F.P. Journe

F.P. Journe

Tourbillon Souverain

A limited edition platinum tourbillon wristwatch with mother-of-pearl dial, constant force remontoire, dead beat seconds and power reserve indication, Made for Sincere Fine Watches, Circa 2006

Dial: dark mother-of-pearl

Calibre: cal. 1403 mechanical, 26 jewels

Case: platinum, sapphire crystal display back secured by 6 screws

Case number: 282-TN

Closure: black F.P. Journe alligator strap and platinum buckle

Size: 40 mm diameter

Signed: case, dial and movement

Accessories: F.P. Journe Certificate, instruction manual and presentation box

To understand F.P. Journe, one must fully grasp the role that the tourbillon played in his life. Indeed, even though the Resonance may be argued to be his most seminal work, it is the tourbillon that is at the very heart and soul of both the brand F.P. Journe, and indeed the man F.P. Journe.

After being expelled from school at the age of 16 for his eccentric and non-conforming personality, something which is not only still present but in-fact key to his identity, Journe was taken in as an apprentice at his uncle’s clock restoring studio in Paris. It was there where he was exposed to and inspired by traditional watchmaking from the likes of Breguet, the inventor of the tourbillon. Journe never returned to school after this.

In 1977 at the age of 20, Journe felt confident enough to start working on his own watch. He designed and built a pocket watch with his favourite complication, the tourbillon, featuring a spring detent escapement, and finally finished it after five years. The process sparked his creative process, and fueled with his newly found passion and skillset, in 1991 a young Journe turned up to Baselworld with his first wristwatch, again featuring a tourbillon, now with remontoir d'égalité. Few paid attention to him, one of the core reasons why a renewed sense of rebellion and non-conformity fuels him into the present day.

Without adequate funding, and with the industry seemingly turning a blind eye to his watches, Journe had to find a way around the traditional pipeline. His solution was the Souscription program. Twenty individual pieces, made for twenty friends and angel investors, with funds taken via downpayment. The watch he selected to be the first representation of the brand he envisioned was, of course, the Tourbillon. That initial souscription piece would dictate the formula for the entire Tourbillon Souverain model line that was to follow.

Despite undergoing several variations across the years, the core layout with openworked tourbillon cage parallel to a subsidiary timetelling dial would remain the same. Also unchanging would be the use of a remontoir d'égalité, a complex mechanism which releases a uniform pulse of power to the escapement as opposed to the usual flow of energy which changes with the state of winding, and thus improving accuracy. With the reference TN introduced in 2004, the remontoir was cleverly combined with a natural dead beat seconds complications.

The present extremely rare limited edition, of which only 15 pieces were produced, was made in 2006 for the storied Singaporean retailer Sincere Fine Watches. It features a beguiling mother-of-pearl dial, a material that in Journe watches has become closely associated with Sincere. The rarity, beauty and significance to the brand make the present watch one of the ultimate limited edition F.P. Journes.