Introducing The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet Mineral Blue

The 2022 Tonda PF Sport collection was originally designed as the weekend watch of a studied Parmigiani customer and was part of a marked design reset that the collecting community met with resounding enthusiasm. Competing in the fiercely competitive field of integrated bracelet sports watches,  the delicate, minimal dials of the PF Chronographs and three-handers riffed off this new aesthetic, with details including skeletonised alpha hands, discreet markers and a clean, almost architectural style that nicely contrasts with the elegant teardrop-like lug design and gently fluted bezel. 

The 2025 monochromatic Ultra-Cermet editions pushed into the somewhat surprising new territory of material science and remain the only watches built with both a case and almost every external component made from Ultra-Cermet. Now, the new Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet Mineral Blue arrives as the latest iteration, but before we dive into the watch itself, let’s first put on our lab coats and explain what this super-hard titanium alloy is and does, starting at Ford Motor Company.

The term Cermet predates modern luxury watchmaking by decades and was first developed by Ford Motor Company in 1959 as a cutting tool material, comprising a composite of titanium carbide in a nickel-cobalt matrix that was prized for its hardness and wear resistance at high speeds. The word itself is a portmanteau of ceramic and metal, and the category covers any sintered composite that bonds ceramic particles within a metallic binder. 

The watchmaking industry adopted it in the early 1980s when Omega produced a limited run Seamaster edition, nicknamed the Black Tulip, with a case and bracelet in Cermet as one of the first appearances of the material category in watchmaking. The experiment was short-lived, running only from 1981 to 1982, but it established cermet as a possible, albeit challenging, watchmaking material.

Parmigiani’s Ultra-Cermet makes up the entire 42.5mm case (13.3mm thick) and fittings in a single unified material. That means all 72 components are made using the material, including the middle case, the fluted bezel, the screw-down crown, and the chronograph pushers. All are crafted entirely from Ultra-Cermet, with charming satin-brushed and polished details that reveal the dark lustre of the material, while maintaining the understated style we have grown to appreciate in the Tonda PF collection. This might seem on the large size in today’s shrinking diameters, but the short curved lugs and wrist-hugging textured rubber strap make for excellent ergonomics. The comfort of the case shape is one I can personally vouch for after wearing a solid gold version for a Genevan lunch a year ago, which, despite its weighty presence, was comfortable enough to almost make me forget I was wearing it.

The Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet Mineral Blue is the latest expression of Parmigiani’s commitment to material technology and has the added panache of mineral blue accents that nicely juxtapose the dark case and vertically brushed Blackor dial. The blue chronograph counters provide a summer-ready colour contrast, with the hand-applied 18K gold indices also being Blackor-plated and applied with discreet lume. 

Inside sits the in-house PF070 calibre, COSC-certified and running at a high-frequency 36,000 vph, delivering a perfectly reasonable 65 hours of power reserve. The skeletonised 22ct rose gold rotor is visible through the sapphire caseback, and as this is a precious yet scratch-proof sports watch, it is rated to 100 metres of water resistance.

Ultra-Cermet is a genuinely interesting material proposition, and Parmigiani makes a credible case for its use. The Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet Mineral Blue is a great alternative for the collector who wants to veer off the well-trodden path of more common sports chronographs, guaranteed to spark conversations about how high-tech ceramic reads as a distinct, smooth-surface statement. 

It’s this exact kind of statement that Guido Terreni, Parmigiani Fleurier’s CEO, is trying to make with the watches offered by the brand at the moment. “To me, we are living through a transformative moment, “ Terreni told me about the changing face of watch collecting and luxury purchases when I caught up with him a few months ago. “This is especially true at the pinnacle of the market, where wealth alone is no longer sufficient to express luxury. A discerning customer goes beyond that. They are looking to express taste, sophistication, education – things money cannot simply buy.”

Terreni also understands the value of a watch as a conversation piece, one bought in appreciation of craftsmanship rather than a simple wealth-stamp of approval. “When someone notices you have a Parmigiani, it’s rare,” Terreni explains. “When that recognition happens, you form a bond, and you start talking watches at a higher level because you’re facing a fellow enthusiast. But you don’t care if someone else doesn’t know. If you’re in the know, you know, and that’s a big part of the brand’s value.” 

This appreciation of quiet luxury is not lost on me and brings to mind logo-less style from brands like Loro Piana. “I would go further, into what I’d call sartorialism, Terreni said, adding, “those brands that are truly in the know to know. Natalini, Kiton, or even an unbranded tailor, which is perhaps the purest expression of all. The comparison with fashion and menswear is always relevant for us, because we apply the same eye as a tailor to a watch.”

With this in mind, the Mineral Blue colourway is well-judged, offering enough chromatic contrast to set it apart as a distinct reference without disrupting the main character energy of the Ultra-Cermet as a material. The PF070 in-house movement is a serious choice for a chronograph at 5Hz, and the COSC certification gives it credibility beyond the spec sheet. What remains to be seen is the price, which will determine whether Parmigiani is pitching this at serious collectors or at the broader sport-luxury market. Either way, this is a watch that rewards looking closely, which is precisely the point.

Brand: Parmigiani Fleurier
Model: Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet Mineral Blue
Reference Number: PFC931-1020024-400182
Diameter: 42.5mm
Thickness: 13.3mm
Case Material: Ultra-Cermet (titanium and titanium carbide alloy)
Dial: Satin-finished vertically brushed Blackor-plated with blue chronograph counters
Indices: 18K gold appliqués, Blackor-plated, hand-applied with luminescent coating
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 100 metres
Strap/Bracelet: Mineral Blue textured rubber strap with Ultra-Cermet pin buckle

Calibre: PF070
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, small seconds
Power Reserve: 65 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 5 Hz
Chronometer Certified: Yes

Price: CHF40,400 (~A$78,200)
Available: Now
Limited Edition: No

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