F.P. Journe

* * * F.P. Journe 2005 novelties * * *

 

On Tuesday April 5th 2005, during the week of SIHH, F.P. Journe announced the year?s new models to the world. ThePuristS had already covered some of these details as we came closer to the event, but here at last was the official annoucement. This was my first trip to Geneva in a long time, and the first since I became more ?seriously? interested in watches. The overall trip was great, I got to see old friends and meet some new ones. But the real reason for making the trip was this F.P. Journe event. It was definitely worth it.

The press conference was located at the Auditorium Arditi-Wilsdorf, near Plainpalais in the heart of Geneva. This auditorium has an interesting history. It was built by the Genevese architect, Marc-Joseph Saugey, in collaboration with engineer Pierre Froidevaux. It was inaugurated as the ?Paris? cinema on October 3, 1957. From the beginning, it was recognized as a singular object, a point of reference in avant-garde European architecture.

From that point on, the space was bought and sold, being renamed several times, and at one time even transformed into a shopping center. Eventually in 1993 the space was classified as a historical landmark, but by then the owner had gone into bankruptcy. The space was purchased by the Arditi foundation in 1994 and underwent a huge renovation, allowing the it to be used not only as a cinema but also for other events. The Wilsdorf foundation took an important role in the restoration work, and the space was later renamed Auditorium Arditi-Wilsdorf. It was finally inaugurated in its present form in 1996.

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The F.P. Journe press conference started very early in the morning, especially for those ?battle-worn? from Baselworld the previous week. Luckily I was not one of them, so I was able to fully appreciate the event with only minor sleep depravation. Coffee and blended juices were served, even some with plenty of Vitamin C, as one of the bartenders joked (Champagne). We were one of the first to arrive but you can see the room was already filling up.



Once everyone had a chance to arrive, have refreshments, chat, and hopefully wake up a little more, we were ushered to the second level for the main attraction.



While drinks were served on the main level, and just before the show started, some clips of vintage films were being shown, and this theme would continue throughout the presentation. Apologies for the blurry photos, it was very dark and I obviously did not have enough Vitamin C to steady my hands.



The main show started, and highlighted 2004 for F.P. Journe?s - the watches introduced last year as well as the many prizes won by Fran?ois-Paul. There were some intriguing computer animations of different models, both of the whole watch and exploded ?movement-only? views.

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At last we get to find out about this year?s novelty! The Chronom?tre Souverain! This series of clips, slideshows, and rendered movements was really neat. It?s a shame it was not included in the press package.



Norio Hattori-Paris, head of F.P. Journe Japan, Fran?ois-Paul Journe, and Alan Downing (as translator) take the stage, introduced by the head of PR/Communications Natalia Signoroni.



As the presentation went on, a large screensaver of the new Chronom?tre Souverain was shown on the screen in the background. The watch works and shows the correct local time according to your computer. To download this screensaver for Windows (1.2MB), only until Apr 30 2005 due to space constraints, click here.



Once the press conference was over, most journalists headed off to the day at SIHH. The hardcore Journe lovers went on to the atelier a few blocks away for more. You could tell which way to go by following the people with the little F.P. Journe goodie bags. In case you got lost there were signs strategically placed along the way.

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We arrive at the atelier.



You could tell where the watches were displayed because it was the room overfilled with people. It was only as the crowd subsided that we were able to get in and view the watches with more care.



There were several of these displays housing the watches, and they were great because you could walk around and see inside from different angles. It was great for photographing the watches but also to get a closer look from the sides.



It was wonderful to finally see Fran?ois-Paul?s early works up close. At one point the man himself wound one of the pocket watches and the ticking was so loud we could hear it through the case!





The prototype for the Tourbillon which launched the brand in 1999.





A selection from the Octa line.



The ladies 36mm Octa Divine watches, both with and without diamonds.

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So the ladies don?t have all the fun, there were also versions of the new Dead Seconds Tourbillon with and without diamonds shown.





Some of the cases contained movement parts sprinkled around. The mainspring in the Octa series of watches is 1 metre long so it can achieve its 120 power reserve.



The 38mm Octa Divine. I took this photo especially for my good friend Bernard. It?s a shame it has a little reflection on the crystal, but it doesn?t hide the wonderful watch behind it. This particular watch was one I originally did not like in photos, but when I saw it in person at my local dealer I completely changed my mind.



After we had a chance to look at the exhibition, we were given a tour of the atelier by the man himself. There were several tours, in French, English, and Japanese. Fran?ois-Paul accompanied the English speaking tour, which was translated by Natalia Signoroni. I did not take many photos of the tour because IanS had already done a great job with his virtual tour of the atelier and the Tribu Journe (click here). The newest part of the atelier is in the basement, where state of the art machines have been installed so that F.P. Journe can have more control of their production. M. Journe mentioned that they hope to have 80% of the production in-house, literally!



The tour finished where we started, and I peeked into one of the conference rooms to look at the famous Resonance clock by Janvier. It was running, of course, keeping great time. The interesting thing about this watch is that the right side is ?mirrored?, so the hands move anticlockwise.



Along one of the walls was this old desk with vintage tools. It was a nice contrast between the high-tech machines below to see how things were done in the old days.



By now we were getting hungry, we sat down with the master for a friendly chat while we waited for lunch to be served. The eagle eyed reader will notice Roger Smith at our table, so I suppose I should say we sat down with the ?masterS?.



M. Journe was wearing the new Chronom?tre Souverain, which I?ll finally get to.



Before we get into the photos, some background information from the press material:

Stripped down for performance, the Chronom?tre Souverain shows the versatility of Fran?ois-Paul Journe?s style in the antithesis of complicated watchmaking. The new model, inspired by early 19th-century marine chronometry, reveals Journe at the top of his craft in two superbly executed horological illusions.

On the dial, Journe achieves a pleasing balance and harmony by altering the size and boldness of the numerals. It is done so neatly that the trick is not immediately apparent. Through the display back, the balance and escapement are mysteriously detached from the movement, beating without apparent motive power. Journe has put the connecting train under the dial, leaving only the centre wheel to emphasise the isolation of the balance.

The manually wound, 21,600 v/h movement in 18-carat gold baseplates and bridges shows why the simplest mechanisms are often the most attractive. Twin barrels, in the classic configuration of precision watches, work in parallel to deliver stable power for much of their 50-hour indicated reserve. The 1998 F.P. Journe free-sprung chronometer balance with inertia adjustment on four opposing weights, is dynamically adjusted in six positions, with the emphasis on constancy of rate.

F.P. Journe designs his watches from the dial down, paying for looks with mechanical ingenuity. Placing the power-reserve indicator in its least favourable position on the dial meant its mechanism had to co-exist with the winding apparatus. The 13-ligne movement fits into a 40mm diameter case in platinum or red gold, water-resistant to 3ATM.

The Chronom?tre Souverain demonstrates all the ingenuity and discipline of real horology, and in it, Fran?ois-Paul Journe displays his skill in devising strikingly original features that draw attention, not to themselves, but to the beauty of the timepiece as a whole.

SPECIFICATIONS
Dial: Silver. Hobnail pattern guilloch? in the centre. Moir? finish in small-seconds subdial and power-reserve sector. Satined chapter ring. Blued-steel hands.
Movement: Manually wound, 13 lignes x 3.7mm, 21,600 v/h, F.P. Journe free-sprung chronometer balance. Twin barrels in parallel giving 50 hours power reserve (indicated). Mystery balance with going-train under the dial.

PRICING
The watch is expected to retail for CHF 25,300 (platinum) and CHF 21,500 (rose gold), both before taxes. Local pricing will vary, so please use these only as a rough guideline. You should contact your local dealer for pricing in your specific region.






The beautiful gold movement. Note the interesting design ? there is apparently no connection between the escapement and the rest of the movement. This serves to highlight the large balance on one side and the two mainspring barrels on the other. The interconnecting gears are on the dial side.









In keeping with Fran?ois-Paul?s vision, the new watch is very thin.



The new Chronom?tre Souverain in platinum next to a Tourbillon in rose gold.



The Chronom?tre Souverain in rose gold.











A wrist-shot. The watch wears really well and those who like larger watches will love this new piece by F.P. Journe. For me personally, I would have liked it in 36 or 38mm. But that?s just me and my cursed small wrists!



An exploded view of cal. 1304, the movement in the new Chronom?tre Souverain.




While the Chronom?tre Souverain was definitely the star of today?s show, there is another watch in the works, quietly mentioned in the catalogue. It is the new Grande et Petite Sonnerie. The watch is still being perfected, and should be ready towards the end of this year if not next year. So far it looks amazing, with one downside ? I can?t afford it!!

Here is some information about this piece from the catalogue:
Extreme complexity combined with impressive user-friendliness: such might be the best definition of this spectacular watch! As the latest addition to the Souveraine collection, the Sonnerie Souveraine devised by Fran?ois-Paul Journe embodies the ideal match between remarkable modernity and the noblest watchmaking traditions. One of the main goals of the technical task that the watchmaker set himself was to build a watch in which no external handling mistake could affect its running. Most of the existing grand strike models are extremely delicate to use and any wrong move on the part of an inexpert user may prove fatal to the mechanism. No less than ten patents have been registered by Fran?ois-Paul Journe for the creation of a grand strike model, and one of its main assets is undoubtedly its impressive user-friendliness. Revealed through the sapphire crystal case-back, its some four hundred and fifty components have been meticulously and patiently crafted to form a reliable and resolutely innovative mechanism.

The 18-carat gold dial features a guilloch? silver ring with the hour, minute and seconds indications, power-reserve display and three operating modes. On the left, an opening shows the two hammers that will act according to the three striking options available: grand strike, small strike and repetition of the hours, quarters and minutes. An original mode selection slide enables one to choose between three possibilities: silence, small strike/?petite sonnerie? and grand strike/?grande sonnerie? (S, P, G). The power reserve indicated the combined average autonomy of the striking and timekeeping mechanisms. When the timekeeping movement has only 24 hours of remaining autonomy, the striking mechanism is automatically locked so as to ensure the correct indication of time during this period.



Like all movements in chronometers carrying the F.P. Journe ? Invenit et Fecit ? signature, the plate and the bridges of the mechanism are in 18-carat pink gold, while the case with its diameter of 42mm and a thickness of 12.30mm is paradoxically in steel.

Exceptionally, the watchmaker has abandoned precious metals such as gold and platinum for a noble cause: to ensure the best possible striking tone for this spectacular creation that makes optimal use of the crystalline structure of steel. Fran?ois-Paul Journe remains faithful to his motto: innovating in horological science, while offering the best possible functionality.



I hope you enjoyed this coverage of the F.P. Journe pieces for 2005. I would like to thank the staff at F.P. Journe as well as the master for being so friendly and welcoming. I had a great time and I am already looking forward to next year!

~ FIN ~