Islam very clearly teaches the value of time, and Muslims must be conscious of time in all that they do, especially when it comes to prayers and fasting. Clocks and timekeeping were also some of the most significant developments of Muslim civilisation, such as Al-Jazari’s elephant clock, which is an ingenious mechanical device that still influences the modern world of engineering.
Likewise, it is the belief of Parmigiani Fleurier that watchmaking should reveal history, culture and philosophy, and The Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar is the perfect embodiment of this vision. It is an extension of the first-ever Hijri Perpetual Calendar wristwatch unveiled by the Swiss manufacture back in 2020, for which they were bestowed with the Innovation Prize from the Grand Prix D’Horlogerie de Genève.
The watch is a horological expression of the Tabular Islamic calendar, which was developed by Muslim scholars and astronomers in the 8th century, thus making it possible for historians to convert Islamic dates to Gregorian dates. The superbly crafted piece features a 42mm stainless steel case with a vivid Viridian green dial and a bracelet with a platinum-fluted bezel. Equipped with the Caliber PF009 automatic movement, it operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz).
Every piece from the brand is always a masterclass in fine details, and the viridian green dial is hand-finished with a Grain d’Orge guilloche, while the applied hour markers and skeletonised delta hour and minute hands are crafted in 18k gold with rhodium plating.
A veritable feat of innovation in a timepiece, the timepiece also features four exquisite sub-dials based on the cycles of the moon featuring intricate Arabic characters. These counters denote the 30-year cycle of the Hijri calendar, information about the current month number (with the month of Ramadhan highlighted in red), the moon phase, and the current day number.
