with its dark, somewhat bland styling, it lacked some of the beauty and elegance I normally associate with Parmigiani.

The new Mineral Blue version addresses this issue, as the watch is now far more visually compelling and gorgeous thanks to its smart use of a bright, contrasting color for the subdials and strap.

The watch is non-limited and joins PF’s lineup of Tonda PF Sport Chronographs. It’s available now and is priced at $48,800.