The bezel with alternating gadroons and knurling is a distinctive feature of this Toric timepiece. To create this seminal element of the strength of the design inherent in this model, Michel Parmigiani was inspired by the structure of Doric columns. Knurling is a technique involving the manual fluting of material with a wheel that imprints notches into the metal. Each watch is therefore unique. It is made by a craftsman from the Horloger Division who has created the knurling of all Toric pieces since 1996.

Despite the complexity of its indications, the dial of the Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde is remarkably simple, elegant and readable. Its design remains perfectly balanced thanks to the symmetry between the day-night indication at 6 o'clock and that of the second hour at noon. Each dial’s texture is unique. It is obtained using a graining technique, which is an artisanal skill consisting of brushing the dial by hand with a mixture of silver powder.

The Toric Rétrograde Hémisphère has two independent time indications, each with down-to-the-minute accuracy, even for locations that have half-hour or quarter-hour offsets with the one-hour Greenwich meridian, which is the reference point. The crown at two o’clock enables the independent adjustment of the module regulating the second time indication. Once the adjustments are made and the crown pressed, the module reconnects to the movement resulting in the synchronised progression of the two times. Two day-night counters allow for the phase of the day to read for each time zone.