Christie’s has announced the largest F.P. Journe thematic auction ever: The Art Of F.P. Journe. A collection of incredible lots to be auctioned on May 12 in Geneva, which we tell you about in this article.
François-Paul Journe career
Born in Marseille in 1957, François-Paul Journe began his career as a watchmaker at a young age, fascinated by the ingenious work of Breguet and those watchmakers, somewhat scientists, of the 1800s. After creating a few pocket watches and several ideas, he decided to found his own brand in the early 2000s.
In 1999 he presented in Basel the Tourbillon Souverain “a Souscription,” a particular method used at the time by Breguet, which allowed customers to be able to give a 20% deposit and thus finance the creation of the watches, as well as in this case the start-up of the brand.
After the Tourbillon Souverain, comes another creation that will forever set it apart in the entire watchmaking industry, which is that of the Chronometre a Resonance. This particular mechanism exploits the phenomenon of resonance to achieve near-perfect chronometric accuracy by placing two mutually influencing mechanisms in the same watch. To this day it is the only one to have created a truly resonance one, while other brands have tried to replicate it but with not so outstanding results.
To be able to explain in a few words what he creates is a feat, but from the watches in The Art of F.P. Journe you will begin to get more and more of an idea of who this watchmaker is.
The Art Of F.P. Journe: A thematic auction on today’s most celebrated independent watchmaker
The auction season is shaping up to be interesting from this news, to the point where we can already imagine ourselves in the hall in Geneva viewing these masterpieces.
The Art Of F.P. Journe includes a number of important lots, of which 6 highlights are known so far, including a Tourbillon Souverain with platinum bracelet, a Chronomètre à Résonance ‘Pré-Souscription’ (dizzying), a Centigraph Souverain red-ferrari dial, an Octa Calendrier with mother-of-pearl dial, a Chronomètre Souverain Dubai, and an Octa ‘LineSport’ with blue dial. Let’s delve into them one by one.
Tourbillon Souverain platinum bracelet (Estimate: CHF 500,000-1,000,000)
Seeing a metal bracelet on an F.P. Journe watch is already synonymous with rarity; in the case of a Tourbillon Souverain it is even more so. This model is one of the very few in this configuration with a dial made of hard stone, specifically jade. Produced in 2018, we know that among the few owners is the CEO of Kering, François-Henri Pinault, a great fan and collector of the brand.
Chronomètre à Résonance ‘Pré-Souscription’ (Estimate: CHF 500,000-1,000,000)
Again we speak of rarity, where the word Souscription represents the very rare series created by Journe early in his career, for the Tourbillon and the Chronomètre à Résonance. After the first 20 pieces, Journe chose to give early Tourbillon owners the opportunity to purchase the Chronomètre à Résonance model with the same case number.
Despite this, an extremely small number were produced, named now as “Pre-Souscription,” which represent the rarest versions ever, precisely because they are not matched to the Tourbillon case numbers. The one for sale in The Art Of F.P. Journe is among them.
Centigraph Souverain Ferrari Red Dial (Estimate: CHF 400,000-600,000)
The Centigraph Souvarain is a semi-sporty version of the independent brand’s chronographs, particularly in its complication, but also in its bracelet. We say semi-sporty because the quintessential one is in the Octa Linesport chronograph (similar to the one featured in later batches).
The Ferrari red dial is part of a series of watches created only on request in about 2010.
A similar but more important example was sold in the auction of Jean Todt’s collection in November 2022, which differed by being a set of only 3 pieces with the prancing horse logo at 12 o’clock.
Octa Calendrier MOP Dial (Estimate: CHF 150,000 – 250,000)
The use of mother-of-pearl may seem trivial in certain cases, where the final effect is definitely not up to the hues of the Octa Calendrier in question. This material can have different shades, depending on the grade and type, but in some cases it can remain dull and unreflective.
As in a Tourbillon Souverain seen a few years ago, this Octa Calendrier with dark mother-of-pearl dial totally captures you among green, blue, azure, purple, fuchsia and magenta. Rarely will you find such an effect.
This piece is part of an edition created for Singapore retailer “Sincere Fine Watches” in only 15 pieces world.
Chronomètre Souverain Dubai (Estimate: CHF 60,000-120,000)
Created for the opening of the first F.P. Journe Boutique in Dubai in 2020, this 99-piece limited edition Chronomètre Souverain features an emblematic green detail in the dial and strap. There is also a version with Hindo-Arabic numerals, not in the catalog.
Octa ‘LineSport’ con quadrante blu (Estimate: CHF 60,000-120,000)
When we talk about sportiness for the independent brand, we talk about the Octa S “Linesport.” An ultra-light titanium case with an integrated bracelet and aesthetic codes typical of sportsmen, a very readable Journe-style dial but in blue. This very rare edition was produced in only 8 pieces and is the first time, according to Christie’s, that it appears publicly in an international auction.
When and where ?
Christie’s The Art Of F.P. Journe auction will be held on May 12, 2023 in Geneva, in the halls of the Four Seasons Hotel des Bregues. In the coming months we will find out the full catalog of F.P. Journe’s largest ever thematic auction.
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