Complications

F P Journe Centigraphe Souverain - 1/100th of a second and the World's Most Capable Tachymeter

You can always count on the creative mind and technical proficiency of Francois-Paul Journe to bring some unique and difficult to execute complications to the watchmakers ball. 

There's some incredible work being done at the Journe shop in Geneva and the F P Journe Centigraphe Souverain is a stunning example of Journe's passion for the unique and complicated. 

Designed to display elapsed time in 1/100ths of a second intervals and capable of totaling up to 10 minutes of expired minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second, the Centigraphe Souverain is first and foremost the creme de la creme of chronographs.  The revolution of the flying seconds hand, subdialed at 10 o'clock, is hypnotic in its pace of one complete revolution per second.  The speed of this little red hand alone conveys the accomplishment inherent in manufacturing a watch with this capability.  All three of the Centigraphes subdials - the minute foudroyante at 10 o'clock, the 20 second indicator at 2, and the minute totaler at 6 - has a tachymeter scale on its outer track.  Using these scales, it's technically possible to time an object moving at up to 1/3000ths of the speed of light - 360,000 km per hour!  Of course, you'd have to hone your hand-eye coordination skills a little bit.  Journe points out that with the Centigraphe Souverain, you can calculate the speed of anything from a casual stroll in the park to a rocket going into orbit - and, of course, everything in between.

To activate the chronograph, there's a a rocker at 2 o'clock on the right side of the case.  It turns a column wheel to activate the stop, start and zero functions.

Another unique aspect of the F P Journe Centigraphe Souverain is that Journe has designed, patented and installed a mechanism that isolates the chronograph from the timekeeping functions of the Centigraphe - completely eliminating any changes in amplitude while the chronograph is active.

There's a remarkable 100+ hour power reserve in normal timekeeping operations and 30+ hours of juice while the chronograph is active.

The characteristic Journe crown is nestled between 3 and 4 o'clock on the right side of the case - just beneath the chronograph rocker. 

Of course, fit and finish are without equal and the Centigraphe Souverain looks and feels great on your wrist.  As with most of Journe's offerings, there's usually a waiting list that only gets shorter when your name is on it.  Sign up now - this ones a scorcher!

          

F. P. Journe Chronometre a Resonance - Haute Horology Squared

The F P Journe Chronometre a Resonance is one of the most interesting and unique complications in modern watchmaking.  While the idea of introducing the phenomenon of resonance into the business of precision timekeeping isn't new (Janvier did it in the 1780s and Breguet in the early 1800s), never before has the concept been so successfully been integrated in a wristwatch movement.  The idea itself is pretty straightforward.  To paraphrase Journe; 'the movement has two balances that reach a state of "sympathy" through the effect of resonance and begin to beat in opposite directions - supporting each other and giving a great degree of inertia to their movement'.  The net result - A very accurate watch.  In the Chronometre a Resonance, each balance drives the hours, minutes, and seconds that pass on it's separate 'dial' and these dial clusters are arranged opposite each other on the watches main dial.  Between and above them is a power reserve indicator.  Each dial is set and winding is accomplished using a crown that resides between the top lugs at 12 o'clock.  There's a crown on the lower right side of the case for zeroing and synchronizing the seconds hands which stay remarkably close to each other for days on end. 

The fit and finish of the movement is, as you would expect from Journe, phenomenal.  The gold plates and bridgework are striking against the platinum of the case when viewed from the sapphire display back.  Watching the whole production can be mesmerizing and almost hypnotic.  If there's work to be done, I'd suggest keeping the Resonance securely strapped to the wrist and resisting the urge to watch what's happening.  The caseback is secured with a proprietary screw design so it's removal requires either a trip back to the Journe shop or a watchmaker comfortable with tool making. 

The retail price of the F P Journe Chronometre a Resonance is $65,400 US.  Given the exclusivity of this watch and the skill required to design, manufacture, and assemble this movement; it's an exceptional value.