Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Parmigiani Fleurier · Tonda PF
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 43 mm Meteorite Sapphire
Reference 73978OR.93
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Parmigiani Fleurier
- Collection
- Tonda PF
- Model
- Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 43 mm Meteorite Sapphire
- Reference number
- 73978OR.93
- Year / era
- 1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 89B — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1996 – 2012
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 43 mm Meteorite Sapphire sits within Parmigiani Fleurier's Tonda PF line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1996 — sapphire crystal case case, meteorite dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Parmigiani Fleurier
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1996
- Founder
- Michel Parmigiani
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Tonda PF, Toric, Kalpa, Tonda GT, Tonda Metrographe
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Shock-absorbing movement mounting
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 42 mm Skeletonised Ceramic (1996) · Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic (2000) · Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 43 mm Meteorite Sapphire (1996) · Parmigiani Fleurier Toric 38 mm Black Stainless (1996)
Brand history
Parmigiani Fleurier has spent more than 30 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Tonda PF, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Michel Parmigiani established Parmigiani Fleurier in 1996, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Parmigiani Fleurier calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1996
Michel Parmigiani founds Parmigiani Fleurier in Switzerland.
2024
Parmigiani Fleurier continues to produce Tonda PF, Toric, Kalpa and other icons in limited numbers.
More Tonda PF
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 41 mm Blue Sapphire
Ref. 85068OR.21
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 37 mm Green Ceramic
Ref. 10596OR.47
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 42 mm Skeletonised Ceramic
Ref. 95434OR.84
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 39 mm Black Platinum
Ref. 37943OR.46
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic
Ref. 95160OR.22