Generations: A Timeline of F.P. Journe by The 1916 Company

GENERATIONS

A Timeline of F.P. Journe by The 1916 Company

GENERATIONS

A Timeline of F.P. Journe by The 1916 Company

A platform for scholarship and celebration, GENERATIONS highlights Journe’s endless quest for technical excellence and chronometric perfection with a collection of more than 60 rare and exquisite pieces, and an invitation to collectors, enthusiasts, friends, and journalists for exhibition viewing, private appointments, and conversations with The 1916 Company’s renowned experts.

In depth collection presentation and analysis by Jack Forster

Introduction by Tim Mosso

What hasn’t been said or written about François-Paul Journe? It’s easier to write original scholarship on Ferdinand Berthoud than it is to coin new perspectives on a watchmaker whose mainstream success has coincided with television, global travel, mass media, and the Internet. Journe isn’t just successful – he’s omnipresent. As much as any innovation in design or engineering, Journe’s legacy will be that of a Nolan Bushnell or Edwin Land: an innovator and entrepreneur who shaped an industry larger than himself.

The 1916 Company’s Journe Gallery is a perpetual collection of rare, exceptional, and milestone F.P. Journe timepieces, each standing as a testament to Journe’s vision. This collection of historic models from 1999 to the present day is a curated experience unique in the world; neither Montres Journe boutiques nor the Geneva factory itself possess such an inventory. Journe’s unique vision, embodied in each watch, offers insight into his extraordinary focus and imagination.

As the preeminent modern auteur in the watchmaking space, Journe has put his stamp on this era. Of course, the man himself insists that the true “golden age” of watchmaking was the era of breakthroughs in math, science, engineering, and navigation. Fair enough. But, regardless of this modesty, there’s no denying that the modern indie watch movement is his child.

Other watchmakers and entrepreneurs such as Franck Muller, Svend Andersen, Daniel Roth, Alain Silberstein, Philippe Dufour and – many – more launched brands, series, and even large commercial enterprises years or decades before Journe entered the space under his own name.

Neither Muller’s mass market success nor the virtuosity of creators like Dufour and Roth was sufficient to move the indie watch scene from bottom-shelf nerd magazines or niche awareness. Even the early flourishing of independents in the 2000s was a relatively

glacial movement driven by industry veterans; young watchmakers didn’t dare attempt to launch eponymous brands right out of watch school or apprenticeships. The dam hadn’t yet burst.

Journe’s brand grew organically rather than kudzustyle. Early word-of-mouth and modest commercial expectations got the company off the ground. Collectors who understood the risks and rewards paid in advance for the inaugural 1999 Souscription Tourbillon Souverain. Production of any given model amounted to dozens or single digits in any given year. The Journe watches built in this era carry a special aura due to their relatively low volume, quirks of assembly, and formative significance in the development of the marque. And in the era of vertical integration, Journe didn’t even have its own retail outlet until the opening of the 2003 Tokyo boutique.

Along the way, F.P. Journe has taken chances and been rewarded. During the big-watch era of the 2000s, he stuck with 38mm and 40mm. In 2004, with no pressing need to do so, Journe implemented a nearly unheard of solid-gold movement in all mainstream offerings. Reportedly, Journe’s reaction bordered on panic when he saw the invoice for the minimum purchase of raw rose gold, but he signed it anyway. In 2016, he launched a quartz men’s watch based on a ladies’ model; nobody wanted the Élégante 48 at the time, but it seems everyone does now.

Today, the “indie” watch scene is teeming. If the 1990s and 2000 were defined by the consolidation of brands

under luxury groups, the late 2010s to the present is the era of the independent creator. Even professionals in the watch space have trouble keeping up with the sheer number of new brands and constructors. Processing all the model launches requires a spreadsheet or a photographic memory.

Many of these newcomers cite a common inspiration: François-Paul Journe. Ask any collector, entrepreneur, or watchmaker in the independent scene to name primary influences or points of entry, and F.P. Journe comes up early and often. Even uncredited influences are clear. Tourbillon designs by David Candaux, resonance watches by Armin Strom, and solid gold movements by Genus walk the trails blazed by Journe.

In the domain of social media, Journe rules. Despite production of fewer than 1,000 mechanical watches per year, Journe’s outsized impact on YouTube, Instagram, and forums rivals billion-dollar giants. Journe spends little on advertising and likely needs none. Some say that “quantity has a quality all its own.” Journe proves the opposite; create few but fabulous watches, and they wind up ubiquitous on user-driven social networks. Owners and admirers of Journe watches sound off with numbers that belie production totals.

Recognizing the role that his own success with awards has played in his career, Journe has further stamped his influence as a patron of the arts. As the only three-time winner of the Oscars-like GPHG’s top “Aiguille d’Or,” Journe moved to create an accolade for watchmakers at

the beginning – not the height – of their careers. The “F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition” entails both publicity and money.

Since 2015, the oldest winner of Journe’s Young Talent honor has been 30; most are in their early to mid 20s. At the GPHG itself, the number of prizes awarded to independent creators has continued to grow by the year. Journe, who started his career with basic watch school and a family apprenticeship, undoubtedly welcomes all new launch pads for promising talent.

Now in his 60s, Journe has expressed interest in creating a school for masterclasses. In a 2017 conversation with the author, Journe declared his interest in a teaching role as his final act. The general idea was to provide a second-stage rocket boost to accomplished watchmakers who seek to achieve the now universal dream of becoming the next F.P. Journe.

While the idea of a schoolmaster François-Paul could alternately excite and intimidate aspiring master watchmakers, Journe’s impact on gifted creators already registers. In the 1990s and 2000s, [Audemars Piguet] Renaud et Papi was famed for launching talent like Anthony De Haas of A. Lange & Söhne, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, and the Grönefeld brothers. Already, Montres Journe alumni are making their mark. Ludovic Ballouard, a seven-year veteran of chiming complications with Journe, has crafted the Harry Winston Opus 13 and produced bespoke models under his own name for 15 years. Rexhep Rexhepi, often described as the heir

to Philippe Dufour, also honed his skill in the house of Journe before launching Akrivia.

Forty-one years after his first pocket watch – a precocious tourbillon with detent escapement – the artist’s scope of work defies easy classification; he is both prolific and varied. But François-Paul Journe’s true impact extends far beyond his company catalog. If you’re reading this, it’s a near certainty that you’ve admired a timepiece by Journe or the independent creator revolution he ignited.

Tim Mosso Watch Specialist, The 1916 Company

Tourbillon Retrospective

François-Paul Journe’s immense respect for history drove him to construct both his first wholly crafted pocket watch (1983) and wristwatch (1991) with Breguet’s signature innovation, the tourbillon regulator.

While Journe has remarked that implementing a tourbillon in the wristwatch format is akin to “breaking a bone” from a functional standpoint, his use of a remontoir constant force device on the Tourbillon Souverain rectifies the deficiency. Journe compares this to setting the bone with a cast. The result is a superior timekeeper despite its anachronistic carriage regulator.

The combination of tourbillon and remontoir was a world premiere on Journe’s 1991 wristwatch prototype, and it has inhabited every version of the Tourbillon Souverain from the 1999 “souscription” series to the present “vertical” tourbillon.

Tourbillon Souverain ‘Souscription’ Series No. 18/20

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– 18 / 20

Manual

When F.P. Journe first began creating watches in series under his own name, he decided to begin with the creation of a small series of the Tourbillon Souverain –a one-minute tourbillon with a remontoir d’égalité, or constant force mechanism. However, Journe did not have the necessary capital to begin production. One day, his friend Camille Berthet suggested that he follow the subscription model first used by Breguet, in which a down payment would be made to reserve a watch, with the balance payable upon delivery. In 1999, Journe offered the first twenty Tourbillon Souverain models on the subscription plan, which was a success – and his brand was born.

All 20 Souscription watches share certain features. First, the number of the watch in the series is on the dial at 1:00 and these are the only Journe watches to have the limited edition series number on the dial. The one minute tourbillon is visible through the dial aperture, with the hours and minutes in a separate subdial held in place by three screws. The one second remontoir d’égalité is also visible through an aperture in the dial – the device is essentially a constant force mechanism whose purpose is to ensure that the amount of energy reaching the tourbillon and balance doesn’t vary over the power reserve of the watch.

The remontoir d’égalité has a distinguished history – the spring powered version was originally invented by John Harrison for his marine chronometers. But this was the first time that any watchmaker had placed a remontoir d’égalité in a wristwatch.

The movement, F.P. Journe caliber 1498, is hand-wound and has a power reserve of 42 hours, which is shown on the dial by a power reserve indicator. Today, Journe is

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well known for using gold for his movement plates and bridges but the early Journe watches had movements made of rhodium plated brass. All of the 20 Tourbillon Souverain Souscription watches have 38mm platinum cases, and all have yellow gold dials.

There are certain details particular to the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription watches. The dots marking the minutes around the periphery of the opening for the tourbillon are noticeably larger than in later series. If you look closely at the back of the tourbillon cage, you’ll see a small hole, used for poising the cage, which is absent in later series. The numerals for the power reserve indicator are smaller in later series, and the words, “remontoir d’égalité” which are present on the dials of later series, are absent in the Souscription models. The opening in the dial for viewing the remontoir d’égalité is present in all models using the caliber 1498, but when Journe began using 18k 5N red gold for his movements in 2004, with the caliber 1403, he began using that space on the dial for a deadbeat seconds subdial instead (driven off the remontoir d’égalité, which in the caliber 1403 is visible through the caseback). And the engravings on the back of the platinum case are hand engraved rather than laser engraved, which means they’re shallower than the laser engraving in later models.

Earlier versions of the Tourbillon Souverain were made by Journe but these were made one by one on commission for collectors. The 20 Tourbillon Souverain Souscription watches therefore represent the real beginning of F.P. Journe as a brand – and represent a major turning point in the history of independent watchmaking.

Tourbillon Souverain Third Generation Ref. T

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The first run of Journe Tourbillon Souverain watches were made in four series, beginning with the Souscription watches and concluding with the fourth series in 2003. All of these watches had in common the use of rhodium plated brass movements, as well as the use of the caliber 1498, with the remontoir d’égalité visible through the dial aperture. As production gradually increased, Journe began using a wider variety of dial materials and case materials, with subtle variations from one series to the next. Collectively the 1999-2003 production of the Tourbillon Souverain are known as the Reference T models (T for tourbillon, naturally) and the third series, produced from 1999 to 2001, differ from the Souscription in some details.

As with all four series of the Tourbillon Souverain, the key technical detail aside from the tourbillon itself, is the constant force remontoir d’égalité, which provides constant torque to the oscillator over the entire power reserve of the watch – a key feature in delivering on the promise of precision that the tourbillon offers.

The biggest differences other than variations in case materials, are that the Reference T series subsequent to the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription have the words,

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PRODUCTION YEAR

“remontoir d’égalité” on the dial, and all Reference T watches subsequent to the Souscription also have larger numbers for the power reserve indicator. However the most visible change is to the shape of the cock holding the saw-toothed remontoir stop wheel. In the Souscription model and the second series model, the cock has a rounded and black polished upper surface. Starting with the third series, the cock is flat on top, with beveled edges, and still executed in black-polished steel. The tiny hole at the back of the tourbillon cage found in the Souscription watch, is absent in later models as well.

The Souscription, second, and third series watches also used larger screws for the dial than were used in subsequent models. Caseback engraving was still done by hand in the third series, and about 60 or so were made – mostly in platinum, but with a smaller number in red gold as well, with red gold introduced as a dial material.

This particular model has a platinum case and yellow gold dial, with the case retaining the 38mm size found in all previous series. The third series Tourbillon Souverain watches are quite rare, representing the first 100 Tourbillon Souverain watches made.

Tourbillon Souverain Third Generation Ref. T

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Brass, Manual

The first run of Journe Tourbillon Souverain watches were made in four series, beginning with the Souscription watches and concluding with the fourth series in 2003. All of these watches had in common the use of rhodium plated brass movements, as well as the use of the caliber 1498, with the remontoir d’égalité visible through the dial aperture. As production gradually increased, Journe began using a wider variety of dial materials and case materials, with subtle variations from one series to the next. Collectively the 1999-2003 production of the Tourbillon Souverain are known as the Reference T models (T for tourbillon, naturally) and the third series, produced from 1999 to 2001, differ from the Souscription in some details.

As with all four series of the Tourbillon Souverain, the key technical detail aside from the tourbillon itself, is the constant force remontoir d’égalité, which provides constant torque to the oscillator over the entire power reserve of the watch – a key feature in delivering on the promise of precision that the tourbillon offers.

The biggest differences other than variations in case materials, are that the Reference T series subsequent to the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription have the words, “remontoir d’égalité” on the dial, and all Reference T

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

watches subsequent to the Souscription also have larger numbers for the power reserve indicator. However the most visible change is to the shape of the cock holding the saw-toothed remontoir stop wheel. In the Souscription model and the second series model, the cock has a rounded and black polished upper surface. Starting with the third series, the cock is flat on top, with beveled edges, and still executed in black-polished steel. The tiny hole at the back of the tourbillon cage found in the Souscription watch, is absent in later models as well.

The Souscription, second, and third series watches also used larger screws for the dial than were used in subsequent models. Caseback engraving was still done by hand in the third series, and about 60 or so were made – mostly in platinum, but with a smaller number in red gold as well, with red gold introduced as a dial material in this series.

This model has a red gold case and silver dial, with the case retaining the 38mm size found in all previous series. This is the first time that this combination was available in the Tourbillon Souverain. The third series Tourbillon Souverain watches are quite rare, representing the first 100 Tourbillon Souverain watches made.

Tourbillon Souverain Third Generation Ref. T

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Brass, Manual

38mm

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR T

The first run of Journe Tourbillon Souverain watches were made in four series, beginning with the Souscription watches and concluding with the fourth series in 2003. All of these watches had in common the use of rhodium plated brass movements, as well as the use of the caliber 1498, with the remontoir d’égalité visible through the dial aperture. As production gradually increased, Journe began using a wider variety of dial materials and case materials, with subtle variations from one series to the next. Collectively the 1999-2003 production of the Tourbillon Souverain are known as the Reference T models (T for tourbillon, naturally) and the third series, produced from 1999 to 2001, differ from the Souscription in some details.

As with all four series of the Tourbillon Souverain, the key technical detail aside from the tourbillon itself, is the constant force remontoir d’égalité, which provides constant torque to the oscillator over the entire power reserve of the watch – a key feature in delivering on the promise of precision that the tourbillon offers.

The biggest differences other than variations in case materials, are that the Reference T series subsequent to the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription have the words, “remontoir d’égalité” on the dial, and all Reference T

Rose Gold

Rose Gold

Circa 2002

watches subsequent to the Souscription also have larger numbers for the power reserve indicator. However the most visible change, is to the shape of the cock holding the saw-toothed remontoir stop wheel. In the Souscription model and the second series model, the cock has a rounded and black polished upper surface. Starting with the third series, the cock is flat on top, with beveled edges, and still executed in black-polished steel. The tiny hole at the back of the tourbillon cage found in the Souscription watch, is absent in later models as well.

The Souscription, second, and third series watches also used larger screws for the dial than were used in subsequent models. Caseback engraving was still done by hand in the third series, and about 60 or so were made – mostly in platinum, but with a smaller number in red gold as well, with red gold introduced as a dial material in this series.

This particular model has a red gold case and red gold dial, with the case retaining the 38mm size found in all previous series. This is the first time that this combination was available in the Tourbillon Souverain. The third series Tourbillon Souverain watches are quite rare, representing the first 100 Tourbillon Souverain watches made.

Tourbillon Souverain Ref. T with Brass Movement

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Brass, Manual 38mm

There are a number of distinctions between each of the generations of Journe’s early production of brass movement Tourbillon Souverain watches. This example represents the fourth generation, which although it has a number of stylistic differences from the previous three generations, still uses the brass caliber 1498. This movement was, as we have noted previously, finished in rhodium, which follows the standard practice of most of the rest of the watch industry. In Journe’s case, of course, the fairly early move to rose gold for the subsequent caliber 1403 speaks to his preference for the visual combination of rose gold and polished steel – a major part of the aesthetic appeal of Breguet’s watchmaking.

At this point, in the fourth generation of the Reference T brass movement Tourbillon Souverain watches, all of the changes introduced in earlier models are present. These include the reduction in size of the dial screws, as well as the changed configuration of the balance cock (rounded in earlier generations but flattened and beveled in this generation, with black polishing). The matte-finished dial on third and fourth generation watches contrasts visibly with the hand-finished lacquer dials on previous generations as well, and the words “Remontoir d’Égalité” are in place at the upper edge of the dial (in place as of

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the second generation) along with the larger font for the power reserve introduced in the third generation.

This particular Reference T has the typical Tourbillon Souverain platinum case and is fitted with a yellow gold dial. Finally, the caseback features laser rather than hand engraving – a feature which allowed for more depth and consistency in caseback inscriptions, in the fourth generation – as well as Holt triple slot caseback screws. (It should be noted that while earlier generations of the Tourbillon Souverain Reference T watches used standard slotted screws, Holt screws are used when Journe watches come in for service, which means early brass movement Journes can be found with these screws as well).

Tourbillon Souverain Ref. T with Brass Movement

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As with all fourth generation Reference T Journe Tourbillons, this model retains the features characteristic of the series at this point in the history of Journe’s production of the Tourbillon Souverain. These features include a matte-finished dial, the use of larger numbers for the power reserve, the smaller dial screws and Holt caseback screws which are so characteristic of the fourth generation, and the deeper, laser-cut engraving on the caseback, which replaces the shallower and less regular engraving, done by hand on earlier generations, and which is characteristic of fourth generation Reference T brass-movement tourbillons. And as well, there is the flattened cock for the remontoir d’égalité which Journe began using in the second generation of the model.

This example of the fourth generation Reference T has a white gold dial – the metal most frequently used for Reference T dials.

It is here in the fourth generation that the evolution from the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription series, which very much has an artisanal, hand-made feel, that we see F.P. Journe’s work begin to transition to methods which provide a greater consistency in execution, as

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well as greater production numbers, with over 200 fourth generation brass movement Tourbillon Souverain watches produced (in contrast to the 20 produced for the Souscription series). All of the Reference T watches represent not only the period in which Journe was establishing his company and defining his style – they also represent a moment in watchmaking history when technical solutions which had been created to solve problems of precision in the 18th and early 19th century – the tourbillon and the remontoir d’égalité – began to be used in wristwatches for the first time. And it was Journe who first combined the two in a wristwatch, as well as being the first to use a remontoir d’égalité in a wristwatch.

Tourbillon Souverain Ref. T with Brass Movement

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T

Brass, Manual 38mm

The Tourbillon Souverain Reference T watches in all generations, are a remarkable combination of elegance in design and technical sophistication and for Journe, the two always go hand in hand. The large aperture for the tourbillon, the frame for the hour and minute subdial, with its delicately engraved guilloché pattern, and the exposed remontoir d’égalité, all combine to form a design which, although influenced by Breguet, is also completely original and unlike anything seen in modern watchmaking before or since.

The overall impression is one of great refinement, with an emphasis on expressing the fascination of technical watchmaking, with the action of the tourbillon, and of the remontoir d’égalité, providing a kinetic visual experience unlike that found in any other contemporary wristwatch. For Journe enthusiasts, it’s this expression of technical originality which gives the watches of F.P. Journe their particular charm.

This particular example, however, is also an opulently luxurious presentation of the Reference T Tourbillon Souverain, thanks to the intricately crafted rose gold bracelet. The features typical of a fourth generation

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Rose Gold

White Gold

Circa 2001

Reference T Tourbillon Souverain are all present, including the flattened balance cock, smaller dial screws, and other indications of where the watch stands in the Journe production timeline. In this instance, however, the rose gold case and rose gold bracelet, with its lozengeshaped five link across construction, takes a design which is inherently luxurious in its technical properties, and makes it unabashedly luxurious in its materials and overall feel as well.

Tourbillon Souverain Ref. TN

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The original series Reference T watches have subtle differences which distinguish any given generation from the others, and it is of course these differences which are critical to Journe collectors and enthusiasts. The one thing that all of the Reference T generations have in common, however, is the movement – the rhodium plated brass caliber 1498, with its one minute tourbillon and remontoir d’égalité.

The next series of the Tourbillon Souverain, however, introduced the single most dramatic change to the Tourbillon Souverain since its inception, and this change is one which would be consistent for the next fifteen years, right up until 2019 when the Tourbillon Souverain was replaced in Journe’s collections by the Tourbillon Vertical. In 2003, Journe began producing the “Tourbillon Nouveau” series of Tourbillon Souverain watches – and this series had a new movement, which was the rose gold caliber 1403.

The use of rose gold is an aesthetic one, but it is also practical. Materials used for movement plates and bridges must ideally be able to resist corrosion (the primary reason for finishing brass movements in rhodium) and gold, of course, is essentially immune to any sort of corrosion.

There are several immediately visible changes from Reference T to Reference TN on the dial side. First, the power reserve indication now sits with its pivot at 12:00, in between “F.P. Journe” and “Invenit et Fecit” which have their positions reversed from Reference T. Secondly, “Remontoir d’Ègalité” is now at the bottom of the dial, along with a new addition: “avec Seconde Mort” (the French term for deadbeat seconds, in which the second hand advances in one second jumps). Thirdly, the frame found around the hour and minute subdial in the Reference T series, now encloses both the tourbillon and the time subdial, as well as the subdial for the deadbeat seconds. Fourth, the remontoir is no longer visible from the dial side, its place having been taken by the deadbeat seconds. And, finally, the upper cock for the tourbillon no longer extends beyond the tourbillon aperture, as it did in the Reference T models.

From the movement side, the glow of rose gold contrasting with polished steel, defines the new aesthetic for the Tourbillon Souverain, as well as all subsequent watchmaking at F.P. Journe. For those wishing to admire the remontoir, the entire mechanism is now visible through the caseback – including, in a nod to the past (and concession to thinness) the flattened, triangular cock found in the original Tourbillon Souverain Souscription.

Tourbillon Souverain Régence Circulaire Ref. TN

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TN

Manual

40mm

The Tourbillon Souverain Régence Circulaire was produced by F.P. Journe as a limited edition of 18 pieces. Technically, it is identical to other Tourbillon Nouveau watches, with the hand-wound caliber 1403, and with a one minute tourbillon, power reserve, deadbeat seconds, and remontoir d’égalité visible through the display back.

The engraved dial, however, makes the Régence Circulaire one of the rarest and most sought after of all of Journe’s limited editions. The motif is related to similar dials which were used on a very small number of watches made a decade and a half prior to the introduction of the Régence Circulaire – one of these watches was the Reference T “Labyrinthe” (three examples known, produced in 2000).

Métiers d’Art watches are in general rare in F.P. Joiurne’s output, making the Régence Circulaire even more impressive. The dial is white gold, engraved by hand, over a period of about two weeks. It is not known in any detail why Journe decided to produce a series of watches with a Regency motif, other than general information that Journe admires the British Regency period, during which British watchmaking flourished.

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Rose Gold

White Gold Circa 2017

The unusual dial execution, as well as the larger 40mm case (the Reference TN Tourbillon Souverain watches were offered in both 38mm and 40mm cases) as well as the very small number of watches in the series, has made the Régence Circulaire one of the most desirable Journe limited editions across his entire output since the founding of his company.

30 Years Anniversary Tourbillon Ref. T30

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CASE SIZE Rose Gold / Silver

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François-Paul Journe is well known for his tenacity and determination, and perhaps nothing speaks to the seriousness of his early ambitions as a watchmaker, more than the very first watch he ever made, which was completed in 1983. This was a pocket watch – a tourbillon pocket watch very much in the style of Abraham Louis Breguet, but which already showed signs of Journe’s own desire to develop an independent design vocabulary and watchmaking philosophy which would be rooted in the past, but would also express the present and the future of watchmaking.

The pocket watch had an austere, simple dial, and hidden under the movement cover was an extremely beautiful mechanism, with double mainspring barrels under two independent cocks, a flawlessly executed tourbillon, and very large, deeply heat blued screws that recall George Daniels’ remark, in Watchmaking, that, “ … the contrast of blued screws, polished steel, and gilded plates is most pleasing and refined and superior to any other finish.”

The T30 Anniversary Tourbillon is, like the pocket watch, as pure an expression of the art of the tourbillon as you can imagine. The movement, Journe caliber 1412, is unusual in modern Journe production after the brass

movement era, in that it is not made of rose gold, but rather, of brass, with traditional gold gilding. The caliber 1412 is almost but not entirely identical to the 1983 pocket watch. The general appearance is the same, but the Maltese cross stopwork on the mainspring barrel seen in the pocket watch, is omitted in the wristwatch, and the winding train in the wristwatch is slightly different as well – this is thanks to the fact that the pocket watch was key wound and set, while the T30 is wound from the crown. And, while the pocket watch used a chronometer detent escapement, for the T30 Journe decided to use a lever escapement – much more practical in a wristwatch, as the detent escape can unlock accidentally if given a shock.

Like the pocket watch, the T30 has a beautifully engraved, guilloché sterling silver caseback; the rest of the case is in rose gold.

The original pocket watch exists of course in only one example, but the T30 Anniversary Tourbillon is a tangible connection to it, and to Journe’s youth – when his determination and ambition would set him on the path to becoming one of modern horology’s most important watchmakers.

Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Ref. TV

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The year 2019 was a significant one for Journe. First of all it marked the 20th anniversary of the production of the first Tourbillon Souverain series of watches. And secondly it was the year that saw the debut of the successor to the Tourbillon Souverain Remontoir d’Égalité with Deadbeat Seconds. That successor was the dramatically different Tourbillon Souverain Vertical.

The Tourbillon Souverain Vertical continues in the tradition of the original, incorporating some key features of all the previous Tourbillon Souverain models. This includes a remontoir d’égalité, as well as a deadbeat seconds. Where it differs significantly, however, is in the orientation and period of rotation of the tourbillon. The caliber 1519 used in the Tourbillon Vertical has a tourbillon which rotates in a plane perpendicular to the dial and mainplate (in most tourbillon watches, the tourbillon rotates in the same plane as the dial). The tourbillon also has a faster rotational speed than the one minute tourbillons found in previous Tourbillon Souverain watches; it rotates in just 30 seconds.

What are the reasons for these changes? The tourbillon was originally invented by Breguet in order to solve the problem of variation in rate between the vertical and

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horizontal positions. The basic idea behind the tourbillon is to rotate the balance, balance spring, and escapement through all the vertical positions, so that you have a single average rate for all the vertical positions. You then adjust the flat positions to match, and theoretically at least, you should have a perfect timekeeper.

The change in axis of the tourbillon provides a very particular benefit. A wristwatch spends a considerable amount of time off the wrist, either resting on its side, or flat. The orientation of the tourbillon ensures that in either instance, the tourbillon will still be vertical, and so the averaging of rates in the vertical position will still hold – and moreover, will take place more rapidly as the rotational speed of the tourbillon has increased.

The Tourbillon Vertical is necessarily larger than its predecessors, but not excessively so, with the case measuring 42mm x 13.6mm. More visually imposing than the previous Tourbillon Souverain models, which it replaced in Journe’s catalog, it represents Journe’s continuing interest in pursuing new solutions to watchmaking problems which are both technically innovative, and visually arresting.

Chronomètre à Résonance Retrospective

Launched in 2000, François-Paul Journe’s Chronomètre à Resonance translates Antide Janvier’s resonance phenomenon , explored by Janvier in double pendulum clocks, and by Breguet in pocket watches, to the wristwatch. Despite no mechanical link between the two independent regulators, they synchronize through resonance and beat in opposition. Variation in the rate of one balance is rectified by the resonance - coupled opposite wheel. A properly adjusted Chronomètre à Resonance should experience less than five seconds of variation between the two halves per 24 hours.

Various dials and movements have been utilized across generations: symmetrical 12/12 dials initially, followed by a unique scrolling 24-hour display in the third generation. The 2019 model adopted a single-year 12/24 layout with conventional hands, continuing in the 2020 version. Early models featured brass components, while later ones incorporated full rose gold calibers.

Since 2020, enhancements include a differential for even energy distribution and remontoir constant force devices ensuring balanced energy supply, refining precision. Journe’s Chronomètre à Resonance continues to innovate, blending tradition with cutting - edge technology in watchmaking.

Chronomètre à Résonance ‘Pre-Souscription’ Ref. R

REFERENCE MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

MATERIAL

Brass, Manual 38mm

PRODUCTION YEAR R

DIAL

The Chronomètre à Résonance is, along with the Tourbillon Souverain, one of the two first models Journe ever produced, with the first prototypes of the Chronomètre à Résonance being shown in 1999 at Baselworld. Resonance is a phenomenon which can occur when two oscillators with similar periods are mechanically coupled – under the right conditions, they will begin to oscillate in synchrony. The phenomenon was first observed by Christiaan Huygens, who saw that two pendulum clocks hung from the same beam would begin to beat in time with each other. Antide Janvier subsequently created double pendulum resonance clocks, and then Breguet constructed double balance watches – and then, no one seems to have created any otheR resonance watches until Journe succeeded (after intermittent failed efforts) in 1999. Journe was the very first watchmaker to create a resonance wristwatch.

The Chronomètre à Résonance was, like the Tourbillon Souverain, originally offered on the Souscription model, in a limited series of 20 pieces. The movement, caliber 1499, is in keeping with early Journe practice, made of rhodium plated brass and it is unlike any other movement in its layout. Each balance has its own mainspring barrel and going train, and the balances are mounted very close to each other, with one balance cock allowing for the adjustment of the proximity of the balances to each other.

While it has been speculated that the synchronization of the balances is due to aerodynamic friction, Breguet demonstrated conclusively (by running his resonance watches in a vacuum, and also separating them with a thin steel blade) that the coupling was mechanical, and through the movement plate – via the tiny forces on the balance springs at the extremes of their oscillations. The logic behind a resonance watch is that the two coupled oscillators should have a more stable rate than either oscillator has on its own.

One interesting feature of the very first Journe Chronomètre à Résonance watches is that in addition to the Souscription pieces, Journe also produced them separately from the Souscription production and in fact, some of the non-Souscription models actually precede the Souscription watches – hence the name, Pre-Souscription. While the Souscription models had laser-etched caseback engravings, the Pre-Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance watches have shallower, hand-engraving, like the earliest Tourbillon Souverain watches. As with the early Tourbillon Souverain watches, Pre-Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance watches have hand-finished lacquered dials – in this example, in rose gold.

Chronomètre à Résonance

Ref. R with Brass Movement

REFERENCE MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

R

Brass, Manual

38mm

Early Journe Chronomètre à Résonance watches are almost invariably fitted with brass, rhodium plated movements and unlike the Tourbillon Souverain Reference T watches, the differences between various generations are much less pronounced, and, according to research, less consistent as well. The Reference R production watches, looked at separately from the Pre-Souscription, Souscription, and Pre-Production models, can be spoken of as fourth generation Reference R timepieces, and consist of some 300 watches, with platinum or rose gold cases (rose gold was introduced in the fourth generation for the first time; all previous generations are platinum only). This model has a platinum case, with a white gold dial.

The fourth generation Reference R watches continued the use of laser engraving for the casebacks, as first seen in the Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance watches.

There are several interesting experiential aspects to the Chronomètre à Résonance. The fact that the movement has two separate dials for the two separate going trains and two mainspring barrels, means that there must be two crowns for winding and setting each train; one

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

Platinum

White Gold

Circa 2002

crown is located at 12:00, and the other at 4:00. Once the watch has been wound and set, the two seconds hands can be synchronized by pulling out the crown at 4:00 –although not visible, there is a beautifully constructed and finished reset-to-zero mechanism under the dial. Generally speaking, the two balances begin to beat in resonance with each other in less than a minute and their synchrony can be observed both by watching the seconds ands, and the balances, through the caseback.

Chronomètre à Résonance Ref. RN

REFERENCE MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

RN Manual

40mm

In 2004, Journe began to use movements with rose gold plates and bridges and gradually discontinued the use of brass, rhodium plated movements. The original Chronomètre à Résonance caliber, 1499, was updated to the caliber 1499.2 and subsequently, the 1499.3.

The new Chronomètre à Résonance adopted the same naming convention as the Tourbillon Souverain TN – “N” here stands for Nouveau, and marks the transition away from brass, rhodium plated movements, to rose gold. The Chronomètre à Résonance RN watches were offered in either platinum or rose gold cases and in two sizes, like the Tourbillon Souverain TN – 38mm and 40mm. Journe discontinued the use of yellow gold dials early in the production of the Reference RN watches as it clashed with the rose gold of the movement.

There are only a few small details which distinguish the RN Chronomètre à Résonance from the Reference R watches – one of these has to do with the frames around the subdials for the time and running seconds. In the Chronomètre à Résonance Reference R, and earlier models, the area of the frame around the screws forms a

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

Rose Gold / Silver

Rose Gold

Circa 2006

sharp transition, which has been described as “bell-like.” In the Chronomètre à Résonance RN series this transition has been smoothed out, giving the frame a more flowing and rounded feel.

Caliber 1499.2 is distinguished from caliber 1499 by the use of rose gold plates and bridges, and, as well, by a slight change in the arrangement of the barrel ratchet wheels – they are visible in caliber 1499, but hidden under the barrel bridge in 1499.2. Caliber 1499.3 is actually slightly upgraded technically, featuring a more efficient, lower friction winding system, and Journe began replacing caliber 1499.2 with the caliber 1499.3 in 2006. For this reason, the caliber 1499.2, which was only produced between 2005 and 2006, is very much the rarer of the two.

Chronomètre à Résonance

Ref. RT

REFERENCE MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

RT Manual 40mm

MATERIAL DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

In 2010, Journe celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Chronomètre à Résonance, and for the occasion, created an unusual, but ultimately very logical, variation on the resonance complication. This was the Reference RT, which introduced a new dial configuration and a new take on the functional possibilities of the Chronomètre à Résonance.

The Reference RT departs from the normal, completely symmetrical presentation of the time found in all previous Chronomètre à Résonance watches. On the right is a conventional – conventional for Journe, in any case – combination of subdials for the time and running seconds, surrounded by the steel frame typical for the complication. On the left, however, things are considerably different. Rather than conventional hour and minute hands, Journe chose, for the Reference RT, to use two disks. One displays the hours, and the other, the minutes (in red) and both disks have only half their area exposed, with the frame concealing the lower half of each disk. The screw at the top of the frame functions as a kind of index for reading off the hours and minutes.

The inspiration behind the redesign was the notion that the two dials for the time, which could be independently set, could also be used as a two time-zone display. The basic mechanical configuration of the Reference RT is the same as for the Reference RN watches, and the movement is the same – caliber 1499.3, running in 36 jewels. However, the redesigned dial emphasizes the two time zone functionality, and gives the Reference RN owner the ability to easily distinguish between home time (shown, according to the intentions of the design, on the left) and local time, seen in the dial on the right.

Chronomètre à Résonance Ref. RTA

REFERENCE

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

RTA Manual 40mm

It is said that all good things come to an end, and, in the Chronomètre à Résonance RTA, we have the last new model of the original Chronomètre à Résonance.

The Chronomètre à Résonance RTA is related to some degree to the Reference RT, inasmuch as the dials are asymmetrical and the watch lends itself to use as a dual time zone timepiece. At first glance, the RTA appears to be identical to a standard-model Chronomètre à Résonance, with two symmetrical subdials for the time and two for the small seconds. The RTA was offered in a 40mm case, and in either rose gold or platinum. However, if you look closely, you’ll see that the subdial on the left has a 24 hour track. This lends itself to use as a home time indication (or, if the owner chooses, it can also serve as a day/night indication as well).

The Chronomètre à Résonance RTA was produced for just one year, and was succeeded by a new model –the Chronomètre à Résonance 1520. While the caliber 1499.3 had a layout which directly reflected Breguet’s movement design for his resonance chronometers, the caliber 1502 introduced a movement with a single going

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

train driving two resonance balances via a differential –as well as a remontoir d’égalité, which, in delivering more even torque across the power reserve, helped improve the synchronization of the two balances.

As the last of the caliber 1499.3 models, however, the Chronomètre à Résonance RTA is a direct link to the resonance watches of Breguet, and, thanks to its very limited production, one of the rare examples of a caliber 1499.3 equipped Chronomètre à Résonance.

Chronomètre à Résonance Ref. RQ

REFERENCE

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

RQ Manual 40mm

When the Chronomètre à Résonance Quatre was launched in 2020, it represented the most significant and dramatic evolution of the Chronomètre à Résonance since the introduction of the very first resonance watches from Journe, two decades before. The calibers 1499, 1499.2, and 1499.3 all had virtually identical movements from a functional standpoint and followed the design employed by Bregeut very closely – two independent trains, crowns at 12:00 and 4:00, and two balances, one with an adjustable cock, set close to each other, with the movement plates and bridges (except for the first, brass caliber 1499) in rose gold.

In the caliber 1520, however, Journe introduced significant new upgrades. First, the caliber 1520 no longer used two mainspring barrels and perhaps most importantly, no longer used two independent going trains. Instead, the caliber 1520 has a single, large mainspring barrel, with its pivot running in a large jewel centered at 12:00 on the barrel bridge. The going train’s output is divided between the two balances by a differential.

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

The second change from the 1499 series of calibers, was the inclusion of a remontoir d’égalité. The remontoir d’égalité is essentially a second subsidiary driving spring for the going train, which is periodically rewound by the mainspring – its purpose is to provide even torque to the escapement and oscillator, in order to provide better precision over the entire power reserve of the watch.

In a resonance chronometer, this means that the two balances are more stable in their synchronized oscillation, as the balances will fall out of resonance if the balance amplitude falls too low. The remontoir d’égalité will stop working once the mainspring torque is no longer strong enough to wind it.

With these two additions, and the repositioning of the crowns to 2:00 and 4:00, the Chronomètre à Résonance Quatre with caliber 1520 opened a new era in the history of Journe’s resonance watches – and demonstrated his ongoing determination to the evolution of the complication.

Foundational & Transitional Collections

Early F.P. Journe timepieces feature silver - colored, brass bridges coated with rhodium. Most watches of this type were discontinued in mid-2004 as Journe’s line converted to movements crafted from 18-karat rose gold. Despite gold’s value, brass movements are more collectible due to rarity, stemming from lower production rates in Journe’s early days.

From 2001, Montres Journe crafted a series of five related models in quantities of 99 each, featuring gold dials coated with ruthenium and brass movements. As part of the brass-movement era, these are collectible on that basis alone, but the ruthenium treatment adds to the allure. The Ruthenium Tourbillon Souverain boasts the distinction of being the only first-generation tourbillon with remontoir constructed in 40mm diameter.

Octa Réserve de Marche with Brass Movement

REFERENCE

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

A Automatic 38mm

Although Journe’s fame as a watchmaker is very much due to his presentation of unusual and ingenious complications, such as the Chronomètre à Résonance and Tourbillon Souverain watches, he was determined from the beginning to create a watch suited for everyday wear as well. Such a watch would have a long power reserve, an automatic winding system, and also have the ability to host a variety of complications, while ideally maintaining a slim profile.

The Octa line of watches was the result. Debuting in 2001, the Octa watches were based on the automatic caliber 1300, and Journe’s intention had originally been to offer an 8-day power reserve (although the actual power reserve was 120 hours). Caliber 1300 was designed to accommodate additional complications without changing the thickness of the movement – this was done by leaving additional space under the dial and setting the winding rotor slightly off-center, to allow a pivot to pass through the plate.

This means that even for Octa watches with added complications, such as a chronograph or an annual calendar, the height of the movement stays the same, at 5.7mm.

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

The Octa Réserve de Marche was launched in 2001 as the first watch in the Octa collection, and therefore uses a rhodium plated brass movement, as it precedes the introduction by Journe of gold movement plates and bridges, in 2004. Over the entire period before the transition to rose gold for his movements, Journe created only about 2000 brass movement watches in all, across all models. This watch, with its 38mm platinum case, rose gold dial, big date display, and power reserve indicator showing the 120 hour power reserves, demonstrates Journe’s capabilities not just as a maker of complicated watches, but also of the different but equally challenging task of creating a new self-winding movement with significant practical advantages.

Octa Chronographe with Brass Movement

REFERENCE

MOVEMENT

MATERIAL

CASE SIZE Platinum Yellow Gold Circa 2002

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

As with the Octa Réserve de Marche, the Octa Chronographe with the brass caliber 1300 is an extremely rare watch. The Octa Chronographe was produced from 2001 to 2007, at which point it was replaced by the Centigraphe.

The Octa Chronographe took full advantage of the special properties of the caliber 1300. The Octa Chronographe is a two pusher design, with a center chronograph seconds hand and a 60 minute counter located in a subdial at 9:00; it is also a flyback chronograph. There is no sign at all that the watch is an automatic chronograph when the movement is viewed through the display back – the entire chronograph mechanism is located under the dial and, as with all caliber 1300 variations in the Octa line, the movement, with chronograph, is just 5.7mm thick, the same as it would be with only the big date complication.

Creating a chronograph system capable of fitting into such a flat space, and which still allows room for the concentric disks for the big date display, required considerable ingenuity and all of the parts of the chronograph system have been extensively modified from the design of a conventional chronograph.

In particular, Journe took the conventional column wheel and flattened it into a cam, to fit in the 1mm of available space.

Among the entire production of Octa Chronographes, the brass caliber 1300 models are of course the rarest. There are two basic variations of the brass movement Octa Chronographes – the first, and earliest version, has straight Geneva stripes and only ten are known to have been made. The second generation has Geneva stripes arranged in circles, around the central axis of the automatic winding rotor, and only 125 of these were made. This example is one of those 125. The entire production of Octa Chronographes, both brass and rose gold movements, is just 313 watches; the example we have here, is one of just 23 made with a platinum case, brass movement, and rose gold dial.

Octa Lune with Brass Movement

REFERENCE

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

The Octa Lune was introduced to the Octa line in 2003, and it was the first moonphase watch produced by F.P. Journe. It was a popular model, albeit with low production numbers (it is estimated that fewer than 800 Octa Lune watches were made until the model was discontinued in 2014).

The Octa Lune retains the big date display found in the other Octa automatic watches, as well as the same power reserve indication, and the same power reserve of 120 hours. As with the Octa Chronographe and other Octa complications, Journe achieved the feat of adding a moonphase complication to the watch, while still leaving room under the dial for the two disks for the big date display. The moonphase display’s deep blue disk matches the color of the blued hands perfectly, and the dial composition, with its asymmetrical arrangement, has a sense of dynamic tension which perfectly balances the serenity of the moonphase complication. The disk itself is metallized sapphire, with the stars and moon disk in gold.

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

All brass movement Journe watches are rare, and the brass caliber 1300 Octa Lune is no exception. Although produced for 11 years, total volume was relatively low and the brass caliber 1300 Octa Lune moonphase watches were only produced for two years. The design is a favorite one among collectors, and its charm was recognized at the 2003 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, or GPHG, in the third year the GPHG took place, where the Octa Lune won the Men’s Watch award.

Tourbillon Souverain Ruthenium Collection

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE Platinum

MATERIAL DIAL PRODUCTION YEAR Manual 40mm

Beginning in 2001, Journe began producing a small series of watches with a distinctively different approach to movement finishing. These watches would be known as the Ruthenium Collection. Journe selected five models for the collection – the Tourbillon Souverain, the Chronomètre à Résonance, the Octa Chronograph, the Octa Jour et Nuit (Day and Night) and finally, the Octa Calendrier. Journe would go on to make 99 of each model, all in 40mm platinum cases, and the series was completed in 2004, the same year Journe would begin using rose gold for his movement plates and bridges.

The distinguishing feature for all of the Ruthenium Collection watches, was the use of ruthenium plated gold dials, and brass movements finished not in the conventional rhodium, but in another one of the platinum group metals – ruthenium. (The platinum group metals are platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, palladium, and iridium).

The combination of platinum cases and ruthenium plated dials and movements, gives each of the Ruthenium watches a unique aesthetic identity in

Circa 2001

Journe’s collections. The Ruthenium Collection Tourbillon Souverain uses a third generation brass movement version of the caliber 1498, which can be identified as such by the flattened, black polished cock for the remontoir, set flush with the surface of the dial. The ruthenium plating on the dial and movement is noticeably darker than the polished platinum of the case, giving the Ruthenium Collection Tourbillon Souverain a very distinctive aesthetic to complement its rarity – even among early brass movement Journe watches.

Chronomètre à Résonance Ruthenium Collection

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

For the Ruthenium Collection version of the Chronomètre à Résonance, Journe used the original caliber 1499 brass movement.

The basic concept behind all of the resonance chronometers which Journe has produced, from the late 1990s up until the present day, is to exploit the phenomenon of mechanical resonance, which occurs when two oscillators – either a pendulum or a balance wheel, in the case of horology – are somehow coupled mechanically. The basic idea is to improve precision, inasmuch as the rates of two coupled oscillators should be more stable than of a single one. The effect was first observed by Huygens in the mid-17th century, during his attempts to create a marine chronometer, and then used in clocks by Antide Janvier, and pocket watches by Breguet. It is well known that after Breguet, no one made a resonance watch until Journe, after nearly 200 years, created the Chronomètre à Résonance.

All of the Ruthenium Collection Journe watches offer an aesthetic unique to the collection, but the complexity of the caliber 1499 resonance movement makes it

MATERIAL

especially interesting with the ruthenium treatment. The dark grey color of the ruthenium offers a wonderfully rich contrast to the yellow color of the freesprung, adjustable mass balances, black polished balance spring studs and screws, and the other different types of steel finishing found in the movement. Any resonance caliber from Journe is an intriguing mechanism to observe, but the ruthenium verson’s special characteristics give it an identity all its own.

Octa Calendrier Ruthenium Collection

The Octa Calendrier was originally introduced in 2002, and represents the first annual calendar complication ever produced by F.P. Journe. As with the other Octa models, the annual calendar complication has been added to the caliber 1300 Octa automatic movement, without increasing the thickness of the base caliber. Notably, the power reserve indication, a common feature in Journe’s timepieces, is also absent, however from a design standpoint, the omission allowed Journe to create one of his signature asymmetrical dials, with indications for the date, day of the week, and month, while still giving the dial an uncluttered, open feel.

The Octa Calendrier, as an annual calendar, will correctly show the length of any month with 30 or 31 days. The only exception is the month of February, at the end of which the owner will have to correct the calendar manually.

This is also thanks to the retrograde date display, which is arranged along the circumference of the dial, and which has a very long, elegantly tapering hand.

On the dial side, the ruthenium dial treatment contrasts sharply with the frame for the hours and minutes, as well as the long arc for the retrograde date display. The movement, through the sapphire caseback, has the same dark appeal as the ruthenium plated movements used elsewhere in the Ruthenium Collection – and contrasts also with the ruthenium coated gold oscillating mass, whose underlying color glows subtly through the ruthenium plating.

Octa Chronographe Ruthenium Collection

The Octa Chronographe is a technically remarkable, fullrotor automatic chronograph, featuring an integrated chronograph mechanism placed under the dial, in order to avoid interfering with the movement of the oscillating mass for the automatic winding mechanism. Selfwinding chronographs were considered a major technical challenge in modern watchmaking, with the first models not arriving until 1969. The Journe Octa Chronographe is unusual in both the configuration of the chronograph mechanism, and in the combination of features, with flyback automatic chronographs with big date displays a relative rarity even today.

The Ruthenium Collection version of the Octa Chronographe offers an aesthetic which is unlike any other version of the Octa Chronographe, and indeed, unlike any other watch in the Ruthenium Collection. The chronograph is generally considered a complication with a bit of a sporty side, but at the same time there are many chronographs highly desirable to the collector, which are more formal timepieces both in design, and in the level of refinement and finishing given to the movement.

The Ruthenium Octa Chrongraphe is a combination of both the aristocratic character of the finely finished haute horlogerie chronograph, and the more casual character of sports chronographs. The key to combining the two successfully, is the use of ruthenium finishing for the dial and movement. The dark grey color of the movement and dial, in combination with the platinum case, makes the Ruthenium Octa Chronographe a rare combination of the dress and sports chronograph which succeeds equally as an example of both. The combination of platinum and ruthenium, both of which are part of the same family of metals, gives the Ruthenium Octa Chronographe a cool, calm and collected clarity.

Octa Jour et Nuit Ruthenium Collection

CASE SIZE

Of all the pieces in the Ruthenium Collection, it is the Octa Jour et Nuit which is the most unusual in one particular respect. While all the other Ruthenium Collection pieces also exist outside the Ruthenium Collection, the Octa Jour et Nuit was never made as a standard production timepiece – it exists only in the Ruthenium Collection.

The Jour et Nuit shares with the other Ruthenium Collection watches, the use of the brass caliber 1300 automatic movement, with its 120 hour power reserve and ruthenium plating. The dial of the Jour et Nuit is a classic expression of Journe’s design sensibility, with an asymmetric arrangement of the subdials for the hours, minutes, and running seconds on the left, and the power reserve on the right. The big date display is located just to the left of the 12:00 position, and at about 7:00 on the dial, there is a day/night indication.

The latter consists of two basic elements. The first is a sort of schematic representation of the Earth as seen from above. The other is a rotating disk, which carries a miniature Sun and Moon and which fades continuously

from daylight to dusk to night, and then night to dawn to daylight. Day or night at the owner’s location can be read off a bold arrow at 12:00 on the globe.

The day/night indication is one which adds an additional visual and emotional element to the experience of time, and in the Ruthenium Collection, the miniature stars, Sun, and Moon add an element of nature, and natural light, to the cool grey of ruthenium – and of course, the rarity of the Octa Ruthenium Collection Jour et Nuit adds to the considerable appeal of the watch as well.

Special Editions & Limited Series

Despite low absolute volume, Montres Journe production is highly subdivided. While 1,000 mechanical pieces per year is the limit, that overstates the number of any individual model or series. Production is further stratified by the presence of frequent low-volume special editions for retailers, occasions, and anniversaries.

Examples of these editions include the 2015 steel 38mm set, a matched collection of five stainless steel limited editions of 38 pieces issued as a finale and salute to the outgoing 38mm case size. As with other Journe numbered series, a serial-matched set of the 38mm steel collection is the stuff of dreams.

Other Journe special series watches have commemorated the 50th anniversary of official diplomatic relations between Journe’s home nation of France and China, the opening of the Journe Dubai boutique, Journe’s fascination with astrological calendars, touted the affinity with fellow luxury brand Holland & Holland firearms, and recognized Journe retailer De Boulle.

Chronomètre à Résonance 38mm Steel Set

In 2015, F.P. Journe made a major decision about case sizes for all of its watches across all its collections. The decision was made to retire the 38mm case size which had been generally available for all of Journe’s dress watches from the beginning, with the option of a 40mm case added a few years after the company launched its first collections. (Currently, F.P. Journe watches from the Classique Collection are available in 40mm or 42mm cases).

To mark the occasion, Journe decided to release a set of five steel watches, with 38 of each timepiece. The watches chosen for the collection were the Tourbillon Souverain, the Chronomètre à Résonance, the Octa Automatique, the Octa Calendrier, and the Chronomètre Souverain. To add to the exclusivity of the launch, four out of five of the watches in the series were discontinued by 2015, when the Steel Collection launched – only the Chronomètre Souverain was still available. All Steel Collection watches have gold dials and movements, with deep blue dial markers to match the blued steel hands, rather than the black numerals found in other Journe production watches.

The Steel Set Chronomètre à Résonance uses the third generation of the 1499 series of resonance calibers, the 1499.3, which was used by Journe from 2006, until the 2020 introduction of the caliber 1520. Notable differences between the 1499 series and the 1520 include the use of a single mainspring barrel in the newer movement, and so in the Steel Set Chronomètre à Résonance, the two mainspring barrel pivots are still visible under the gold barrel bridge.

The Steel Set Chronomètre à Résonance is also a look back to the origins of the complication on the dial side. In 2010, the original symmetrical dial was discontinued, in favor of dials in which one of the subdials for the hours and minutes had a 24 hour scale. In steel – which, aside from chiming complications, Journe had never used in his dress watches – and at 38mm, the Steel Set Chronomètre à Résonance represents the purist’s version of the complication, and in a most unusual case material as well.

This Steel Set Chronomètre à Résonance is matched with an F.P. Journe steel bracelet.

Octa Calendrier 38mm Steel Set

CASE SIZE

As with the other Steel Set timepieces, the Octa Calendrier is unique in a 38mm steel case. The Octa Calendrier was originally introduced in 2002, and while a mainstay of Journe’s collections for many years, it was eventually discontinued in 2014, a year before the launch of the Steel Collection (the Octa Automatique was discontinued the same year). Along with the other watches in the Steel Collection, the Octa Automatique Steel Set is a look back at the history of F.P. Journe, both in terms of the complication, and in terms of aesthetics – the steel cases have a visual relationship with the platinum cases Journe used at the start of his career.

The Octa Calendrier had a very striking design, with a retrograde date display encompassing a considerable part of the circumference of the dial, and with the asymmetric dial design characteristic of so many of F.P. Journe’s watches. The long, elegantly tapered hand for the retrograde date display is another notable element of the overall design, as is the asymmetrical placement of the windows for the day of the week and the month.

Finally, the Octa Calendrier is an annual calendar – one of the most practical of calendar complications, offering many of the benefits of a perpetual calendar, without the complexity and fragility often associated with the latter. In steel, the Octa Calendrier is one of the most practical watches in any of Journe’s collections – versatile, useful, suitable for daily wear, and at the same time, extremely rare and highly collectible.

Octa Automatique 38mm Steel Set

MOVEMENT

The Octa Automatique Réserve de Marche was the first self-winding watch produced by Journe, and was originally launched in 2001 as the first watch in the Octa Collection. The caliber 1300 automatic movement has a 120 hour power reserve; however, Journe had initially wanted an eight-day power reserve and though the final power reserve was slightly less, the name was retained.

The mainspring was developed by the specialist supplier Générale Ressorts in consultation with Journe, and is one meter long, but only one millimeter thick. This allows for a more even delivery of torque over the 120 hour power reserve, and was instrumental in allowing Journe to use a relatively large 10.1mm balance, vibrating at 21,600 vph, which provides better inertia and greater stability. All of the Octa watches using the caliber 1300 benefit from the basic strengths of this caliber, which has a gold oscillating weight.

The Octa Automatique is as significant to the history of F.P. Journe as the original Chronomètre à Résonance and Tourbillon Souverain. While the ingenuity of the latter two watches cannot be disputed, it requires an equal degree of persistence to create a new, reliable self-winding movement, especially with a longer power

DIAL

reserve. The dial of the Octa Automatique is an exercise in minimalism that borders on the austere, but at the same time, the careful composition of the dial elements give it a purity of expression that demonstrates Journe’s ability to take even a relatively simple watch and give it a genuinely exciting and distinctive visual identity.

In steel, the Octa Automatique is both a highly practical timepiece, and like the other Steel Set timepieces, a physical link to the early days of F.P. Journe and to the wide-ranging scope of his technical and aesthetic expertise.

Octa Zodiaque

REFERENCE

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CASE SIZE

While F.P. Journe is quite rightly associated with watches which advance the state of the art in the pursuit of precision timekeeping, there are also watches which have been produced over the years which speak to a more poetic perspective on the passage of time. Moonphase complications and the Jour et Nuit day/ night complication are two examples, and another is the Octa Zodiaque.

The Octa Zodiaque was launched in 2003 – just one year before Journe began to transition from the use of brass movements, plated with rhodium, to the use of solid rose gold plates and bridges. It is the last series produced watch with a brass movement that Journe ever produced, and it features a very unusual complication –an indication of the current sign of the Zodiac.

More specifically, the Zodiaque indicates through which sign of the Zodiac the Sun is passing. The signs of the Zodiac occupy 12 equal segments of the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun – the so-called ecliptic plane –and as the Earth rotates around the Sun over the course of a year, the Sun as seen from the Earth appears to move through the ecliptic plane, and therefore, through the signs of the Zodiac which are mapped onto it. Each sign of the Zodiac occupies about 30º of the ecliptic plane.

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To show the Sun’s position relative to the signs of the Zodiac in the ecliptic plane, Journe developed a system in which the months and the signs of the Zodiac are shown on a rotating disk at the outer circumference of the dial. This disk rotates 1/365th of its diameter per day, and is synchronized to the big date display.

The Octa Zodiaque, in addition to being the last brass movement Journe timepiece, was produced only as a limited edition of 150 pieces, all 40mm in diameter. The complication was inspired by an antique globe, part of the collection of timepieces at the F.P. Journe manufacture in Geneva, which dates to around 1720, and which has an equatorial Zodiac ring. Journe himself has said that he “... created the watch to pay tribute to the stars, which have always served as points of reference for human time calculation.”

Octa Perpétuelle Anniversaire Tokyo Limited Edition

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In 2003, F.P. Journe opened his first boutique, in Tokyo, in a building designed by the renowned Japanese architect, Tadao Ando. Journe said, in 2010, that the reason for beginning to launch his own boutiques, was that the presentation of his watches required a great deal of specific knowledge and expertise, and that he felt in general that multi-brand retailers would not be capable of doing his watches justice.

To acknowledge his clients and to celebrate the anniversaries of the opening of the Tokyo Boutique, Journe began producing the Anniversaire Tokyo Limited Editions. These timepieces were produced in a small series of each, and varied in the number of pieces for each limited edition (the Chronomètre à Résonance Anniversaire Tokyo, for instance, consisted of 12 pieces; the Centigraphe Anniversaire Tokyo was a series of 10 pieces).

The Tokyo Anniversaire watches have in common the use of ruthenium plated gold dials, with accents such as hands, crowns, pushers, and dial elements such as lettering and numerals in rose gold, and titanium cases.

The Octa Perpètuelle Anniversaire Tokyo is an unusual timepiece on several counts. First of all of course it is one of the Tokyo Anniversaire timepieces, featuring the titanium case and other design elements common to all the Tokyo Anniversaire series of watches. Secondly, it is the only version of the Octa Perpétuelle ever produced. This retrograde perpetual calendar complication, in this particular configuration, exists nowhere else in Journe’s production except in the Tokyo Anniversaire series, where it was made in a 99 piece limited edition. The Octa Perpétuelle Tokyo Anniversaire was produced in 2009 and 2010, and the perpetual calendar complication is now represented in Journe’s current collection, by the Quantième Perpétuelle.

Two interesting technical features in the Octa Perpétuelle are the pusher at 8:00, and the leap year indication. The pusher at 8:00 is there to allow the owner to set the correct month when setting up the watch. The leap year indication is integrated with the display for the month of February in the month window – during that month, either the number 1, 2, 3, or the letter B are displayed. The B indicated a Leap Year, as the French term for Leap Year is Année bissextile.

Octa Automatique Lune France-China 50

The F.P. Journe Automatique Lune has been presented by Journe in several different configurations. The first Octa Lune was produced during the brass movement era, and won the Men’s Watch prize at the 2003 GPHG. That watch featured an asymmetrical dial with the power reserve on the left, with a moonphase and big date. This was followed by the announcement, in 2007, of the Octa Automatique Lune. This watch surprised Journe enthusiasts and collectors with its completely redesigned dial, in which the hour and minute hands were relocated to the center of the dial, with a smaller power reserve indication. The moonphase indication and large date, as well as the small seconds subdial, remained in their original position.

It’s this version which was used by Journe for the Octa Automatique Lune France-China 50.

The Octa Automatique Lune France-China 50 uses the caliber 1300.3, which was an update to the 1300 series automatic movements, and which was introduced in the Automatique Lune in 2007. The main update was a switch to unidirectional winding (to offer better efficiency) and shifting the hour and minute hands to the center of the dial, for better legibility.

The Octa Automatique Lune France-China 50 was created, in 2014, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between France, and the People’s Republic of China. The watch was produced from 2016 to 2014. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1964, and for the 50th anniversary, F.P. Journe was the official watchmaker. The 40mm platinum case is accompanied by a matte blue dial and applied white gold, diamond cut Arabic numerals, and the France-China 50 logo is in red, adjacent to Journe’s signature.

Production was very low – there were 10 watches made for each of the Journe boutiques, and in addition, the watch could be produced as a special order.

Chronomètre Souverain de Boulle Edition

The first version of the Chronomètre Souverain debuted in 2005, and has been a cornerstone of Journe’s collections ever since. Originally conceived of as a wristwatch version of the marine chronometer, the caliber 1304’s two mainspring barrels, and fine adjustment, make it an exercise both in beauty and in practical precision timekeeping.

The Chronomètre Souverain has been produced both with and without a power reserve – the Chronomètre Souverain de Boulle limited edition features a power reserve indicator for the 56 hour power reserve. An interesting feature of the power reserve is that when winding the watch, full power reserve is reached when the hand for the power reserve reaches zero. The Chronomètre Souverain therefore shows you, not the hours remaining in the power reserve, but rather, the number of hours which have passed since the last time the watch was fully wound – useful information in a marine chronometer,

The Chronomètre Souverain de Boulle edition was created for de Boulle Diamond and Jewelry, a Texas based retailer. The Chronomètre Souverain de Boulle features a two-tone dial, with darker grey ruthenium plating on the hour track, and silver for the time, seconds subdial, and power reserve. Clous de Paris guilloché in the center provides a contrasting surface for the blued steel hour and minute hands. The series was very small in terms of production numbers; just eight pieces were made.

Chronomètre Souverain Dubai Boutique Edition

CASE SIZE

The Chronomètre Souverain was originally launched in 2005 and it represents Journe’s concept of a thin, chronometer-grade high precision hand-wound watch. The watch has come in several different versions over the years, and the year that it launched it won the prize for Men’s watch at the GPHG.

The heart of the watch is the caliber 1403, which Journe developed as a way of creating his idea of a marine chronometer for the wrist. The Chronomètre Souverain has two mainspring barrels under a rose gold bridge which also acts as the bridge for the crown wheel and first wheel in the going train (the center wheel). The movement fourth wheel, on which the seconds hand is mounted, is slightly off center and between 7:00 and 8:00 on the dial. The balance, as is the case with all Journe watches, is free sprung, which means that there is no regulator sweep to interfere with the natural oscillation of the balance spring, and the rate of the watch is controlled by a system of adjustable timing weights – again, very much in the tradition of precision marine chronometers.

The movement is also relatively flat, at 30.4mm x 4mm, allowing the Chronomètre Souverain to have a case 40mm in diameter and 8mm thick.

The Chronomètre Souverain Dubai Boutique edition is one of the versions of the Chronomètre Souverain which omits the power reserve indication (another example is the current collection Chronomètre Bleu). The watch was created to celebrate the opening of F.P. Journe’s boutique at the Dubai Mall, in 2019, and the green dial color is, according to Journe, symbolic in the Middle East of “chance, fortune and fertility.” The Chronomètre Souverain Dubai Boutique was produced in a limited edition of 99 pieces, which rapidly sold out.

Chronomètre Holland & Holland

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CASE SIZE

Manual 39mm

In 2017, F.P. Journe produced one of his most unusual collaborations. This was the collaboration with sporting arms maker Holland & Holland, one of Britain’s most historically important gunsmiths.

Holland & Holland was founded in 1835 by Harris Holland, and is one of the few firearms manufacturers who produce what are called “London Best” side by side shotguns. These guns are assembled and adjusted by hand, and are custom fitted to the client – often with the addition of elaborate engraving.

For the collaboration with Holland & Holland, Journe used dials made from antique Damascus steel gun barrels from the Holland & Holland archives. Barrel no. 1382, from 1868, would produce 38 dials and barrel no. 7183, from 1882, would provide 28 dials. The barrels were produced using an artisanal method known as pattern welding, in which steel rods are wound around a mandrel and welded together, producing intricate patterns in the steel reminiscent of ripples on water. Modern shotguns barrels cannot be made in this way as modern ammunition produces much higher pressures than such antique barrels can safely tolerate.

For the Holland & Holland dials, the double barrels first had to be separated into individual tubes, and then cut open lengthwise, and flattened to the correct thickness.

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It was not possible to establish a fixed number for the series in advance as it was not immediately clear from the outset how many dials each barrel could produce. The dials were then “browned” (a chemical process often used in firearms manufacture, to produce an oxidized, corrosion-resistant surface) before the Journe wordmark and other dial markings were transfer-printed.

As each dial has a unique pattern, each watch in the series is different from the others and given the challenges of working with the material, the Chronomètre Holland & Holland watches are highly unlikely to ever be produced again.

Vagabondage Series

VBI CASE SIZE

VBII CASE SIZE

VBIII CASE SIZE

41mm x 34mm

45.2mm x 37.5mm

45.2mm x 37.5mm

The idea for the Vagabondage watches actually predates the founding of the F.P. Journe brand, and began in 1995. Journe at this time was still creating movements for other brands, and was approached by a French collector who wanted a wandering hours watch. Journe agreed, but given the complexity and cost of the project, asked if the client would agree to producing the watch in a series. The client agreed, and Journe began developing the movement – according to some sources, for Cartier. The first design prototype according to Journe was called “Carpe Diem” and consisted of an automatic movement, with a wandering hours display, and central balance. Journe then developed a second prototype, but hand wound and designed for a tortue case. This prototype movement was ultimately not produced as a completed watch, and the project was set aside by Journe, until 2004.

At that point Journe was asked by the auction house, Antiquorum, if he would consider creating something for their 30th anniversary.

Journe decided to resurrect the wandering hours complication on which he had worked, and made three watches for the auction. The watches were a resounding success. Journe has said, in an interview with Revolution, that “... it stands apart from everything else I had created until that time. Hence again why the name Vagabondage was so appropriate for the watch.

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Platinum Skeleton

2006, 2011, 2017

“To my surprise, all three watches sold off at three times their estimates.”

Vagabondage I entered production in 2006 and consisted of 69 pieces. The watch was quite large by Journe’s usual standards, at 41mm x 34mm. The movement is hand-wound, with the balance visible through a large aperture in the center of the dial. The balance spring for caliber 1504 has a regulator, which is unusual for Journe. The hour is framed by a window, which frames the current hour on the hour disk, and also acts as the minute hand – the hour disk and window rotate together once per hour and at the beginning of each hour, the window jumps to the next hour. 68 pieces were produced in platinum, along with 10 in platinum with baguette diamonds.

Vagabondage Series

Vagabondage II, released in 2010 has a jumping hours and jumping minutes display, with a single disk for the hours, and two separate disks for the ones and tens digits for the minutes. The physical dimensions of the tortue case were the same as for Vagabondage 1, but the new caliber 1509, in addition to the jumping hours and minutes, also had a power reserve indicator. The movement – caliber 1509 – has a freesprung, adjustable mass balance with four inertial timing weights. The watch was produced in rose gold and platinum, in 68 pieces and 69 pieces respectively.

Vagabondage III was perhaps the most difficult to produce. Produced from 2016 to 2019, it was made in a series of 69 pieces in platinum, 68 pieces in rose gold, and 10 gem-set models with platinum cases. Vagabondage III features a conventional center minute hand, power reserve indicator, and, in a first in watchmaking, a jumping hour display combined with a jumping seconds display.

Such a display is very difficult to design. The ones disk for the seconds need to jump once per second, the tens digit disk needs to jump along with it every ten seconds, and all three disks including the hour, have to jump at the top of the hour. In order to reduce the energy drain on the movement, Journe incorporated a remontoir d’égalite, which in addition to providing even torque to the balance, also delivers energy to the ones digit disk. This in turn indexes the tens digit disk and the jumping ones digit disk can be thought of as a variation on the deadbeat seconds complication first used by Journe in the Tourbillon Souverain. The jumping seconds display will only jump correctly if there is sufficient energy to

keep the remontoir wound and the owner can see when the energy left in the mainspring is too low – that’s indicated by a red sector on the power reserve indicator.

The Vagabondage Series: All watches in tortue cases. Vagabondage I, 41mm x 34mm, caliber 1504, wandering hours with synchronously rotating minutes disk and central balance; 69 pieces in platinum. Vagabondage II, 45.2mm x 37.5mm, caliber 1509, with jumping hours and minutes on three disks, with power reserve and small seconds; 68 pieces in rose gold and 69 in platinum.

Vagabondage III, 45.2mm x 37.5mm, caliber 1514, with jumping hours and jumping seconds on three discs, small seconds, and power reserve, with remontoir d’égalite; 69 in platinum, 68 in rose gold, 10 in diamond-set platinum.

Milestone Collections

François-Paul Journe’s vision for complicated horology is succinctly communicated through the company motto –Invenit et Fecit – meaning “invented and made.” Journe’s timepieces are technically sophisticated, undeniably elegant, and represent new concepts and interpretations of modern watchmaking.

Among the standout watches by Montres Journe are the Repetition Souveraine, a minute repeater in stainless steel; the tantalum - cased Chronomètre Bleu; the Chronomètre Optimum, Journe’s most accurate mechanical watch; the award-winning Centigraphe Souveraine with a high-speed secondary escapement; The Octa Chronographe with flyback capability; The Octa Calendrier annual calendar with retrograde date display; and the Octa UTC, featuring a unique global projection display for travel time.

Octa Calendrier

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MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

MATERIAL

DIAL

White Gold

Circa 2005-2008

PRODUCTION YEAR Q Automatic 38mm Platinum

The Octa Calendrier was one of the first watches offered by F.P. Journe after the company’s debut in 1999, and contrasts significantly with the Chronomètre à Résonance, as well as with the two Octa models which preceded it, the Octa Chronographe and the Octa Automatique Réserve de Marche. The Octa Calendrier was first introduced in 2002 and like its predecessors, was based on the Octa caliber 1300. This movement, with its 120 day power reserve, was designed by Journe from the outset to be able to accept complications without any increase in the thickness of the movement and, as a result, the Octa watches all share the same case thickness.

The original caliber 1300 was, like all of Journe’s movements up until 2004, made of rhodium plated brass, and featured a 22k gold winding rotor. The caliber 1300.2, in rose gold, was introduced in 2004.

The Octa Calendrier used the caliber 1300.2 until the introduction of the caliber 1300.3 in 2007, which had a redesigned unidirectional winding system for greater efficiency (the modification was made by Journe in response to a client whose sedentary profession did

not provide enough activity to maintain a power reserve in his watch). In platinum, in a 38mm case, with the caliber 1300.2, this Octa Calendrier represents a combination of a case diameter favored by purists, along with the highly useful annual calendar complication – in this case, with a retrograde date display, with the date indicated by a long, elegantly proportioned, blued steel hand. The Octa Calendrier was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the GPHG in 2002.

Octa Chronographe

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MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE MATERIAL DIAL PRODUCTION YEAR

At the very beginning of his career and the establishment of his own brand, in 1999 and 2000, F.P. Journe is known to have used movements with plates and bridges made of brass, with rhodium plating. This first generation of calibers would be discontinued in 2004 and Journe would begin creating watches with plates and bridges made of rose gold. The first generation of movements in rose gold included an updated version of the original caliber 1300, which had been launched in 2001 in the Octa Réserve de Marche. These first generation watches with rose gold movements occupy an interesting place in the history of F.P. Journe, in that, as they follow the models produced with brass movements, they form the foundation of Journe’s watchmaking from the early 2000s to the present day.

The Octa Chronographe was the first chronograph Journe produced, and this model, in a 38mm platinum case, with caliber 1300.2, represents the first generation of the Octa Chronographe with a rose gold movement, pre-dating the introduction of caliber 1300.3 in 2007. The platinum case, and dial in white gold, beautifully captures the aesthetic charm of Journe’s early series rose gold movement watches.

In the Octa Chronographe, the chronograph works are built into the space under the dial. Normally, the chronograph mechanism in a watch is located on the top of the movement as seen from behind, but in this case, Journe deliberately left enough space under the dial of the 1300 series movements to accommodate additional complications, all without increasing the thickness of the various watches. In order to keep the established thinness of the caliber 1300, Journe ingeniously modified the classic column wheel chronograph by flattening it into a multi-lobed cam. The Octa Chronographe has a central chronograph seconds hand and a 60 minute register to the right, and all of the chronograph components have been placed in such a way that there is still room for the big date display, just to the left of the 12:00 position on the dial.

Centigraphe Souverain

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MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

The Centigraphe Souverain was launched in 2007, and represents Journe’s unique approach to creating a chronograph capable of measuring intervals as short as 1/100th of a second. The idea was inspired by former Scuderia Ferrari boss Jean Todt, whom Journe met through the ICM Foundation (in English, the Brain and Spine Institute) which supports research into the treatment of brain and spine disorders.

The Centigraphe was the first Journe timepiece to replace a preceding one, in this case, the Octa Chronographe.

The dial and subregisters immediately show that this is not a conventional chronograph. The register at the upper left is for the 1/100th second hand and rotates once per second. The hand for the upper right register rotates once every 20 seconds, and finally, the lower central register’s hand rotates once every 10 minutes. The 10 minute register is marked off in 20 second increments, allowing elapsed time to be read accurately when all three registers are combined.

Normally, a chronograph can only measure time intervals as small as the frequency of the balance. A conventional balance beating at 21,600 vph, for instance, can measure 6 beats per second. A 36,000 vph balance can measure 1/10 second intervals but for 1/100th second intervals, a 360,000 vph balance would be required.

To get around this problem, Journe invented a completely

new chronograph system, allowing the caliber 1506 to measure 1/100 second intervals with only a 21,600 vph balance. He did this by incorporating a so-called foudroyante (“foudre” means “lightning” in French, and refers to the lightninglike swiftness of the foudroyant hand). In this system, a fine toothed wheel on the axis of the escape wheel flicks a star wheel forward six times per second, on which the foudroyante hand is mounted. When the Centigraphe’s chronograph is stopped, a braking system disengages the foudroyante star wheel and brakes the hand even if the hand is jumping between 1/6th second markers, theoretically allowing 1/100th second intervals to be read off – and allowing the tachymeter scales to (theoretically) measure speeds over a measured distance of up to 36,000 kilometers per hour.

To maintain precision in the timekeeping train, the chronograph train’s power flow is separated from the main going train – the chronograph is powered by a series of gears driven by the barrel arbor and the going train, by the rotation of the mainspring drum (a system originally developed by Journe for the Sonnerie Souverain and its caliber 1505). To make this possible, Journe relocated the barrel of the Centigraphe to the center of the movement.

A highly complex example of innovation in the traditional chronograph mechanism, the Centigraphe is the subject of two patents (one of them for the rocker system for start, stop, and reset) and won the Grand Prize, or Aiguille d’Or, at the 2008 GPHG.

Centigraphe Souverain

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MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

The Centigraphe Souverain, with the revolutionary caliber 1506, was at the time of its debut in 2007 unlike any other chronograph and it remains a watch whose technical solutions are unique in modern watchmaking.

This version, with a rose gold dial, shares the same technical characteristics with other caliber 1506 Centigraphe Souverain watches.

Journe set out to make a watch with a balance frequency of 21,600 vph capable of showing elapsed time intervals as small as 1/100th second. In order to do this, he adapted a complication known in French as a foudroyante, in which a hand rotates once per second in a subdial. Ordinarily, the foundroyante hand jumps forward one increment every time the escape wheel unlocks, and so the number of times per second that it jumps forward is in turn limited by the balance frequency.

For the Centigraphe, Journe hit upon the idea of making it possible to brake the foudroyante hand even in midjump. To do this he created a system where the main timekeeping train was powered by the mainspring drum, but the chronograph trains (two connected trains for the 1/100th foudroyante and the 1/20th second hand, and another for the ten minute counter) were powered by the barrel arbor – essentially, when the chronograph

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DIAL

is running the chronograph system and going train are powered by the two ends of the mainspring unwinding at once.

To accomplish this, Journe placed the mainspring barrel at the center of the movement, and also developed a system for disengaging the foudroyante wheel with what is essentially a vertical clutch system. The foudroyante wheel is disengaged by a lever that moves it downward, out of engagement with its driving wheel, and when the owner stops the Centigraphe, this is visible from the dial side – the foudroyante 1/100 second hand will slightly but visibly sink downward.

Chronomètre Bleu

REFERENCE

MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

CB Manual

39mm

The Chronomètre Bleu was introduced by F.P. Journe in 2009. Its movement – caliber 1304, is identical to that introduced in the 2005 Chronomètre Souverain, and represents, as Journe has said, a kind of translation of the spirit of marine chronometers to the wristwatch. The caliber 1304 is hand wound, with a 56 hour power reserve, and has a distinctive single bridge for the two mainspring barrels, running in tandem, as well as the crown wheel, center wheel, and movement third wheel. In its original form the caliber 1304 also has a power reserve indication. While the caliber 1304 used in the Chronomètre Bleu is technically the same as in the Chronomètre Souverain, it is slightly different cosmetically in that the baseplate is decorated with engine turning.

The Chronomètre Bleu omits the power reserve indication in favor of an uncluttered chrome blue dial. The numerals on the dial change in size in order to fit around the small seconds subdial without being cut off (the usual practice in watches with small seconds subdials is simply to cut the numbers off where they intersect with the subdial).

The most notable feature of the Chronomètre Bleu, however, is the case, which is made of tantalum. The metal occurs just before tungsten in the periodic table, and is nearly as dense; it is highly resistant to corrosion

MATERIAL

DIAL

PRODUCTION YEAR

Tantalum

Chrome Blue

Circa 2015-2016

as well. Lustrous, and with an attractive blue-grey color, it is ideal for watch cases in many respects but is uncommon in watchmaking thanks to the fact that it is extremely difficult to machine; one technical journal notes, “Tantalum has long drawn the ire of machinist, being particularly difficult to cut.” The first attempts by Journe to machine a tantalum case led to the cutting tool breaking seven times, and it takes about five times as long to produce a tantalum case as it does a platinum one. The buckle for the Chronomètre Bleu is in tantalum as well.

Tantalum cases are rare in Journe’s production; one other example was the Astronomic Blue for Only Watch 2016, as well as the 2017 Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante Bleu, also an Only Watch unique piece.

Chronomètre Optimum

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MOVEMENT

The Chronomètre Optimum is, nominally, a time-only watch with power reserve. However, it is considerably more complex than the name alone would indicate. Launched in 2012, it represents Journe’s most concentrated effort yet to create a watch capable of the highest possible precision.

The Chronomètre Optimum is powered by Journe’s caliber 1510. A hand wound movement with a 70 hour power reserve, the Chronomètre Optimum as the name implies, has a number of features intended to improve precision as much as possible, in the context of a mechanical watch using traditional materials.

First, the caliber 1510 has twin mainspring barrels running in tandem. Since both wheels engage with the movement center wheel, side load and therefore friction on the center wheel is greatly reduced.

Secondly, the caliber 1510 uses Journe’s blade-spring powered remontoir d’égalite, to ensure even delivery of torque across the power reserve. The saw-toothed remontoir wheel, as well as the flat regulator (which uses air resistance to control the speed at which the remontoir advances) are visible through an aperture on the dial side, at 12:00. A deadbeat seconds hand driven by the remontoir is visible on the back of the watch.

The remontoir is rewound by the mainspring barrel and though the power reserve is 70 hours overall, the torque from the mainspring drops below the threshold needed to power the remontoir after about 50 hours. This “danger zone” is shown in red on the power reserve.

Finally, caliber 1510 has a very unusual escapement. The Journe Échappement Bi-axial à Haute Performance (High Performance, Double Wheel Escapement) is an evolution of Breguet’s so-called natural escapement, in which two escape wheels impulse the balance directly, rather than via a lever. Journe’s version of the escapement, which does not require lubrication and therefore, offers the chronometric advantages of the chronometer detent escapement, has two titanium wheels, and incorporates a safety system intended to prevent the escapement from unlocking if the watch receives a shock. The escapement is also self starting (again, unlike the chronometer detent escapement).

The Chronomètre Optimum was the first Journe watch to be offered in 40mm or 42mm case sizes and to an enthusiast interested in high precision mechanical watches, it is perhaps the most pure expression of the pursuit of precision in the watchmaking of F.P. Journe.

Répétition Souveraine

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MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE MATERIAL

DIAL

YEAR

Launched in 2008, the Répétition Souveraine is the second series produced chiming complication by F.P. Journe, following the launch of the Sonnerie Souveraine in 2006 (Journe had also shown a unique piece, Grande et Petite Sonnerie in 2000). A grande sonnerie chimes the time “in passing” – that is, when the sonnerie function is switched on, the watch will chime the hours and quarter hours automatically. A minute repeater, on the other hand, chimes “on demand” when the slide, or less commonly, a button in the caseband, is pressed. This winds a subsidiary spring barrel that powers the repeaters, and the watch will chime the hours, quarter hours, and minutes.

The Répétition Souveraine was at the time it was launched, the flattest minute repeater in the world and it remains to this day one of the flattest, with a case just 8.56mm thick, and at launch, a movement just 4.04mm thick. The fact that the Répétition Souveraine could be so thin is thanks to a major alteration to the traditional layout of the repeater. Normally, the cams, racks, and levers of a minute repeater are located under the dial, where they mechanically read the time off the position of the hour and minute hands. The gongs and hammers are typically on the top plate side of the movement – that is to say, the part of the movement visible through a display back – along with a regulator, which controls the rate at which the chimes are struck.

To decrease height, Journe moved the hammers to the dial side of the watch, along with the gongs. He also flattened out the gongs so they could be stacked one on top of another, saving space for the rest of the repeater train. In addition, rather than the circular wire gongs typically used in chiming complications, Journe created flat gongs which fit neatly into a recess on the dial side of the movement.

Journe also chose an unusual material for the case –steel. While repeaters traditionally are cased in precious metals (typically rose gold) Journe chose steel due to its lower density and greater rigidity, which produces better volume when the gongs are struck.

Octa UTC

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MOVEMENT

CASE SIZE

UTC

Automatic 40mm

Launched in 2011, the Octa UTC was at the time the first Journe Octa watch since the launch of the Octa Lune to feature the traditional, asymmetrical dial configuration associated with the first production Octa watches. The Octa UTC is a dual time zone watch, with its name derived from the acronym for Universal Time Coordinated (essentially the same as GMT, or Greenwich Mean Time, although the latter is considered a time zone, while UTC is the global time standard from which mean time in the various time zones is derived).

The Octa UTC uses the caliber 1300.3, the version of the caliber 1300 introduced in 2007, which marked the switch to unidirectional winding for greater efficiency.

The Octa UTC shows the time in the usual way in a subdial at 3:00, but differs from other Octa models, in that there is a second, gold 24 hour hand. On the lower left hand side of the dial is a representation of the Earth as seen from above the North Pole, with the various time zones marked out in different colors. As with the moonphase disk on the Octa Lune, the world disk on the Octa UTC is made of sapphire.

MATERIAL

DIAL PRODUCTION YEAR

Rose Gold

White Gold Circa 2011

The dial is divided into 24 sectors, corresponding to the 24 time zones with full hour offsets from UTC.

To set up the watch, the owner first sets the date and time, and then uses a setting stylus to press the corrector set into the case until the home time zone corresponds to 0. (The +1 and -1 indications are there to use in case of Summer time in the home time zone). If the owner travels, they need only turn the crown until the new local time zone is adjacent to the 0 indicator, and the golden 24 hour hand will move to the correct time in the new local time zone.

Quantième Perpétuel

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The Quantième Perpétuel when it was announced in 2013, represented Journe’s first full perpetual calendar to enter the catalog as a regular production watch (it had been preceded only by the 99 piece Octa Perpétuelle Anniversaire Tokyo Limited Edition). When launched, the Quantième Perpétuel replaced the Octa Calendrier, which meant that the perpetual rather than the annual calendar became the most complex calendar complication in the collection. The Quantième Perpétuel is based on the caliber 1300.3 – the 2007 update which switched from the bidirectional winding of the 1300 and 1300.2, to more efficient unidirectional winding – and is not, at least in nomenclature, an “Octa” watch; it is simply named the Quantième Perpétuel.

The Quantième Perpétuel was also the first watch to use an Octa caliber which was not 10.6mm thick. Journe had designed the 1300 caliber to be able to accommodate complications without any additional thickness to the movement but for the Quantième Perpétuel it was necessary to increase the case thickness very slightly, to 10.8mm

This is partly thanks to the nature of the perpetual calendar as a complication, and partly due to the fact that the Quantième Perpétuel is an instantaneous perpetual calendar – that is to say, one in which all the indications jump, simultaneously, at midnight.

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Not only must the perpetual calendar works occupy their usual place under the dial, it is also necessary to incorporate a system for storing energy for the jumping of the indications, all of which must switch in exact synchronization. The energy for switching is gradually accumulated as midnight nears, in order to avoid the sudden power demand from disrupting precision or even stopping the watch. Friction throughout the entire system must be kept as low as possible and clearances in the Quantième Perpétuel under the dial are extremely tight. Power management is key to reliability for the Quantième Perpétuel; at midnight on a Leap Year, the two date disks, month disk, day of the week disk, moonphase indication, and Leap Year indication must all switch simultaneously.

The Quantième Perpétuel was designed by Journe to be as easy to use as possible and all indications can be set from the crown. The only exception is the month, which can be set via a corrector lever hidden under the lug at 1:00 (Journe as a rule prefers to avoid the pushers and correctors so often found in typical perpetual calendars).

This watch is the first version of the Quantième Perpétuel and the foundation of all later models. It is distinguished by its distinctive, clover-shaped stainless steel frame around the center of the dial and the calendar indications.

Quantième Perpétuel

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In 2020, Journe introduced a new variation on the Quantième Perpétuel – a new design which produced a perpetual calendar watch with an even more classical appearance than the 2013 debut.

For 2020, Journe launched a version of the Quantième Perpétuel which did away with the ovoid steel frame of the original reference. Instead, the new models featured dials with all of the indications situated in the same location as in the 2013 Quantième Perpétuel, but this time, individually framed with gold windows, and with a central guilloché pattern absent any additional framing design element or material. The 2020 versions have hour markers with slightly differing sizes – the 3 and the 9 are slightly smaller than the other numerals, in order to accommodate the pivot for the power reserve hand, and the Journe wordmark respectively.

Caliber 1300.3 here retains all the complex functionality of the first version used in the Quantième Perpétuel and features an instantaneous switching system for all the calendar indications. All the calendar indications can be set from the crown, except for the month indication, which can be set separately, using the under-lug corrector lever beneath the lug at 1:00.

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As with the first version, the 2020 models continue to use a system for storing energy during the hours preceding the switching of all indications at midnight. This means that when the calendar switches over, precision is not adversely affected; the system is a key element in ensuring reliable and chronometrically excellent performance.

Linesport Collection

François-Paul Journe entered the sports watch arena with the 2011 Centigraphe Sport, a full-aluminum rendition of his Centigraphe Souverain dress watch. An Octa Sport automatic followed in 2012. Both models incorporated a new case design intended to integrate with specially matched rubber straps and bracelets. Until 2014, the watches incorporated a rare trio of aluminum cases, aluminum movements, and aluminum dials. Due to production challenges, silver aluminum was replaced by grey titanium for case externals in 2014.

Later evolutions of the Linesport incorporated new sizes – 44mm was added – and new models such as the Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante. Unique chiseled metal finishes, exclusive dial colors, and the 2019 elimination of rubber “bumpers” have characterized recent Linesport models. Gold, platinum, and titanium are offered as of 2024.

Centigraphe Sport Aluminum

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In 2011, F.P. Journe released two watches that were unprecedented in his collections and which represented another first in the history of watchmaking. These watches were the Centigraphe Sport Aluminum, and the Octa Sport Aluminum. Both watches were unusual in their case and bracelet materials – they were both aluminum; but what was unprecedented were the movements, which were aluminum as well. Both watches were produced in very small numbers, between 2011 and 2014.

The Centigraphe Sport Aluminum with bracelet, is almost incredibly light, at just 55 grams and of course, this is partly due to the use of aluminum for the baseplate and

bridges. The caliber 1506, as in the original Centigraphe, uses a chronograph with foudroyante hand to allow timing of intervals as small as 1/100th of a second, and features a single mainspring barrel powering the going train and chronograph trains from opposite ends of the mainspring itself. The Centigraphe Aluminum also features the Centigraphe’s signature rocker switch for start, stop, and reset of the chronograph.

The Centigraphe Sport Aluminum would go on to be worn by former F1 pilot Jean Alesi, when he competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 2012.

Octa Sport Aluminum

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The Octa Sport Aluminum also benefited from the very low density of aluminum compared to other metals commonly used for watch cases (aluminum is about 2.5 times less dense than stainless steel, and about seven times less dense than gold). Like the Octa Centigraphe Aluminum, the Octa Sport Aluminum is extremely light, weighing in on a bracelet at just 43 grams.

The movement is the Octa Caliber 1300.3, but in aluminum – the change in material did not affect chronometry, nor the power reserve, which remains at 120 hours. One other change is to the winding rotor, which in the Octa

Sport Aluminum is also made of aluminum, but with a peripheral tungsten weight to increase winding efficiency. Finally, the Octa Sport Aluminum retains all of the features typical of the Octa series, including the instant switching big date, power reserve, and a day/night indicator at 9:00.

In 2014, the aluminum cases would be discontinued, and replaced by 42mm titanium cases.

Automatique Réserve

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The experiment with aluminum led Journe to the next natural material in the pursuit of high performance sports watches which would be lightweight, easy to wear, and compatible with very demanding physical activity while at the same time, not giving anything up in terms of haute horlogerie in general, and a relationship to Journe’s personal history as a watchmaker in particular.

Titanium is a metal with a long history in sports watches and with good reason. While denser than aluminum, it is tougher, and highly resistant to corrosion, as well as hypoallergenic. Journe’s first titanium watches in

the lineSport Collection were released in 2014 and the Octa Sport in a 44mm case, with titanium and aluminum movement, and ceramic bezel, were made from 2014 to 2018.

In terms of creating a watch which is extremely light, as well as tough and highly resistant to corrosion, titanium is a logical choice for many reasons. Although it is about 66% denser than aluminum, it is still quite light, and in the Automatiqe Réserve Titane watches, Journe still used the aluminum version of the caliber 1300.3. The combination of light case metal with extremely light

Automatique Réserve Limited Edition

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material for the movement ensures that the Automatique Réserve Titane timepieces are durable, and very comfortable, while still quite light, at 83 grams overall (the movement contributes only 11 grams to the weight).

The aluminum caliber 1300.3 also features a power reserve of 160 hours, a day/night indicator, and an instantaneous switching date.

Automatique Réserve

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Although the primary emphasis from F.P. Journe on the launch of the Automatique Réserve in 2014 was on the titanium models (a natural choice given the titanium case material and high degree of utility and legibility characteristic of the reference) at the same time, F.P. Journe announced it would also produce the watch in two metals which were diametrically opposed to the ideal of lightness which had been essential to the conception and creation of both the titanium and aluminum models.

The Automatique Réserve watches in gold and platinum and on matching gold and platinum bracelets, are

unequivocal manifestations of the idea of a luxury sports watch, taken to its logical conclusion through the use of precious metals. Opulent, sleek, and expressive, the platinum and gold versions offered a reassuring sense of luxury as it is traditionally conceived.

Still, it is worth noting that both metals are, in fact, durable and highly corrosion resistant. Both platinum and rose gold are highly capable materials from a technical perspective, as well as offering a powerful statement of the union of luxury watchmaking case materials, with a sports watch aesthetic.

Automatique Réserve

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The sports watch and luxury aesthetic extends to the movements as well. The caliber 1300.3 in these watchers, is the version in rose gold which was first launched in 2007, in keeping with the precious metal case materials. Caliber 1300.3 features a 120 hour power reserve, offcenter central rotor, rose gold plates and bridges, and a rose gold oscillating weight for the automatic winding system and, of course, an instantly switching large date, power reserve, and day/night indicator.

Centigraphe Sport

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CT2 Manual 44mm

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Rose Gold

Coated Silver 2021

In 2011, the lineSport Collection was introduced by F.P. Journe, with the goal of creating next-generation, ultra light sports watches made of technical materials which would provide both durability, and comfort. Originally, the lineSport Collection debuted with watches in aluminum cases and with aluminum movements, with titanium being introduced in 2014. In 2019, Journe introduced the Centigraphe Sport in precious metals, launching platinum and rose gold models, but with all the technical features associated with the groundbreaking caliber 1506.

The Centigraphe Sport’s caliber 1506, like all Centigraphe watches, has 3 chronograph registers. On the upper left

is the 1/100 second register; to the upper right, the 1/20 second register, and at 6:00, the 10 minute register.

Start, stop, and reset of the chronograph is via an ergonomic rocker switch, a first for Journe and the subject of a patent.

Normally, a 1/100 second chronograph would require a balance vibrating at 360,000 vph; the balance of the Centigraphe beats at 21,600 vph. In order to create a 1/100 second register, Journe took advantage of a seldom seen complication known as a foudroyante, in which a hand makes one full rotation around its dial every second. The major innovation in the Centigraphe

Centigraphe Sport

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was the creation of a foudroyante which was integrated into a chronograph system, starting and stopping with the other chronograph registers, and, more particularly, which could be stopped not just at the 1/6th second intervals provided by a 21,600 vph balance, but anywhere in between those increments as well.

To achieve this, Journe relocated the mainspring barrel to the center of the movement, where it drives both the chronograph trains (there are two, one split between the 1/100 second register and the 1/20 second register, and another for the 10 minute register) as well as the main timekeeping, or going train.

These two versions of the lineSport Centigraphe, like the preceding Centigraphe Souverain, have an 80 hour power reserve which drops to 24 hours if the chronograph is kept running. The lineSport Centigraphe replaced the Centigraphe Souverain when it was launched but of course, the lineSport versions in precious metal carry on the technical legacy of the original.

Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante

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In 2017, at Only Watch, a remarkable F.P. Journe unique piece was auctioned for $1.15 million. That watch was a rattrapante, or split seconds, chronograph, in a tantalum case (Journe had used tantalum for an Only Watch unique piece – in 2015, for the Tourbillon Souverain Bleu).

In 2018, this complication was released by Journe as a production model, in the lineSport Collection, as the Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante.

The rattrapante, or split seconds, chronograph is traditionally considered a high complication, along with the minute repeater and perpetual calendar (the classic definition of a grand complication timepiece, is that it must have, at least, a repeater, perpetual calendar,

and split seconds chronograph). The rattrapante chronograph’s mechanism must be very precisely made and very carefully adjusted. A rattrapante chronograph is one in which there are two superimposed seconds hands, which look like a single hand when the chronograph is off, and, when it is running. However, if the owner presses the split button while the chronograph is running, the split hand will stop, while the other chronograph seconds hand continues to run. This allows two elapsed time intervals to be measured. The two chronograph seconds hands must be adjusted so that they are exactly aligned, and the movement is much more complex than a standard chronograph.

Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante

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The Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante is considered a monopusher rattrapante chronograph –even though two pushers are visible. The pusher at 2:00 is for start, stop, and reset of the chronograph, while the pusher at 4:00 is for the split seconds function. (All rattrapante chronographs have two pushers; the traditional location for the start, stop and reset pusher is in the crown, which gives the watch the appearance of having a single pusher even though there are two).

The Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante was released in a 44mm case, and for the platinum and rose gold models, the caliber 1518 uses rose gold plates and bridges, in keeping with Journe’s general practice of

using gold exclusively (with some major exceptions, including the aluminum lineSport movements) since 2004. Caliber 1518 is just 6.8mm thick, and the watches overall are 12.1mm thick.

The caliber 1518 is in many respects a traditional monopusher rattrapante chronograph, with a double column wheel system – one column wheel controls chronograph stop, start, and reset, while the second controls the split second mechanism. Journe opted for a tilting pinion chronograph clutch system, in order to reduce backlash in the chronograph train when starting the chronograph.

Acknowledgements

This survey of the work of François-Paul Journe could not have been created without the reference information from numerous Journe scholars. We would like to thank, in no particular order, Osama Sendi (The Journe Guy), Kiran Shekar (author of F.P. Journe: The First 30 Years), SJX, Revolution Magazine, A Collected Man, as well as Sotheby’s and Christie’s for their detailed auction notes available online, as well as many others too numerous to mention.

Paige

Jack Forster is the Global Editorial Director for The 1916 Company. A lifelong watch and clock enthusiast, Jack is particularly interested in the history and evolution of precision timekeeping. He is the author of several books on the subject of watches and watchmaking, and has written for numerous publications both in print and online for over 25 years.

Instagram: @jackjforster

Paige Thatcher is a professional photographer with over a decade of experience. She received a BFA in photography from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She has been photographing luxury watches for the last nine years. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, Vogue Middle East, Women’s Wear Daily, and Hypebeast.

Instagram: @paigecthatcher

www.paigethatcherphotography.com

In-depth collection presentation and analysis by Jack Forster. Photography by Paige Thatcher.

Jack Forster

Thatcher