Seated between designer Stella McCartney and British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir, King Charles III made his front-row debut at London Fashion Week (LFW) in late February wearing a watch he’s kept in service for over a quarter century.
The king, dressed in a heather gray Anderson & Sheppard suit, had on his 18k yellow gold Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph when he joined the fashion industry at 180 Strand for designer Tolu Coker’s “Survivor’s Remorse” show, featuring a live performance by British rapper Little Simz.
Charles was an early patron of Michel Parmigiani’s independent Swiss maison and purchased the 39 mm watch at a boutique in Klosters in the late ’90s. It has since become something of his sartorial security blanket, appearing at special events ranging from royal weddings (including Prince Harry’s) to state proclamations and now the LFW front row.
The Toric, the aesthetic foundation of Parmigiani Fleurier, features a double-fluted bezel, whose design was inspired by the mathematical golden ratio and the base of Greco-Roman columns. Beneath the watch’s silver guilloche dial and blued hands is the Zenith El Primero-based calibre 400Z—a high-frequency movement that Parmigiani kept at a crisp 5Hz when other brands often detuned it for longevity.
King Charles’ choice to wear an independent investment piece to support a fashion designer from his own King’s Trust reinforces a lifelong “buy once, buy well” philosophy. In a season obsessed with everything next and new, this commitment to the Toric is a welcome change in beat.
At top: A 39 mm Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph in 18k yellow gold (photo courtesy of Parmigiani Fleurier)
Follow me on Instagram: @anniedavidsonwatson
- Subscribe to the JCK News Daily
- Subscribe to the JCK Special Report
- Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
- Follow JCK on X: @jckmagazine
- Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
