Results for F.P. Journe

F.P. Journe Introduces the New Chronomètre à Résonance

Since its launch in 2000, the Chronomètre à Résonance has perhaps become the quintessential F.P. Journe wristwatch. Still the only wristwatch to rely on the principle of resonance – omitting any mechanical means of transmission – the Résonance has been revamped and improved for its 20th anniversary. While the Résonance was powered by essentially the same calibre (the cal. 1499 in several generations) for its first two decades, the new Chronomètre à Résonance is equipped with the brand-new cal. 1520. Several features set the new movement apart from its predecessor, most notably the use of a single barrel and a remontoir d’egalite constant force mechanism in each going train. Initial thoughts Having learnt a little about the new Résonance from hints dropped by Mr Journe in the past, I was looking forward to this – and the watch lives up to expectations. The basics of the new model are no surprise, since Mr Journe had let on that the movement will incorporate his signature remontoir. The upgrades to the new movement are sensible both in terms of function and timekeeping. Relying on a single barrel eliminates the finicky and occasionally unreliable double-barrel winding mechanism of the original movement. But the remontoir installed in each going train is the crucial upgrade as it optimises the going trains before and after the escapement. In the original Resonance movement, both balance wheels oscillate at an identical amplitude at any one time, but the am...

Phillips Perpetual Introduces City Hunter 2 Jacket for Charity

Phillips Perpetual has just unveiled its sartorial collaboration with The Armoury – a special edition of the City Hunter 2 jacket, a bestseller at the menswear retailer founded by Mark Cho (who once had the misfortune of buying a stolen F.P. Journe and then wrote a story about it). More importantly, the entirety of the proceeds from the sale of the jackets go to the COVID-Solidarity Response Fund set up by the World Health Organisation (WHO). As the London-based watch boutique of the eponymous auction house, Phillips Perpetual offers a selection of timepieces available for immediate purchase, a proposition meant to fill the gap between the traditional bi-annual watch auctions according to its founder James Marks, a hedge fund manager turned watch specialist. The Phillips Perpetual x The Armoury City Hunter 2 is its first offering beyond watches – and will support a good cause. A meld of several traditional European hunting jacket styles, the City Hunter 2 jacket is made of knitted jersey, essentially tightly-woven wool that is slightly stretchy and notably robust. The jacket is unlined and has a “seamless construction” where the fabric panels are joined edge to edge, giving it a relaxed fit. It’s usually available in dark blue, grey, or olive green with matching stitching, but the Phillips Perpetual version is in dark grey-houndstooth fabric with a contrasting white stitching. And perhaps more pertinently, Francois-Paul Journe himself wears a City Hunter jacke...

New: The facelifted F.P. Journe Automatique Lune Havana

F.P. Journe extends the Automatique Lune with the new Havana: with enlarged big date and bigger moonphase on a warm, tobacco coloured dial. Details within.

Anton Suhanov Introduces the Pharos Triple-Axis Tourbillon Clock

Independent Russian watchmaker Anton Suhanov is making his debut, not with a wristwatch, but a notably exotic table clock. Inspired by the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Pharos is column-shaped, world-time clock featuring a triple-axis tourbillon – that is notably well priced for an exotic, high-end timepiece. Though Suhanov only struck out on his own a year ago, he is almost an industry veteran. He spent over a decade working for fellow Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin of Joker wristwatch fame, first as a constructor developing movements and then as manufacturing director. The Pharos clock is actually an evolution of a nephrite-clad table clock that Suhanov finished in 2016. Also equipped with a triple-axis tourbillon, the clock won for Suhanov the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition that year. Once upon a time, a millennia ago… One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood on Pharos, a small island off the city of Alexandria. Believed to have been about 100 m tall – the equivalent of a 20-story building – the lighthouse was constructed during the second century BC, and suffered damage during various earthquakes, which was the cause of its final demise in the 14th century. The Pharos clock is a nod to the ancient wonder. It has a cylindrical steel body that stands 19 cm high, with prominent sapphire dome at the top that’s 8.6 cm in diameter. While Suhanov’s first clock only revealed the tourbillon via small porthole, ...

Book Review: ‘F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit’ By Jean-Pierre Grosz

‘F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit’ by Jean-Pierre Grosz narrates the story of François-Paul Journe, one of the most successful independent watchmakers of our time. This book outlines both Journe’s incredible and – dare I say – courageous career and delves into his personal life, which wasn’t always rosy and light. A very atypical career that deserves the attention it receives with this book, Elizabeth finds it is a must-read.

Hands-On: F.P. Journe Octa Réserve de Marche Prototype

As has become tradition, a good part of Phillips’ upcoming New York watch auction is a memorabilia sale of sorts, including watches owned by Marlon Brando, golfer Jack Nicklaus, and astronaut John Glenn, as well as the Urwerk worn by Robert Downey Jr. while playing Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. The auction also includes a piece of historical horological memorabilia: an F.P. Journe Octa Réserve de Marche prototype. The prototype is largely identical to the later, serially produced version of the watch – the case is platinum and the dial, yellow gold – but is marked as a prototype on the case back, and also bears the various traits unique to early watches made by Francois-Paul Journe. The cal. 1300 Launched in 2002 and discontinued in 2014, the Octa Réserve de Marche was the brand’s first entry-level wristwatch, powered by an automatic movement, the cal. 1300. Originally conceived to have an eight-day power reserve – hence “Octa” – the movement instead has a power reserve of 120 hours, or about five days. Reputedly constructed with a gear train borrowed from a robust and well-known hand-wind movement plus an extra-large mainspring, the cal. 1300 was the base calibre for the entire Octa line. Although a variety of complications were added on top, ranging from the Octa Chronograph to the annual calendar of the Octa Calendrier, all versions of the movement had identical height of 5.7mm regardless of function. The slimness and smart construction did come at th...

Introducing the F.P. Journe Astronomic Souveraine

Astronomic Blue, Astronomic Souveraine, F. P. Journe, François-Paul Journe, Only Watch Auction 2019

F.P. Journe Introduces the Astronomic Souveraine Grand Complication

Just days after the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue made for Only Watch 2019 sold for a record 1.8m Swiss francs, the watchmaker has unveiled the regular production version of the same – the Astronomic Souveraine. While the last unique F.P. Journe produced for Only Watch eventually made into production in a significantly different form, the Astronomic Souveraine is largely the same. Save for the steel case, dial colours, and movement decoration, the Astronomic Souveraine is identical to the unique Only Watch creation. Inspired by a pocket watch Francois-Paul Journe produced in 1987 – itself inspired by the earlier works of Breguet and George Daniels – the Astronomic Souveraine has 18 complications, shown on two faces on each side of the case. These include showing both mean solar time and sidereal time, as well as an annual calendar, equation of time, tourbillon with remontoir d’egalite constant force mechanism, and a minute repeater. Despite its complexity, the indications are remarkably well-presented, and furthermore, can all be adjusted via a single crown. Though the case is 44mm wide – the largest wristwatch ever by F.P. Journe – it remains notably compact at just 13.8mm high, helped in part by his ultra-thin minute repeater mechanism with flat hammers and gongs. As with most F.P. Journe watches, the dial on the front is solid gold, as are the bridges and plate of the movement. The 758-part cal. 1619 is equipped with double barrels, which are partly visible ...

Top 3 most expensive watches sold at Only Watch 2019, also featuring Audemars Piguet and F.P. Journe

Patek Philippe’s entry into Only Watch 2019, the one-of-a-kind stainless steel Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A, has just smashed, in fact obliterated, the record for the most expensive watch ever sold at auction. But it wasn’t just the Patek that stretched into the seven-figure stratosphere at the charitable auction last night, as two other … ContinuedThe post Top 3 most expensive watches sold at Only Watch 2019, also featuring Audemars Piguet and F.P. Journe appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Auctions: The F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue Sells For CHF 1.8 Million At Only Watch 2019

This is rare air for independent watchmaking.

The Rise and Fall of Asprey of London (and a Personalised F.P. Journe Wristwatch)

An F.P. Journe Octa Calendrier caught my eye at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction, not because of the watch itself, but because of the name engraved on the movement: “John R. Asprey”. Now 82, John Rolls Asprey ran his family’s luxury emporium in its heyday, when it was a purveyor of watches, jewels, silverware, fine bookbinding and hunting accessories, with the Sultans of Brunei and Oman as its top clients. Unusually, Asprey was a prominent name in two diverse segments of watchmaking – what are now valuable vintage watches, think “Khanjar” Rolex watches, as well as modern-day independent watchmaking. How it came to be is the remarkable story of the rise and decline of a grand name in British luxury retail. A wondrous emporium Long before luxury brand names had coalesced into conglomerates like LVMH and Richemont, they were independent, family-owned enterprises that were small but globally known – at least by the right clientele. Amongst them were names that are still famous today, including Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co., but also one that is less well known now, Asprey of London. Founded in 1781 and having opened in 1847 at 167 New Bond Street – still its premises today, albeit leased – Asprey was once London’s leading luxury merchant. In some ways, it was the ultimate gift shop, where one could buy all manner of exotic and exquisite goods from all over the world, from books to watches to sceptres to crystal. Many of the elaborate objects ...

Up Close: Akrivia Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch”

Independent watchmakers are a major presence at Only Watch 2019, accounting for almost half the 50 lots in the charity auction coming. Importantly, two of them will probably end up in the top five by value – the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue and the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch”. While the Astronomic Blue is the most complicated wristwatch F.P. Journe has ever made, the Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch” is a time-only watch, with a suitably modest estimate of 40,000-60,000 Swiss francs, though it’ll probably sell for five to seven times the low estimate. Hammered, and enamelled The key element that sets the “Only Watch” edition apart from the standard Chronomètre Contemporain is the dial. Completely unique because of the technique – used here for the first time in an Akrivia watch – the dial combines the surfaces finish of Akrivia’s two distinct collections: the hand-hammered decoration of the contemporary AK line and the vitreous enamel of the classic Rexhep Rexhepi range, named after the brand’s founder. Several attempts were required to get a perfect dial – Rexhep showed me one of the rejects with a cloudy finish in September – but the result is quietly impressive. Note that it is hammered and then enamelled, but not hammered enamel. Ordinarily a new dial colour doesn’t mean very much, but because the Chronomètre Contemporain regarded, and Rexhep has kept his promise not to do variations or custom orders of th...

In-Depth: Why Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker Selfie is a Dead-Serious Watch

Self-taught Russian clock- and watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin, who has built notably complex timepieces, is ironically best known for the Joker, a relatively simple watch. The Joker is powered by an ETA 2814 base movement with an in-house module of just 61 parts that drives the novel time display: two sub-dials, positioned like eyes in a face, for hours respectively minutes, and a moon phase at six o’clock resembling a smiling mouth – the funny face of time. When first unveiled the inaugural Joker in steel at Baselworld 2017, the 99-piece limited edition sold out quickly. The watch also enjoyed critical acclaim; the subsequent Joker Clown won the Audacity Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve 2018. Konstantin notes he was particularly surprised how eagerly the love-or-hate design was embraced by collectors of high-end watches. So his extended the Joker concept to the top-end of the price spectrum, with the limited edition Joker automaton developed with fellow independent watchmaker Svend Andersen. And then Konstantin recently revealed he was participating in charity auction Only Watch 2019 – alongside peers like Akrivia, F.P. Journe, Urwerk and De Bethune – which piqued my interest, so I reached out to Konstantin to find out more. The Joker automaton by Andersen and Chaykin Inspiration strikes As Luc Pettavino, the founder of Only Watch, was planning the 2019 event, he approached Konstantin to suggest a straightforward variant of the origin...

Hands-On: F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue “Only Watch”

With the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime in steel taking first place, the second-most expensive watch at Only Watch 2019, will inevitably be the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue. The last time a one of a kind F.P. Journe went on the block at Only Watch, it sold for US$1.15m. On most metrics the Astronomic Blue is a record-setting watch for F.P. Journe. It is the most complex wristwatch ever conceived by Francois-Paul Journe, boasting 18 functions. The Astronomic Blue is also the biggest F.P. Journe watch ever, and might become the most expensive ever after the Only Watch auction in November. Remembering 1987 The Astronomic Blue actually traces its lineage back to a timepiece Mr Journe made in 1987, the “astronomic planetary watch”, a double-faced pocket watch. That, in turn, was inspired by the George Daniels Space Traveller, hence the similar, symmetrical dial layout. The astronomic planetary watch of 1987. Photo – F.P. Journe Going even further back, Daniels modelled the Space Traveller on a handful of Breguet pocket watches from the 19th century, namely pocket watches no. 2807, 3862 and 3863. These featured similar, symmetrical twin sub-dials that indicated both mean solar time and apparent solar time. The Astronomic Blue, in short, is the 21st century take on Breguet’s masterpieces. The George Daniels Space Traveller Large and complicated The Astronomic Blue is a complicated-looking watch, but easy to grasp thanks to the helpfully labelled diagrams provi...

RECOMMENDED READING: Here’s an introduction to F.P. Journe, with everything you ever wanted to know

F.P. Journe is an interesting case in the expanding landscape of independent watchmaking. For a watchmaker that produces around 900 pieces per year, the brand is seen in all the right places, regularly winning prizes at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, and producing a watch for the Only Watch charity auction for its last … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Here’s an introduction to F.P. Journe, with everything you ever wanted to know appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Theo Auffret Introduces the Tourbillon à Paris

A winner at last year’s Young Talent Competition organised by F.P. Journe, Theo Auffret was one of three watchmakers in their twenties recognised for outstanding horological achievement. Now 24 years old, Mr Auffret’s award-winning entry for the competition was the Tourbillon à Paris, which has now been refined, perfected, and turned into a souscription edition of five watches for Mr Auffret to raise the money needed to establish his own workshop. Like fellow up-and-coming watchmakers Remy Cools and Cyril Brivet-Naudot, Mr Auffret graduated from Lycée Polyvalent Edgar Faure in Morteau, a small town in eastern France. The school has been prolific in turning out talented watchmakers, many of whom exhibit a flavour of 19th century pocket watch movements in their creations. The front of the Tourbillon à Paris Hand-made in Paris Mr Auffret’s final stop in his watchmaking education was a stint at Ateliers 7h38, the complications workshop led by Luca Soprana that’s best known for its work on the Jacob & Co. Astronomia. He spent a year there, working on the recently launched Astronomia Maestro Minute Repeater. But the formative years of his education were spent with Jean-Bapiste Viot. The Tourbillon à Paris is strongly influenced by Mr Auffret’s time as an apprentice at the Paris workshop of Mr Viot, well regarded for his quirky, distinctive wristwatch. Like Mr Viot, the young watchmaker relied only on pen and paper to design and construct the prototype of...

Introducing the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue for Only Watch 2019

A young Francois-Paul Journe created his sixth ever watch in 1987; it was an “astronomic planetary watch”, a pocket watch with faces on each side. Over three decades later that has been reimagined as the Astronomic Blue, a prototype grand complication made for Only Watch 2019. Mentioned by Mr Journe in an interview late last year, the Astronomic Blue is a hand-wound wristwatch with astronomical functions on two faces, as well as a minute repeater and tourbillon with remontoir d’egalite. The complications total 18, and are powered by a movement made up of 758 parts, making it more complex than the Sonnerie Souveraine. The astronomic planetary watch of 1987, signed “Journe à Paris” Like the preceding F.P. Journe watches made for Only Watch, namely the tourbillon and split-seconds, the Astronomic Blue has a tantalum case and mirrored blue dial like that found on the Chronometre Bleu. The case is 44mm in diameter and 13.75mm high, making it comparable in size to the discontinued Sonnerie Souverain and recent Tourbillon Souverain Vertical. Remembering 1987 As with many of Mr Journe’s early creations, the pocket watch was inspired by both Abraham-Louis Breguet and George Daniels, a quality that is echoed in the Astronomic Blue. Like the George Daniels Space Traveller, the front shows sidereal and mean solar time on two symmetrically arranged sub-dials, while the reverse has a ring-type annual calendar and equation of time indicator, which is reminiscent of the...

Business News: F.P. Journe Announces Collaboration With Firehouse Horology, A New York–Based Balance Spring Maker

European art and American technology in one watch.

First Look: F.P. Journe at SIHH 2019

SIHH 2019: Élégante by F.P. Journe Titalyt

F.P. Journe brings a new titanium case to the élégante line, an unusual quartz watch powered by an electromechanical movement.

SIHH 2019: F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this emblematic model that started Montres Journes’ journey, F.P. Journe unveils its successor: the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical.

NEWS: Chanel steps up their in-house watchmaking capacity with investment in new factory

I’ve been saying for a while now that Chanel are a force to watch when it comes to serious watchmaking. Their recent high-end movements are impressive, to say the least. They’re already investors in Romain Gauthier, and - more recently - F.P. Journe. The latest step in Chanel’s increasing in-house journey is their acquisition of … ContinuedThe post NEWS: Chanel steps up their in-house watchmaking capacity with investment in new factory appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Journe & the Piece Unique Split Seconds Chrono Made for Prince Albert II’s Charity Gala in Singapore

François-Paul Journe, the man who “Invented It and Made It” sits down with REVOLUTION to talk about F.P. Journe’s LineSport collection, as well as the piece unique Chronograph Monopoussoir Rattrapante that he created for The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation charity auction that was held at The Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on the 9th November 2018.

New: F.P. Journe Centigraphe Sport and the Octa Sport

New from F. P. Journe: two watches in a brilliant yellow dial. Titanium case with titanium and ceramic bezel. The new Centigraphe Sport and Octa Sport. 

A Closer Look at the F.P. Journe Chronograph Monopoussoir Rattrapante

Last November, one of the most highly anticipated watches at the Only Watch auction was the F.P. Journe Monopusher Split-Seconds Chronograph.

Chanel Acquires Minority Stake in F.P. Journe - Why We Should’ve Seen This One Coming

Review: F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante – the dragon slayer

Hands-on, analytical review of the F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante, and tell you why we call it the Dragon Slayer.

François-Paul Journe - A Factory of Ideals

F.P. Journe for the true watch believer.

New Release: F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante

The F.P. Journe lineSport collection broadens once again with the new Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante, available in 3 versions: platinum PT950, 18 K red gold, and grade 5 titanium.

Hot Shots: F.P. Journe Chronomètre Holland & Holland

When a master watchmaker and one of the world’s greatest gun-makers meet, the result is a timepiece of passion and beauty: F.P. Journe Chronomètre Holland & Holland.