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Entrepreneur Luca Rubinacci spotted wearing Parmigiani

Luca Rubinacci, the creative force behind one of Italy's most revered sartorial dynasties, was photographed wearing a Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 in 18k rose gold — a watch whose minimalist architecture and artisanal pedigree align precisely with the Rubinacci aesthetic of quiet, confident excellence.

The Tonda 1950 takes its name from Michel Parmigiani's birth year, positioning the model as both a personal statement and a manifesto for the brand's founding values: restoration, preservation, and hand-finishing at the highest level. The reference features a 40mm rose gold case with a clean, lug-free profile, housing the remarkable PF701 automatic calibre. At only 2.6mm thick, the movement uses a peripheral micro-rotor — an architectural choice that keeps the mainspring barrel and gear train fully visible across the dial plane — and delivers 55 hours of power reserve. The slate sandblasted opaline dial is paired with applied rose gold baton indices and leaf-shaped hands, providing excellent legibility while maintaining a dress-watch restraint.

Among collectors, the Tonda 1950 occupies a specific and respected niche: it is a credible independent alternative to the Patek Philippe Calatrava or the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin, built entirely in-house from movement to case. Parmigiani manufactures its own movements, cases, dials, and even mainsprings through sister companies Atokalpa and Elwin — a degree of vertical integration rarely matched in the independent segment. The rose gold execution with a dark slate dial is the most sought-after configuration, offering a warm case tone that avoids ostentation.

For Rubinacci, the choice is characteristically deliberate. The house of Rubinacci has dressed statesmen and aesthetes since 1932, and Luca has emerged as one of menswear's most followed voices, blending Neapolitan craftsmanship with a modern, globally informed sensibility. Pairing a lesser-known independent watchmaker with his navy suit, knit tie, and wide-brimmed hat reads as a collector's choice rather than a brand ambassador's obligation.

At retail, the Tonda 1950 in rose gold sits around $22,000–$26,000 depending on dial variant and strap configuration. On the secondary market it trades at a modest discount to retail, reflecting Parmigiani's still-developing collector profile — which arguably makes it one of the more undervalued propositions in independent horology today.