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Lot Essay
Confirmed by the original F.P. Journe Certificate “38 mm. case on special order”, this unique Chronomètre à Résonance immediately captures the attention both for its uniqueness and as part of Journe’s iconic ultra-desirable limited edition Ruthenium Collection. Superb in every respect, it is unlike every other publicly known example in being fitted with a 38 mm. platinum case instead of the 40 mm. case of all other Ruthenium Collection watches. Indeed, one of the defining characteristics of the Ruthenium Collection is that the watches are the only brass movement era timepieces not to be available in 38 mm. This makes the present watch very special indeed and one of the most important and desirable of all Ruthenium Collection Chronomètre à Résonance.
The present watch gives collectors the extremely rare opportunity to obtain a highly important and almost certainly unique example of the final early series watches of the Chronomètre à Résonance with ruthenium plated brass movement.
The F.P. Journe Ruthenium Collection
The Chronomètre à Résonance model, so closely associated with François-Paul Journe, is particularly desirable, examples from the Ruthenium Collection are incredibly sought after. The ruthenium coated brass movements and solid gold dials of this edition are regarded as perhaps the most beautiful of all early Journe production.
Regarded as one of F.P. Journe’s most legendary and visually compelling, the Ruthenium Collection comprises five different models, all produced during the final phase of the brass movement era between 2001 and 2003.
François-Paul Journe’s ‘Ruthenium Collection’ consists of:
The Chronomètre à Résonance;
The Tourbillon Souverain;
The Octa Calendrier;
The Octa Chronographe;
The Octa Réserve de Marche Jour et Nuit (only produced as part of the Ruthenium Collection).
For the first time in any of Journe’s watches, the dials and movements of these timepieces were coated with ruthenium, an unusual metal that is part of the platinum family and has notable anti-corrosion properties. However, it was chosen largely due to its wonderfully subtle depth of colour and distinctive sheen which seems to change in tone depending on the play and strength of light. Each model (apart from the present watch) has a 40 mm. diameter platinum case and in fact, the watches of the Ruthenium Collection are the only F.P. Journe watches with brass movements to have 40 mm. diameter cases, as opposed to the 38 mm. cases of other brass movement Journe watches of the period.
The Brass Movements of F.P. Journe
In 2004, François-Paul Journe famously introduced the splendid movement calibers with baseplates and bridges made from solid 18 carat gold which have since become a ‘signature’ feature of almost all F.P. Journe watches to the present day. However, the timepieces manufactured before 2004 were fitted with brass movements finished with rhodium plating, there were also some special limited edition models made with ruthenium plated brass movements. Paradoxically, it is these early production and pre-production watches with brass movements that collectors have focused their attention and research. It is thought that between 2001 and 2004, only approximately 2000 brass movement watches were ever produced across all models. With the tremendous and continually growing interest in François-Paul Journe’s work, these early brass movement watches, a hugely important part of F.P. Journe’s history, are incredibly sought after and consequently are becoming ever more difficult to obtain.
The Chronomètre à Résonance
Perhaps the watch that most clearly showcases the sheer genius contemporary watchmaker François-Paul Journe. It is the only wristwatch in the world with a movement based on ‘resonance’, a natural physical phenomenon said to have been first discovered by Christiaan Huygens in 1665. Huygens noticed that two pendulum clocks, when hung together on the same beam would beat together in perfect synchronicity. An idea that was further experimented with by the great French clockmaker Antide Janvier and the legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, both of whose work F.P. Journe greatly admires. F.P. Journe’s resonance watches notably feature two balances that are naturally synchronized and oscillate in ‘resonance’ with each other. The negative effects of wrist and body movements are hence considerably reduced. Breguet had experimented with the theory of resonance in watches in the early 19th century and indeed constructed three pocket watches using the two-balance system. With the development and production of the Chronomètre à Résonance, F.P. Journe became the first watchmaker to make a wristwatch constructed on the principle of resonance, an incredible achievement of modern horology.
The present watch gives collectors the extremely rare opportunity to obtain a highly important and almost certainly unique example of the final early series watches of the Chronomètre à Résonance with ruthenium plated brass movement.
The F.P. Journe Ruthenium Collection
The Chronomètre à Résonance model, so closely associated with François-Paul Journe, is particularly desirable, examples from the Ruthenium Collection are incredibly sought after. The ruthenium coated brass movements and solid gold dials of this edition are regarded as perhaps the most beautiful of all early Journe production.
Regarded as one of F.P. Journe’s most legendary and visually compelling, the Ruthenium Collection comprises five different models, all produced during the final phase of the brass movement era between 2001 and 2003.
François-Paul Journe’s ‘Ruthenium Collection’ consists of:
The Chronomètre à Résonance;
The Tourbillon Souverain;
The Octa Calendrier;
The Octa Chronographe;
The Octa Réserve de Marche Jour et Nuit (only produced as part of the Ruthenium Collection).
For the first time in any of Journe’s watches, the dials and movements of these timepieces were coated with ruthenium, an unusual metal that is part of the platinum family and has notable anti-corrosion properties. However, it was chosen largely due to its wonderfully subtle depth of colour and distinctive sheen which seems to change in tone depending on the play and strength of light. Each model (apart from the present watch) has a 40 mm. diameter platinum case and in fact, the watches of the Ruthenium Collection are the only F.P. Journe watches with brass movements to have 40 mm. diameter cases, as opposed to the 38 mm. cases of other brass movement Journe watches of the period.
The Brass Movements of F.P. Journe
In 2004, François-Paul Journe famously introduced the splendid movement calibers with baseplates and bridges made from solid 18 carat gold which have since become a ‘signature’ feature of almost all F.P. Journe watches to the present day. However, the timepieces manufactured before 2004 were fitted with brass movements finished with rhodium plating, there were also some special limited edition models made with ruthenium plated brass movements. Paradoxically, it is these early production and pre-production watches with brass movements that collectors have focused their attention and research. It is thought that between 2001 and 2004, only approximately 2000 brass movement watches were ever produced across all models. With the tremendous and continually growing interest in François-Paul Journe’s work, these early brass movement watches, a hugely important part of F.P. Journe’s history, are incredibly sought after and consequently are becoming ever more difficult to obtain.
The Chronomètre à Résonance
Perhaps the watch that most clearly showcases the sheer genius contemporary watchmaker François-Paul Journe. It is the only wristwatch in the world with a movement based on ‘resonance’, a natural physical phenomenon said to have been first discovered by Christiaan Huygens in 1665. Huygens noticed that two pendulum clocks, when hung together on the same beam would beat together in perfect synchronicity. An idea that was further experimented with by the great French clockmaker Antide Janvier and the legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, both of whose work F.P. Journe greatly admires. F.P. Journe’s resonance watches notably feature two balances that are naturally synchronized and oscillate in ‘resonance’ with each other. The negative effects of wrist and body movements are hence considerably reduced. Breguet had experimented with the theory of resonance in watches in the early 19th century and indeed constructed three pocket watches using the two-balance system. With the development and production of the Chronomètre à Résonance, F.P. Journe became the first watchmaker to make a wristwatch constructed on the principle of resonance, an incredible achievement of modern horology.