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lot 25

F.P.Journe

Chronometre à Résonance Special Editon Sincere Fine Watches

Estimate CHF 200 000 / CHF 300 000
Starting bid CHF 200 000
Hammer price CHF 360 000
Total bids 14
All prices do not include 24% Premium

Specification

CaseRose gold case 750/1000, sapphire caseback, winding crown at 12 o'clock, pulled down flyback crown at 4 o'clock
StrapDark brown calf leather strap (not original), F.P Journe original pin buckle
DialBlack mother-of-pearl, with 2 symmetrical silver time indications, power reserve indicator at 12 o'clock
MovementMassive hand wound rose gold movement with horizontal Geneva stripes, 2 individual gear trains
Cal.1499-2
Ref.202-RN
D=40 mm
Year2006

Condition report

Case:Very good, only small signs of use
Strap:New, not original strap
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:Very good, all functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):300 degrees
Accuracy (Dial on top):-3 s/day
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details 

A fine, extremely attractive and rare limited-edition complicated wristwatch of the Swiss watch brand F. P. Journe, founded in 1999 by the French watchmaker François-Paul Journe. Date of purchase: 2006. Case in 18k rose gold, diameter 40mm, thickness 9.1mm, black mother of pearl dial, silver subdials with clous de Paris guilloché pattern, fine circular grooves and slim metal screw-fixed frames. Sapphire caseback. Slim manual-wound caliber 1499.2 with mainplate and bridges in solid 18k rose gold, twin independent movement coupled with aerodynamic resonance system. Power reserve up to 40 hours. Functions – hours, minutes and small seconds hands for local and zone time, power reserve indicator, synchronization function for seconds hands when the crown at 12 o’clock is pulled out. Brown leather strap with F. P. Journe buckle in 18k rose gold. Limited edition of 10 pieces for Sincere Fine Watches (Singapore). 

Lot essay 

François-Paul Journe is one of the few watchmakers to have developed a wristwatch with a twin movement and resonance effect. Resonance is a physical phenomenon of interaction between two independent systems, which are characterized by oscillations with close frequencies. With a strong resonance, both systems begin to operate at the same frequency, that is, in relation to timepiece mechanisms, the two mechanisms begin to move synchronously. Mechanical resonance in clocks was discovered in the 17th century by the famous Dutch scientist Christian Huygens, before the French watchmaker Antide Janvier was able to apply this effect for the first time in a pendulum clock in 1780, with Abraham-Louis Breguet implementing it in a pocket watch in 1814. François-Paul Journe began experimenting with resonance in his early pocket watch in 1983, however, success in applying this physical phenomenon came later, when he undertook the development of the Chronomètre à Résonance wristwatch in the late 1990s. His resonance caliber uses the aerodynamic interaction of the balances of the twin mechanism. Currently, this is the only brand to offer serial production of wristwatches with an aerodynamic resonance system. 

Production of the Chronomètre à Résonance watch began in 2000. The watch featured the caliber 1499 (1st generation) with a rhodium-plated brass mainplate and bridges, the first wristwatch caliber utilizing the aerodynamic resonance phenomenon. In 2004, F. P. Journe started production of the 2nd generation caliber 1499.2, with the mainplate and bridges in solid 18k pink gold, as in the present lot. Later, in 2010, the caliber 1499.2 was replaced by the 1499.3 version in solid gold and with a newly-introduced 24-hour zone time digital indication system. Caliber 1499.3 was discontinued in 2020. 

The Chronomètre à Résonance Sincere Limited Edition, produced in a very small series of 10 pieces and equipped with black mother-of-pearl dials, is one of the rarest Chronomètre à Résonance models of the entire production period of this watch.

F. P. Journe has produced numerous Chronomètre à Résonance designs over the years, meaning collecting these watches is often associated with surprising discoveries and unexpected finds. The most common examples feature matte gold dials. For its boutiques, the brand produces watches with black dials – nicknamed the ‘Black Label Collection’, which are always of high interest. However, the Chronomètre à Résonance Sincere Limited Edition, produced in a very small series of 10 pieces and equipped with black mother-of-pearl dials, is one of the rarest Chronomètre à Résonance models of the entire production period of this watch. The present lot is an incredibly rare chance to find one of the Sincere Limited Edition items at auction. 

We should also point out another unusual feature of this watch – the method of marking the power reserve indicator, made in the tradition of chronometers of the 19th century. The pointer hand indicates the time elapsed after the complete winding of the mechanism, meaning, when fully wound, it points to zero. 

Reasons to bid 

The Chronomètre à Résonance Sincere Limited Edition Ref. RN is an extremely rare and attractive purchase for the collector and F. P. Journe watchmaking expertise aficionado, with an opportunity to obtain an unusual, beautiful and complicated mechanical watch from this famous watch brand, one of the undoubted leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market. The present lot features a beautiful hand-wound caliber, developed to a high standard, hand-finished on all parts, including chamfering and polishing, with a 18k rose gold mainplate and bridges finely decorated with Côtes de Genève and Perlage. The branded dial layout with blued steel hands and Arabic numerals, personally designed by François-Paul Journe, is a reflection of the functionality of the complicated mechanical movement, highly appreciated by true connoisseurs of luxury mechanical watchmaking. The signature dial of the Chronomètre à Résonance with a double silver subdial and black mother-of-pearl, extremely rarely found in F. P. Journe watches, makes the present lot notable, instantly recognizable and desirable. 

N. B. 

The keen collector should note that also offered for purchase in this sale is another F. P. Journe Sincere Limited Edition watch – Octa Calendrier No. 239-Q in 18k rose gold and with black mother-of-pearl dial, the perfect companion to the present lot.