F.P. Journe

• cal. 1505 18k pink gold manual winding lever movement with personalized inscription, 40 jewels, repeating on two gongs • silvered eccentric dial, guilloché centre, Arabic numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary seconds, dial secured by 3 screws to an 18k white gold plate, sectors for power reserve indication and sonnerie/silent selection, aperture for hour and minute striking hammers, blued steel hands • stainless steel case, screwed down sapphire crystal display back with personalized inscription • case, dial and movement signed • with a stainless steel F.P. Journe buckle 

The F.P. Journe certificate confirms that the time piece 'Grande Sonnerie XXXX (personalized name not disclosed here)' is part of the F.P. Journe - Invenit et Fecit Souveraine Collection, and the original purchaser's name is engraved on the case and on the movement at the time of purchase.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping."

Accompanied by a F.P. Journe certificate of origin, owner's manual, stainless steel bracelet, spare components (including crystals, stem, crown, hands, main spring, balance spring, balance wheel and escapement), spring bar tool, loupe and presentation case.

Perhaps, when one thinks of high complications, the first examples that spring to mind are watches incorporating perpetual calendars and tourbillons. While these are no mean feats in watchmaking, they are somewhat overshadowed by the widely considered 'most complex of horological complications' - the grande sonnerie or grand-strike complication. Combining a quarter striking mechanism with a minute repeating mechanism, it allows the user to hear the time striking as it passes, and activates a minute repeating function on demand. 

It is this complication that F.P. Journe took six years to master and ten patents to create in his Grande et Petite Sonnerie Souveraine. This remarkable achievement, produced by a Manufacturer not even 20 years old, combines every element that has come to define both Journe himself, and his watches. 

Though fitted with such a highly intricate complication, it is, in essence, an incredibly simple watch.  The dial encompasses Journe's signature minimalist aesthetic with a beautifully engine turned eccentric dial screwed to an 18k white gold plate.  It incorporates only two other indications, one showing the power reserve, the other showing the sonnerie function. Indeed one might almost miss the fact that, beneath the dial, lies the mind-boggling in-house caliber 1505 and all of its functions. Only through the small aperture revealing the striking hammers is the wearer afforded a glimpse of the 18k pink gold work beneath.  This elegant simplicity carries through to the plain, circular case, with two pushers to the band operating the sonnerie and minute repeating functions.  Journe's rather utilitarian ethic is epitomized by the fact that the case of this, the most expensive watch in the Manufacturers repertoire, is not made out of gold or platinum, but steel.  For Journe, this was the obvious choice, as it is the material which allows the watch to produce the most perfect chime.

Through the sapphire crystal display back, the movement is on full view.  One can observe the intricacies of the machine within (the praying mantis style repeating arms are especially fun to watch), but again, this spends most of its time sitting modestly out of sight against the wrist.

The above lot is presented at auction for the first time in wonderful condition and with all of its accompanying pieces. Awarded the Aiguille D'or at the 2006 GPHG and, with only 4 pieces made per year, it offers any collector the rare opportunity to purchase what may rightly be considered the pinnacle of the F.P. Journe collection.