How to Collect F.P. Journe Watches

FP Journe was born in Marseilles, France, in 1957. Journe was a bit rebellious and not a natural student. At 14, his mother sent Journe to his uncle, a vintage clock restorer with a shop in Paris. Journe began to pick up a skill and passion for horology, learning to restore antique clocks from Abraham-Louis Breguet, Antide Janvier and others. A bit of a troublemaker, Journe bounced between horology schools in Marseilles and Paris, as well as his uncle’s workshop, but eventually received his diploma in 1976.

After school, he began to work full-time for his uncle, who received commissions from high-end clients, brands and retailers like Asprey London. Journe had the rare opportunity to experience and repair some of the most important clocks and watches ever made, gaining respect for makers like Breguet and George Daniels.

He became fascinated by mechanical innovations like the tourbillon and resonance (through a repair job on Breguet No. 3177). Soon, the integration of these mechanical innovations into wristwatches would become his lifelong pursuit.

By 1985, Journe opened his own workshop and began taking commissions. He completed his first tourbillon wristwatch in 1991. This would become Journe’s personal wristwatch, and part of a series of three prototype tourbillons that would go on to ignite the career of one of our most important living watchmakers.

Journe began his journey as an independent in 1999 with the Souscription Tourbillon, making 20 Tourbillon Souverain watches for close friends and clients. In exchange for this early support and faith in his watchmaking, Journe gave these first clients a 50% discount on the watch’s eventual retail price.

Buoyed by supporters, Journe displayed an early version of his Tourbillon at the AHCI (the Academy of Independent Horologers, founded by Vincent Calabrese) booth at Basel Fair 1999. He’d shopped his ideas around at previous Basel Fairs without much interest (save for the visionary Günter Blümlein, who was rebuilding IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne at the time). Classically inspired and measuring a svelte 38mm, Journe’s tourbillon bucked the trend towards big, complicated watches, at the time exemplified by Panerai, Franck Muller and others. This was the same Basel Fair where the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph chronograph took the Swiss watch industry by storm.

At this first Basel Fair, Journe was asked why he had decided to start his own brand, and he gave his now-famous response, expressing his frustration working for heritage brands: “Because I am fed up giving caviar to swine.”

The positive reception in 1999 led Journe to exhibit on his own at Basel Fair in 2000. At this first show as an independent brand, Journe presented three models: the Tourbillon Souverain, the Chronomètre à Résonance and a unique Grande et Petite Sonnerie (which would end up with the Sultan of Oman). Journe sold about 100 Résonances and Tourbillons to retailers around the world at his first Basel Fair. Soon after, the Octa Reserve de Marche would become the third collection in Journe’s lineup.

These early FP Journe watches have a few defining characteristics. They all feature a 38mm precious-metal case (platinum or gold) and a shimmering gold dial. Until 2004, Journe made its movement of brass, which is cheaper than gold and thus more cost-effective for a fledgling indie. As Journe became more established, he switched to gold calibers.

Collector’s Note: Collectors broadly categorize Journe into two eras: the early, brass-movement era and the post-brass era, when Journe transitioned to gold calibers. Early brass-era watches, produced until 2004, are particularly sought after, representing the formative years of the brand, characterized by small-scale, artisanal production. Beginning in 2004 and continuing until current production, Journe movements typically use rose gold.

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To really appreciate Journe as a watchmaker and the current collectability of the brand, it’s important to understand Journe’s original masterworks – the Tourbillon Souverain and Chronomètre à Résonance – as well as his expanded Octa Series. Additional offerings, such as the Élégante, Centigraphe Souverain and Chronomètre Bleu, are further examples of his prowess.

For Journe, everything started with the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription. Early Journe Tourbillon Souverains are now generally divided into four generations:

• First Generation (1999) “Souscription”: First 20 numbered pieces
• Second Generation (1999): Estimated 16-17 pieces
• Third Generation (1999–2001): Estimated 60 pieces
• Fourth Generation (2001–2003): Estimated 220–320 pieces

Each Souscription Tourbillon was individually numbered at 1 o’clock (XX/20), setting this first run of tourbillons apart from those produced after.

The Grails: The first 20 Tourbillon Souverain Souscriptions are the grail watches that Journe collectors dream of acquiring one day. In October 2021, an FP Journe Tourbillon Souscription sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for HK$15.9 million (approximately $2 million using today’s exchange rates), the highest result ever achieved for a Journe by the auction house. Put simply, a Journe Souscription is akin to a Paul Newman Rolex Daytona or a Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol: the very top of the mountain for collectors. Since only 20 examples exist, it’s an event whenever one appears at auction. They’re appreciated for hand-finished details – the handiwork of a master watchmaker – most evident on the shimmering gold dials.

Technical Specs: Until 2004, the FP Journe Tourbillon was powered by the caliber 1498, made of rhodium-plated brass. The large tourbillon cage sits at 9 o’clock on the dial, with a small dial at 3 o’clock. Legend has it that this was so that the wearer could pick up the time at a quick glance without moving a shirt cuff (which could also obscure that flashy, rotating tourbillon).

Just as impressive as the rotating tourbillon, the caliber 1498 also features a remontoire at 6 o’clock, the first time this had been integrated into a wristwatch. A remontoire is a secondary power source that is regularly rewound by the mainspring, ensuring the escapement receives a uniform amount of power for more precise timekeeping.

New Movements: In 2004, Journe transitioned to rose-gold movements across its collection. This is also when Journe introduced the updated Tourbillon Nouveau, powered by the completed revamped caliber 1403. This new movement added a deadbeat seconds at 6 o’clock on the dial. Since then, the Tourbillon Nouveau has remained a staple of its collection, and Journe has also produced a number of limited-edition tourbillons to mark anniversaries, occasions and milestones.

Sleeper Hits: One of the most classically inspired – and collectible – Tourbillons is the T-30, produced in 2013 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Journe’s first pocket watch from 1983. Produced in just 99 examples, it features a two-tone gold and silver case and simple silver dial inspired by that original pocket watch, while the tourbillon is discretely hidden underneath a hunter caseback.

Getting Complicated: To celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2019, Journe evolved further with the introduction of the Vertical Tourbillon Souverain Vertical, which placed the tourbillon cage at 90 degrees to the dial. In traditional configurations, a tourbillon’s position parallel to the dial renders it ineffective when the watch is flat, because gravity’s pull is perpendicular to the rotating cage. However, with this vertical orientation, the FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical responds to gravity in nearly any position.

While the Tourbillon has always been integral to Journe’s identity, there is one watch that sets Journe – the watchmaker and the brand – apart: the Chronomètre à Résonance.

Journe and other watchmakers before him realized that the oscillating movement of a watch’s escape wheel releases energy (the “tick-tock” of a watch comes from this energy). Journe posited that by placing two regulating organs close to each other, the energy of each could be used to regulate the other, gaining timekeeping precision. With the introduction of the Chronomètre à Résonance, Journe was the first watchmaker to introduce the idea of resonance into a wristwatch.

As with the Tourbillon, the early Résonance is broken down into distinct series, although here it’s a bit more confusing:

• First Generation “Pre-Production” (1999): About 10 pieces
• Second Generation “Pre-Souscription” (1999–2000): About 40 pieces
• Third Generation “Souscription” (2000): About 20 pieces
• Fourth Generation (2000–2004): About 318 pieces

Just as with the Tourbillon Souverain, Journe introduced the Chronomètre à Résonance as a subscription, available to all 20 patrons of the Tourbillon. Most took the opportunity.
 
The classification of these early Résonance series becomes tricky because while these Souscription watches were sold first, they weren’t produced first. Journe produced about 50 Chronomètre à Résonances before getting around to making the Souscription Résonances in late 2000.

Technical Specs: Like the Tourbillon Souscription, the Résonance features a 38mm platinum case, yellow-gold dial and a brass movement. The early Résonance pieces use the caliber 1499, a rhodium-plated brass movement with twin independent gear trains controlled by resonance. A winding crown at 12 o’clock is used to set the time, with a crown at 4 o’clock to synchronize the seconds hands.

The Grails: Any early Résonance – first, second or third generation – is a grail because of the extremely limited production. Most early Résonance watches feature platinum cases, with rose gold (or two-tone platinum and gold) being significantly rarer. For example, in November 2022, Sotheby’s sold a platinum Pre-Souscription Resonance for CHF 571,500 .

New Movement: In 2004, FP Journe introduced an updated Résonance. This version introduced a reworked movement, the caliber 1499.2 and then the caliber 1499.3 shortly thereafter, transitioning from brass to solid-gold construction. This change represented a pivotal moment in Journe’s production ethos, as he was finally able to transition to a luxury material for its movements. This updated model retained the dual independent time displays but added a power-reserve indicator on the dial.

Getting Complicated: To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Résonance in 2000, FP Journe released a redesigned Résonance featuring a single barrel and a differential that distributes power to the two escapements. This new system enhanced the precision and stability of the resonance phenomenon. The model also introduced a sleeker aesthetic and updated dial layout, reflecting Journe’s continuous evolution while paying homage to the original idea.

While Journe started with the Tourbillon and Résonance, he always had a vision of building a complete collection. Next came the FP Journe Octa Réserve de Marche.

The Original Octa: In 2001, Journe introduced the original Octa Réserve de Marche, powered by the caliber 1300, and it remained in production until 2014. While it’s simple compared to the Tourbillon and Resonance, featuring just a power reserve indicator and big date, it’s still pure Journe in its approach and mechanics.

Technical Specs: Many brands add complications by simply stacking modules atop a base movement. This was always a bugaboo of Journe’s, so he designed the Octa’s base caliber to house any number of potential complications, all in the exact same caliber dimensions. The Octa was also Journe’s first automatic movement, and its earliest pieces have the same characteristics as the early Tourbillons or Résonances, making them desirable among collectors.

Over the years, Journe continued to develop and expand its lineup. New complications were slowly introduced under the Octa lineup, including the Oct Calendrier, Octa Lune, the Octa Chronographe and more. With the caliber 1300, Journe had laid the foundation and developed a blank, mechanical canvas that he continues to work and rework.

One of Journe’s most impressively complicated developments came in 2007 with the introduction of the Centigraphe Souverain. This revolutionary chronograph was unlike traditional chronographs, as it was designed to measure extremely short intervals of time with incredible precision – down to 1/100th of a second. Its movement, the manually wound caliber 1506, operates through a unique rocker-style pusher that eliminates the need for traditional chronograph pushers. The caliber was particularly innovative because it decoupled the chronograph mechanism from the timekeeping function.

Collector Favorite: For Journe collectors, The Centigraphe shows how the genius watchmaker can reimagine one of the most classic complications: the chronograph.

Journe even took on the challenge of quartz watchmaking with the FP Journe Élégante, introduced in 2014. It represents a groundbreaking approach to quartz watchmaking, expanding on Journe’s unique vision of blending craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. First designed with women collectors in mind, the Élégante soon expanded to unisex models thanks in part to overwhelming demand from all collectors.

The Élégante features an innovative electro-mechanical movement that seems downright intelligent. Its motion-detection system allows the watch to “hibernate” after 35 minutes of inactivity, stopping the hands to conserve power while the internal timekeeping continues. When the watch is picked up again, the hands automatically reset to the correct time. This unique feature enables the Élégante to boast a battery life of up to 10 years during regular use, making it one of the most energy-efficient quartz watches around.

With the Élégante, Journe was one of the first watchmakers to take quartz seriously. It’s also one of the best examples of a luxury watchmaker taking the design brief of a “women’s watch” and developing something completely novel. The Élégante helped to redefine what a quartz watch – and a watch designed with women in mind – can be.

Market Favorite: Perhaps because of its status as the most accessible watch in Journe’s contemporary catalogue, the Élégante has become incredibly difficult to acquire from a Journe boutique, equally demanded by men and women collectors.

The Vagabondage series uses a tonneau-shaped case that is similar to the Élégante’s, but perhaps even more unconventional. The Vagabondage is a series of three limited-edition watches featuring wandering-hour displays, representing a departure from Journe’s typical aesthetic. Journe had designed prototypes of wandering-hours mechanisms before launching his brand in the 1990s, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the Vagabondage series finally came to life.

Because of its extremely limited production and unconventional design compared to other Journe creations, the Vagabondage has become a sleeper hit for hardcore Journe collectors.

While not as mechanically groundbreaking as the Resonance, Centigraphe or even the Élégante, this accessibly priced Journe has become sought after by collectors.

In 2009, FP Journe introduced the Chronomètre Bleu, a deceptively simple time-only watch with a tantalum case and a rich blue dial that shifts colors in different light. This blue dial complements the tantalum case – a metal that’s notoriously difficult to work with, but appreciated by collectors its deep luster and resistance to corrosion. Today, even the entry-level Chronomètre Bleu has collectors and enthusiasts lining up for their chance to own a piece of the master watchmaker’s growing legacy.

Not even FP Journe is immune to the hype and high prices that have defined the increased popularity of watch collecting over the past decade. Once forgotten, the Chronomètre Bleu became nearly unobtainable for many collectors, with auction prices reaches many multiples of its retail price.

Beyond Journe’s growing collection of models and complications, the manufacture has also released a number of special series to celebrate important anniversaries and milestones, or simply to honor collectors of the brand.

FP Journe Ruthenium Series. One of the first examples of this was the Ruthenium Series, produced from 2001 to 2003. The Ruthenium Series comprised a limited run of five models – Tourbillon Souverain, Chronomètre à Résonance, Octa Calendrier, Octa Chronograph and Octa Réserve de Marche – with dials and movements coated in silvery-white ruthenium. Only 99 examples of each model were produced. Add to this the fact that it was also the first Journe to feature a 40mm case – still in the brand’s early brass movement era – and Ruthenium Journe watches are highly sought after by collectors.

FP Journe Stainless Steel Series: Since its inception, FP Journe had typically crafted its cases out of precious metals. That changed in 2015 with the introduction of a box set of five stainless steel watches: the Tourbillon Souverain, Chronomètre à Résonance, Octa Automatique, Octa Calendrier and Chronomètre Souverain. This special release, limited to 38 sets, marked FP Journe’s official transition from 38mm cases to 40mm. Even better, all of the watches had gold movements. For the models that had been discontinued – like the Tourbillon Souverain – it marked a rare opportunity to acquire these pieces not only in stainless steel, but with rose-gold movements. These are true collector’s sets, and whether they come up at auction as individual pieces (like this stainless-steel Résonance that sold for HK$1.8 million in 2021) or complete sets, collectors pause and take notice.

FP Journe Black Label Collection: Journe’s Black Label Collection is the stuff of lore. It’s exclusive to the 12 FP Journe boutiques around the world, and only available to existing Journe clients. Black Label watches feature deep black lacquer dials and platinum cases. For clients lucky enough to secure a Black Label Journe, it’s a symbol of exclusivity, loyalty and, often, friendship.

FP Journe’s case-numbering system is also crucial for new collectors to comprehend, as it reveals the production year, rarity and historical context of a watch.

Early case numbers use the format “XX/YY,” where XX is a unique case number and YY is the year in which the case was ordered. For example, in November 2022, Sotheby’s Geneva sold a Chronomètre à Résonance for CHF 1.1 million with case number 28/99R, indicating that this was the 28th Résonance from 1999. In these early years, Journe used a supplier for its cases and ordered in batches. Thus, the year engraved on the caseback indicates the year cases were ordered, and not necessarily when the watch was produced or delivered.

In part because of this, there are subtleties and quirks in Journe’s case numbering. For example, that 28th Résonance is actually from a small pre-souscription (or pre-production) batch of Résonances. Remember that Journe allocated his first 20 Tourbillons and Résonances using a subscription model, except those Souscription Résonance pieces ended up not being the first Résonances actually produced and delivered. Instead, Journe made a set of pre-souscription Résonance watches before this in 1999 and 2000.

Because the first 20 numbers had already been reserved via subscription, this 28th Résonance from 1999 was actually the eighth Résonance that ever left the Journe manufacture, a year before the subscription orders (numbers 1-20) were made.

Another key characteristic of these caseback engravings is the engraving style itself. You can see an evolution from a shallow, hand-engraved style to a deep and consistent laser engraving. It’s an example of Journe moving from an artisanal to more standardized methodology as the manufacture grew in the early 2000s. (As an example, the 20 Souscription Résonance pieces exhibit these later, deep laser engravings, which is how collectors have been able to identify a small run of pre-souscription Résonance pieces, like our Resonance “28/99R,” which have shallow hand engravings.)

Exploring the subtle differences in caseback engravings is just the start of understanding the depth of detail that defines the FP Journe. For astute collectors, studying these – from evolving movements to case materials – offers a continually rewarding experience, with new discoveries waiting to be uncovered.

Only 25 years old, the watch manufacture FP Journe has established itself as one of the most important today, all while maintaining the same ethos of artisanal, limited production upon which the brand was founded in 1999. From his mechanical ingenuity to his innovative use of materials, Journe continues to push boundaries, all while honoring the heritage of watchmakers before him.

Meanwhile, François-Paul Journe himself has become recognized as a living mechanical artist, and his creations are increasingly valued as such by collectors. From the groundbreaking Tourbillon Souverain and Chronomètre à Résonance to the more accessible (but no less in demand) Élégante or Chronomètre Bleu, each piece has come to represent the work of a visionary.

Shop F.P. Journe Watches

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe Chronometre Souverain. A platinum manual winding wristwatch with power reserve indication.

65,000 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe (Octa Lune). A boutique edition pink gold wristwatch with date, power reserves and moon phases, Circa 2021

181,680 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe. Quantieme Perpetual Boutique Edition. A platinum calendar wristwatch with power reserve and leap year indication. 2021

154,450 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F.P. Journe Line Sport Chronographe Rattrapante a pink gold split second chronograph manual wind wristwatch. 2021

136,770 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F.P. Journe (Chronometre Souverain). A boutique edition pink gold wristwatch with power reserve indication, circa 2013

111,760 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance. A platinum dual time manual wind wristwatch with power reserve indication. 2023

296,770 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe Élégante Titanium. A titanium quartz wristwatch. 2021

58,060 USD

Type: retail

F.P. Journe

F. P. Journe Octa Divine. A rose gold automatic wristwatch with date, moon phases, and power reserve indication. 2005

100,000 USD

Type: retail

F.P. Journe

F. P. Journe Black Label Collection - Quantième Perpétuel. A boutique edition platinum automatic wristwatch with date, day, month, and perpetual calendar. 2022

194,200 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe Black Label Collection - Centigraphe Souverain. A boutique limited edition platinum chronograph manual wind wristwatch. 2019

282,400 USD

Type: retail

F. P. Journe

F. P. Journe Octa Automatique Réserve Nacre. A rose gold automatic wristwatch with date, power reserve indication and mother of pearl dial. 2013

129,790 USD

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At Sotheby’s our FP Journe experts have brought a wide range of extraordinary examples to market, making us well placed to advise clients on the sale or acquisition of an FP Journe watch. Work with Sotheby's specialists and in doing so be part of our community of passionate watch enthusiasts and collectors.

At Sotheby’s our FP Journe experts have brought a wide range of extraordinary examples to market, making us well placed to advise clients on the sale or acquisition of an FP Journe watch. Work with Sotheby's specialists and in doing so be part of our community of passionate watch enthusiasts and collectors.

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