F.P. Journe | Répétition Minutes Souveraine, A stainless steel minute repeating wristwatch with power reserve indication, Circa 2011 | Répétition Minutes Souveraine 精鋼三問腕錶，備動力儲備顯示，約2011年製

One of the world’s most widely recognized independent watch makers of the past 21 years, François-Paul Journe has been using his historical knowledge and expertise to produce collections of wristwatches that symbolize excellence, precision, authenticity and chronometry.

The slim and elegant Répétition Minutes Souveraine was first introduced to the market in 2008. Discreet but ingenious, the movement of the watch is fitted with the brand’s signature flat hammers and gong which allows it to be mounted on the main plate of the movement. The pioneering arrangement of the movement allows F.P. Journe to maximize the usage rate of the movement and in retrospect reduces the total thickness of the watch to 8.8mm including the case. With all being said, the innovative design and assembly of the movement had allowed the watch to be originally crowned the world’s slimmest repeating wristwatch in 2008 which enhances the wearability of the timepiece.

Unlike a traditional repeater wristwatch where wearability was compromised for the effect of sound as many were purposely made larger for a better sounding tune, the present watch is much finer. Certain sacrifices such as the natural limitation of resonance due to a smaller case were made for the creation of the present watch, however the admiration for the watch cannot be simply determined by sound alone as F.P. Journe has employed many brilliant ideas to compensate for the differences. For example, from using a lower density material such as stainless steel, which can transmit sound better, it performs as well as the implication of the flat hammer gongs that are suppose to be louder than regular gongs.

The Répétition Minutes Souveraine is a watch that would leave an imprint in the history of horological science, as it represents the brand’s ideology of modern watchmaking in comparison to traditional repeaters that already have many examples available in the market.