What springs from the genius of Francois-Paul Journe has always amazed us, and this time, too, the newly unveiled watch is no different.
Twenty years after opening its headquarters in Aoyama, near Tokyo, the brand is launching a new model to celebrate this milestone, in a final series limited to 200 pieces. In fact, in September 2003, at a time when brands were relying more and more on dealers to distribute their watches, F.P.Journe decided to go against the trend by opening its first boutique in the heart of the Japanese capital in which, for the first time in the world, there was a bar inside where collectors and enthusiasts could meet to converse and exchange views. The boutique in the city of Tokyo paved the way for the next 12 openings that occurred globally, such as Geneva, Hong Kong, and New York to name a few.
Tokyo boutique Anniversaire Series
To pay tribute to its customers, F.P. Journe has decided over the years to create the “Tokyo boutique Anniversaire Series,” a collection of limited examples of which the Chronographe FB model represents the latest.
The specimens prior to Chronographe FB
The first model was the Chronomètre Souverain, introduced in 2005 and limited to 20 pieces, with a polished titanium case, Ruthenium dial and 18K 6N gold crown. This was followed by the Chronomètre à Résonance in 2006 in 12 pieces, which exploits the physical phenomenon of resonance, that is, the two balance wheels inside when operated are initially on two different frequencies, then become isofrequential as time passes, so that two times on two different dials are perfectly synchronized.
Subsequently, the 20-piece Tourbillon Souverain was unveiled in 2007, which shows a tourbillon vertically and not horizontally as we are used to seeing, this is to nullify the effect of gravity when the watch is resting on its side or with the dial facing upward as in the case where it has, for example, a strap with a buckle clasp.
In 2009 with 99 pieces, the Octa Perpétuelle is presented, a perpetual calendar that then indicates the date, which in this case is retrograde i.e. is indicated by a hand moving counterclockwise, the day of the week and the day of the month, recognizing leap years. Finally, the 80-piece Centigraphe Souverain, produced in 2016 to celebrate the decade since the first version, which in addition to indicating the hours and minutes features a very special and unusual complication, being able to convert time units per 1 km into a speed from 6 km/h to 36,000 km/h.
Times elapsed from one hundredth of a second to 10 minutes are shown through three indicators. The first indicator, located at ten o’clock, marks hundredths of a second, the one at two o’clock displays a 20-second scale, and the last, located at six o’clock, shows 10 minutes. Each indicator has a red time scale and a black tachymeter scale, capable of converting time per 1 km. This allows measurement of speeds ranging from 6 km/h (equivalent to a brisk walk) to 36,000 km/h (greater than the speed of a rocket entering orbit).
Chronographe FB
The model just unveiled by the brand is in full F.P. Journe style. It takes up the aesthetic canons of previous models, but introduces a very interesting function, the fly-back chronograph. This particular complication makes it possible to reset the chronograph to zero without interrupting its running. In fact, by pressing the pusher at two o’clock it is possible to operate the chronograph gears, which show continuous seconds at nine o’clock and minutes at three o’clock. Acting on the pusher at four o’clock, on the other hand, starts the fly-back mechanism, which allows only the seconds hand to be operated, returning it to its twelve o’clock position but without resetting the counter at nine o’clock.
This complication then, allows you to calculate multiple time intervals without having to reset the main chronograph from time to time. Let’s take a concrete example; let’s imagine that we need to calculate the time it takes a car to complete a lap on the track, but at the same time know how long it takes it to go down the straight. Thanks to this mechanism, it is possible to know the lap time thanks to the indicator at three o’clock, then the elapsed minutes, and by operating the pusher at four o’clock, it will be possible to detect the seconds taken by the vehicle to travel the straight line thanks to the seconds hand mounted in the center.
Case and dial
The watch features a 40mm polished titanium case, which surrounds a beautiful Guillochè-worked silver dial, coated with Ruthenium a very rare material, around which is the tachymeter scale, which measures speed over a distance of 1,000 meters, indicated by the seconds hand; in addition, a double-disc grand date at six o’clock stands out. The chronograph pushers and winding crown, with the brand’s distinctive “rope,” are in 18K rose gold, as is the entire hand-wound Caliber 1518.2, which features an 80-hour power reserve. Completing the watch is a burgundy alligator leather strap that echoes the style of the entire collection.
Conclusioni
Like any F.P.Journe, this one got us excited. Every timepiece produced by the brand always manages to be against the trend but fashionable at the same time… the fact remains that this Chronographe FB closes the brand’s limited editions in the best possible way.
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