Parmigiani Fleurier launches its Tonda Métro Collection in the Middle East, available exclusively through Damas

Swiss watchmaker celebrates the UAE launch with a unique exhibition of urban-inspired Dubai and Abu Dhabi photographs at the Empty Quarter Gallery in Dubai

Dubai, UAE, May 19th 2014 - Prestige Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier launches today its Tonda Métro collection in the UAE, a range of men's and women's watches whose lines and essence embody the spirit and magic of great cities. The collection features 'Métrographe' watches for men and 'Métropolitaine' watches for women.

With this collection entirely manufactured in steel, Parmigiani Fleurier creates a new entry price point for its existing range of products, while keeping completely in line with the values of authenticity and independence that are particular to the brand within the watch industry. As such, all Tonda Métro collection watches have an open back case, allowing their owner to marvel at an automatic mechanical movement that is completely finished and decorated by hand in the brand’s workshops in Fleurier.

To celebrate the launch of the collection in the UAE, and its direct inspiration from cosmopolitan landscapes and proportions, Parmigiani Fleurier invited four Gulf-based photographers, through a partnership with the Empty Quarter Gallery, to showcase some of their never-seen-before artwork in Dubai. With images from photographers Sarah Abudawood, Al Moutasim Al Maskery, Daniel Cheong and Alisdair Miller , around the cosmopolitan theme “A City in Time”, the watchmaker set up a unique, pop-up photo exhibition in the DIFC, to be visible on May 19 only.

“Through simple, streamlined, essential designs and the choice of lighter materials, the Tonda Métro collection addresses a younger customer, who is mostly considering one watch to be worn from day to night. The UAE is a great place to echo the cosmopolitan inspiration behind this collection, with its futuristic landscapes and record-breaking skyscrapers, said Jean-Marc Jacot, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier. We felt strongly that launching an urban inspired collection here in Dubai, more than anywhere else in the world, required a direct connection and homage to the UAE residents, artists and photographers which help shape the city’s unique personality. We are proud and delighted to have had the chance to work with the Empty Quarter Gallery to exhibit 24 large prints of the UAE’s cities’ scene, as these directly reflect the spirit of our Tonda Métro collection.”

Both the men's and women's versions are characterised by their long proportions, which confer elegance. The calibre 3000 movement and its housing have been designed with extreme precision to produce a slim, refined case middle. The subtlety of the Métro collection - a slight imbalance which gives it its character - comes from the fact that the watch is asymmetrical: it has two different profiles. Its left-hand profile, which is devoid of a crown, is the classic, conventional side, and displays the brand's iconic teardrop shape. By contrast, its right-hand profile features elongated lugs which extend to the crown, reaching around it to envelop the chronograph push-buttons on the men's version. This asymmetry confers on the watch its subtly stylish identity; a touch of modernity that overturns conventions.

The aesthetics of the dials in the Métro collection use the principle of contrasts to highlight a particular aspect of the piece. On the men's Tonda Métrographe, the chronograph complication is underlined thanks to the highlighting of its minute and hour counters. The grey counters, which sit on top of snailed discs, stand out against the white grained dial; on the black dial version they are outlined with Superluminova material which picks them out in the daytime and renders them luminous at night. The two counters form a slanted figure 8, a characteristic sign of the Parmigiani Fleurier brand.

On the Tonda Métropolitaine, feminine curves soften the piece's modern lines. The straight outline of the case finds its contrast in the 'flinqué' finishes on the dial, which take the form of undulating waves. The numerals and index are inlaid, standing out in rounded relief from a two-dimensional background characterised by straight lines.

The Métro collection sees Parmigiani Fleurier introduce a new concept featuring straps and bracelets in leather and steel. The grained calf leather with Hermès signature produces a very distinctive effect. Its edge is of a different colour and polished, giving it a perfectly smooth surface in contrast with the rest. For example, a caramel-coloured strap features a bright red edge; a black strap is edged in white; étoupe is twinned with a grey edge for a subtle contrast.

Each version of the Tonda Métro, both men's and women's, is also available with a steel bracelet of remodelled design. In keeping with the spirit of the collection, the bracelets' proportions have been redesigned to produce a slimmer, elongated and more streamlined appearance for a more aesthetically pleasing case. The links which form the profile of the steel bracelet feature Parmigiani Fleurier's iconic teardrop shape. Each link has unique dimensions, and is precisely calculated to ensure optimal ergonomics and perfect continuity between the case middle and the bracelet.

The Tonda Métro collection is available exclusively in Damas stores across Dubai.