F.P. Journe, founded by master watchmaker François-Paul Journe in 1999, is a prestigious independent Swiss watch brand known for its horological innovation, technical mastery, exquisite craftsmanship, and distinct design language. F.P. Journe watches have become some of the most in-demand timepieces in the world and a favorite among watch collectors.
F.P. Journe’s inaugural model in 1999 was the Tourbillon Souverain (also known as the Reference T), which along with a tourbillon, time display, and power reserve indicator, also included a remontoir — a constant force mechanism. F.P. Journe continued to make the first-generation Tourbillon Souverain until 2003 when it was replaced with the Reference TN where a natural dead-beat seconds display covered the remontoir beneath it and the original brass movement was swapped out for a rose gold movement.
One of the most renowned F.P. Journe watches for sale is the Chronomètre à Résonance (known as the Reference R) with dual-time displays. While it debuted in 2000, François-Paul had been working on the concept since the early 1980s. The watch includes two separate movements and thanks to the resonance phenomenon, the two closely placed balance wheels synchronize to the exact same beat.
The third of the first trio of watches from F.P. Journe was the Octa Rèserve de Marche, aka, the Reference RDM, which was the brand’s first automatic watch and it boasted 120 hour of power reserve.
Other notable complicated F.P. Journe watches include the chiming Sonnerie Souveraine and Répétition Souverain, the sporty Centigraphe Souveraine chronograph (the first wristwatch that could record 1/100th of a second), and the quartz-powered Élégante that switches to standby mode if inactive to preserve power.
However, on the simpler side of things, there’s the Chronomètre Bleu with a time-only dial and tantalum case. While the Chronomètre Bleu was among the least expensive F.P. Journe watches for sale at retail, it became so coveted that its value soared on the secondary market.
F.P. Journe watches are handmade and the company makes 95% of its own components, perfectly illustrating its guiding principle of "Invenit et Fecit" (Latin for "He invented it and made it." Each piece is assembled in Geneva and François-Paul is known to design the dial first then design the movement and the rest of the components around that. The company only makes around 800 watches a year; in short, even if you want to buy F.P. Journe watches, it is not an easy feat due to their exceedingly high demand and low production.
Since 2004, most F.P. Journe movements have been fashioned from 18k solid rose gold — yet the older brass movement versions remain sought-after among collectors. Another important point about F.P. Journe calibers is that they’re all integrated; François-Paul does not use modules in his movements.
When you’re looking to buy F.P. watches, you’ll notice a few design characteristics shared across models including teardrop hands, rope-edged crowns, a distinct typeface, and very often, precious metal cases and dials.