This Chronomtre Souverain* is a quintessential F. P. Journe piece in both its design language and movement. Besides the classic execution of silver dial and blued hands, the watch houses the Calibre 1304, which has an impressive chronometric balance that gives the accuracy Journe is known for.
In 2005, the Chronomtre Souverain won the Favourite Mens Watch award the Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Genve, the most prestigious award ceremony in the watch industry. Housed in a classical 38mm dress watch case, this piece also bears Journes signature flat crown with a rope-like pattern.
An exceptional piece of independent watchmaking, this Chronomtre Souverain has a very classic execution, with a platinum case and silver dial. A cleanly designed dial layout makes the watch seem deceptively simple, while its technical brilliance is not to be underestimated. The signature F. P. Journe style hands are rendered in blued-steel, forming an excellent contrast against the silver tones of the dial.
An interesting aspect of this timepiece lies in the power reserve, as when winding, instead of the indicator heading from 0 to 56, it goes the other way, from 56 to 0. This was deliberate by F. P. Journe, who borrowed this from marine chronometer clocks. The reasoning behind this lies in the idea that the power reserve indicator on this Chronomtre Souverain is not meant to tell you how many hours there are left, but instead how many hours since you have wound the watch.
Journe is perhaps better known for his movements, and as part of this collection, the in-house created, manual-winding Calibre 1304 is made entirely of 18k rose gold, which can be seen through the sapphire caseback. The movement has two mainspring barrels in parallel, which work together to power the watch. What is perhaps most impressive is the chronometric balance fitted into the movement, which helps to provide the accuracy that F. P. Journe has based his watchmaking around. The watch is hand-finished with a mixture of circular graining with sunburst and wave patterns. All screw heads are polished and all edges neatly chamfered with aCte de Genvemotif on the bridges.
If sold within the United Kingdom, this F. P. Journe Chronomtre Souverain will be subject to 20% VAT
Closer look
| Brand: | F. P. Journe |
| Model: | Chronomtre Souverain |
| Movement: | manual-winding calibre 1304 |
| Functions: | power reserve, hours, minutes, sub-seconds |
| Features: | Clous de Paris guilloch dial, blued steel hands, display back |
| Case material: | platinum |
| Case diameter: | 38mm |
| Case thickness: | 8mm |
| Lug-to-lug: | 44mm |
| Crystal: | sapphire front & back |
| Strap: | bespoke from our own collection, F. P. Journe navy alligator strap, F. P. Journe platinum pin buckle |
| Lug width: | 20 x 19mm (curved) |
| Year: | Circa 2013 |
| Accompanying materials: | F. P. Journe outer box and inner wooden box, polishing cloth,movement manual |
Condition
This F. P. Journe Chronomtre Souverain is in very good condition throughout. The 38mm case and lugs have very light superficial marks on only the very surface of the material. The dial shows light signs of age, with the hands and movement displaying no signs of imperfections. The hallmarks and engravings on the caseback and buckle are crisp and well defined.
An extract from the archives from F. P. Journe has been ordered and will be included with the watch.
Warranty
The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
