The Art of Calendar: Parmigiani Fleurier Stuns with Tonda PF Hijri Calendar

In 2011, Michel Parmigiani created the Hijri Calendar Table Clock after he was inspired by the restoration of a pocket watch that featured an Arabic calendar. This remarkable achievement was even topped when the genius watchmaker and restorer implemented the complex mechanism in a wristwatch as the Hijri Perpetual Calendar which earned him the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Innovation Prize. Three years later, Parmigiani Fleurier released the Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar in a platinum case with an updated design and a simpler dial.

The latest execution is presented in stainless steel in the signature Tonda PF case which is distinguished by a knurled platinum bezel. As is typical for this elegant yet robust collection, its water-resistance is rated up to 100 meters. The Tonda PF Hijri Calendar measures 42mm in diameter by 11.2mm tick.

The case is paired with a vivid “Viridian” green dial, a new shade for Parmigiani, and adorned with the collections signature grain d’orge guilloche and gold rhodium-plated markers and hands. Four sub dials display the complex information based on the Tabular Islamic calendar which was developed by Muslim scholars and astronomers in the 8th century. This system makes it possible for historians to convert Islamic dates to Gregorian dates. The first year of the Hijri calendar corresponds to the year 622 CE and is marked by the Prophet Muhammad’s Hijrah (Arabic for “migration”) from Mecca to Medina in modern-day Saudi Arabia. The lunar Hijri calendar is based on the cycles of the moon in comparison to the solar Gregorian calendar and lunisolar Chinese Xiali calendar. This makes for a 30-year cycle with each year consisting of 12 months that are 29 or 30 days long. In each 30-year cycle there are 19 common years consisting of 354 days and 11 abundant years consisting of 355 days.

There are four sacred months of the year during when there is to be no violence, no war, or wrongdoing, but rather a renewed and heightened focus on piety and carrying out good deeds. Three of these sacred months occur consecutively beginning with the 11th month of the year Dhul-Qa’dah (denoted by ١١†on the month sub-dial) followed by Dhul-Hijjah (denoted by ١٢), and then the first month of the new year which is Muharram (denoted by ١). These three sacred months being consecutive makes sense when one considers that Dhul-Hijjah is when the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca occurs, with the months before and after ensuring peaceful journeys to Mecca and to return home. Finally there is Rajab (denoted by ٧) which is the seventh month of the year. Right in the middle of the year, Rajab is also a time for peace and reflection in the lead-up to Ramadan as well as a time for the voluntary pilgrimage to Mecca known as an Umrah. Denoted by ٩†in red is the month of Ramadan during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown for either 29 or 30 days. The month culminates with Eid al-Fitr which is the first of two major Islamic holidays, the second of which being Eid Al-Adha which always lands on the tenth day of the last month of the year.

The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar displays all of the above information on the dial. The sub dial at 12 o’clock indicates the 30-year cycle with the abundant 355-day years in beige and the standard 354-day years in white. The sub dial at 3 o’clock indicates the numbered months of the year, with the ninth month of Ramadan highlighted in bright red. The sub dial at 9 o’clock shows the days of the month with an aperture indicating whether it is a 30-day abundant month or a 29-day common month. A white aperture indicates a 29-day month. The activated beige aperture indicates a 30-day month, with the number 30 in beige and written in Arabic as ۳۰†Finally, the sub dial at 6 o’clock features spotlights the moon-phase displays of both hemispheres, which is beautifully crafted from aventurine.

At the heart of the Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar is the self-winding caliber PF009, which operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 48 hours. Finished to the highest standards, this manufacture movement is endowed with beveled bridges, a skeletonized rotor, and Geneva Waves as well as perlage.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar retails for $67,200.

To learn more, visit Parmigiani Fleurier, here.